Hardware Architecture for Video Conferencing

• US 20090213126A1
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tandberg Products UK Ltd. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Codian Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: EVANS, Simon J.W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,169,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/502
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17337 Direct connection machines, e.g. completely connected computers, point to point communication networks coupling between buses G06F13/4004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

Video processing architectures, systems, and methods for a multipoint control unit are provided. In one example, a video processing system includes a motherboard and at least one daughterboard, each daughterboard having a plurality of processors interconnected via a daughterboard switch, where the daughterboard switch is configured to switch data between the plurality of processors and between the motherboard and daughterboard. The video processing system may further include a plurality of daughterboards each having an identical hardware and/or mechanical configuration. The plurality of daughterboards may be configured to be mechanically and electrically couplable together in any order, and may be stackable to form a series chain of daughterboards extending from the motherboard, each respective daughterboard switch being further configured to switch data to a daughterboard switch on another daughterboard to permit data flow along said series chain.

Claims

1. A video processing system for a multipoint control unit, comprising:

a plurality of processors adapted to perform processing of data representative of video images, the plurality of processors being interconnected via switches operable to choose between unicast and multicast transmission of received data.

2. The video processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a topology store which contains data representative of the links between the processors and wherein the switches access the topology store to make routing decisions and also to make the choice between unicast or multicast transmission of data.

3. The video processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a topology store which contains data representative of the links between the processors and a controller operable to attach routing information to data related to a desired route across the links before the data is transmitted.

4. A method of routing video data in a multipoint control unit having a plurality of signal processors, the method comprising:

storing or retrieving a network map holding data representative of a network topology which interconnects the signal processors; and

selectively switching one or more of a plurality of switches to switch data between the signal processors in unicast or multicast mode dependent on the network map.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting information in unicast mode until a routing branch is reached at which data needs to follow a plurality of links and then transmitting information in multicast mode at that routing branch.

6. A computer readable medium encoded with computer program instructions for routing video data in a multipoint control unit having a plurality of signal processors, the computer program instructions comprising:

instructions for storing a network map holding data representative of a network topology which interconnects the signal processors; and

instructions for selectively switching one or more of a plurality of switches to switch data between the signal processors in unicast or multicast mode dependent on the network map.