Method and apparatus for facilitating real-time and asynchronous loading and temporally-overlapping of modular multimedia software tasks in a multimedia data processing system

• US 5,630,132 A
• Filed: 05/23/1995
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ware, Malcolm C., Lawton, William L., Young, Charles R., Mitchell, Nathan A., Chen, Fetchi, Allran, Gary G., Knox, Charles R., Eduartez, Jose A., Weeks, Raymond W., Carmon, Donald E., Marshall, Llewellyn B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Heckler, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/449,511
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 395/650, 395/154
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A data processing system for executing multimedia applications which interface with multimedia devices that consume or produce at least one of real-time and asynchronous streamed data includes a CPU for execution of one or more multimedia applications and a DSP for processing data including streamed data. A plurality of modular multimedia software tasks may be called by the multimedia application for execution in the DSP. A plurality of data communication modules are provided for linking selected ones of the software tasks with selected others of the software tasks, and linking selected multimedia devices with selected ones of the software tasks. Each of the communications modules allows continuous, real-time and unidirectional communication of streamed data. The modularity of the processing system defines an open architecture for real-time processing which allows additional modular multimedia tasks to be added to the software tasks and selectively linked to at least one of (a) selected ones of the software tasks, and (b) selected ones of the multimedia devices. A DSP manager is resident in the CPU which dynamically monitors resource allocation to allow at least one software task to be loaded and executed while at least one other software task is being executed by the DSP without interference with execution.

Claims

1. A data processing system for executing multimedia applications which interface with multimedia end devices that consume or produce at least one of (a) real-time and (b) asynchronous streamed data, comprising:

a central processing unit for data processing operations including execution of said multimedia application;

a digital signal processor for processing data including said streamed data;

a plurality of modular multimedia software task means which are executable by said digital signal processor and which are available to said multimedia application for execution in said digital signal processor;

a plurality of data communication module means for;

(a) linking selected ones of said plurality of modular multimedia software tasks with selected others of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means, and

(b) linking selected multimedia end devices with selected ones of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means;

each of said plurality of data communication module means allowing continuous, real-time, and unidirectional communication of said streamed data;

a digital signal processor manager program means which is resident in said central processing unit and which dynamically monitors data processing system resource allocation to allow at least one of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means to be loaded and executed while at least one other of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means is being executed by said digital signal processor, without interfering with execution of any of said plurality of modular multimedia software tasks.

2. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of modular multimedia software task means include at least one modular multimedia software task which performs the functions of a selected multimedia end device by consuming or producing at least one of (a) real-time and (b) asynchronous streamed data.

3. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of data communication module means comprise a circular memory buffer.

4. A data processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control block which selectively passes status and control parameters between selected ones of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means or multimedia end devices between which streamed data is passed through selected ones of said plurality of data communication module means.

5. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said digital signal processor manager program means monitors a plurality of data processing system resource availability factors, including at least one of:

(a) multimedia end devices availability;

(b) instruction memory availability;

(c) data memory availability;

(d) digital signal processor cycles-per-second availability;

(e) data bus bandwidth availability;

(f) interrupt vector availability; and

(g) direct memory access operations availability.

6. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said digital signal processor manager program means determines whether a particular modular multimedia software task is eligible for loading to and execution by said digital signal processor after comparing resource requirements at said particular modular multimedia task with digital signal processor resource availability.

7. A data processing system according to claim 6, wherein loading and execution of said particular digital signal processor is denied only if a digital signal processor resource shortage or conflict exists.

8. A data processing system according to claim 6, wherein said digital signal processor manager program means allows loading and execution of said particular modular multimedia software task if no digital signal processor resource shortage or conflict exists, and wherein loading and execution is performed without interference with the on-going execution of other modular multimedia software tasks.

9. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of data communication module means allows continuous, real-time, and unidirectional communication of said streamed data under selected ones of a plurality of standardized streamed data communication protocols.

10. A data processing system according to claim 9, wherein said standardized streamed data communication protocols defines:

a particular one of said plurality of modular multimedia software tasks or a particular multimedia end device as being capable of writing data to a selected one of said plurality of data communication module means;

a particular one of said plurality of modular multimedia software tasks or a particular multimedia end device as being capable of reading data from said selected one of said plurality of data communication module means.

11. A data processing system according to claim 10, wherein said standardized streamed data communication protocols include:

a synchronous protocol, wherein data is written to, and read from, said selected one of said plurality of data communication module means at a constant rate.

12. A data processing system according to claim 10, wherein said standardized streamed data communication protocols include:

an owner data driven protocol, wherein said particular one of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means or particular multimedia end device writes data to said selected one of said plurality of data communication modules at a particular production rate, and said particular one of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means or particular multimedia end device reads data from said selected one of said plurality of data communication module means at a consumption rate which is adequate to consume all data written to said selected one of said plurality of data communication module means.

13. A data processing system according to claim 10, wherein said standardized streamed data communication protocols include:

a user data drive protocol, wherein said particular one of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means or particular multimedia end device reads data from said selected one of said plurality of data communication modules at a particular consumption rate, and said particular one of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means or particular multimedia end devices writes data to said selected one of said plurality of data communication module means at a production rate which is adequate to ensure that new data is always available for reading.

14. A data processing system according to claim 10, wherein said standardized streamed data communication protocols include:

a safe data protocol wherein;

(a) data is never written to said selected one of said plurality of data communication modules if it is in a full condition; and

(b) data is never read from said selected one of said plurality of data Communication modules, if it is in an empty condition.

15. A data processing system according to claim 10, wherein selected ones of said plurality of data communication module means directly receive at least one of (a) real-time and (b) asynchronous streamed data which is produced by selected ones of said multimedia end devices.

16. A data processing system according to claim 10, wherein said standardized streamed data communication protocols may be used to introduce or eliminate phase delay in streamed data.

17. In a multimedia data processing system including:

(a) a central processing unit for data processing operations;

(b) a digital signal processor for processing real-time and asynchronous streamed data;

(c) multimedia end devices that consume or produce at least one of (a) real-time and (b) asynchronous streamed data; and

(d) multimedia applications which are executable by said central processing unit;

an improved means for loading modular multimedia software tasks, comprising;

a plurality of modular multimedia software task means which are executable by said digital signal processor and which may be called by said multimedia application for execution in said digital signal processor;

a plurality of data communication module means for;

(a) linking selected ones of said plurality of modular multimedia software tasks with selected others of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means, and

(b) linking selected multimedia end devices with selected ones of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means;

each of said plurality of data communication module means, allowing continuous, real time, and unidirectional communication of said streamed data;

a digital signal processor manager program means which allows for real-time and asynchronous loading of selected ones of said plurality of modular multimedia software task means for at least partially temporally overlapping execution, to the extent that processing resources are available as dynamically determined by said digital signal processor manager program means.

18. An improved means for loading modular multimedia software tasks according to claim 17, wherein said plurality of modular multimedia software task means include at least one modular multimedia software task which performs the functions of a selected multimedia end device by consuming or producing at least one of (a) real-time and (b) asynchronous streamed data.

19. An improved means for loading modular multimedia software tasks according to claim 17, wherein each of said plurality of data communication module means comprises a circular memory buffer.

20. An improved means for loading modular multimedia software tasks according to claim 17, wherein each of said plurality of data communication module means allows continuous, real-time, and unidirectional communication of said streamed data under selected ones of a plurality of standardized streamed data communication protocols.

21. An improved means for loading modular multimedia software tasks according to claim 17, wherein said standardized streamed data communication protocols defines:

a particular one of said plurality of modular multimedia software tasks or a particular multimedia end device as being capable of writing data to a selected one of said plurality of data communication module means;

a particular one of said plurality of modular multimedia software tasks or a particular multimedia end device as being capable of reading data from said selected one of said plurality of data communication module means.

22. An improved means for loading modular multimedia software tasks according to claim 17, wherein said digital signal processor manager program means monitors a plurality of resource availability factors, including at least one of:

(a) multimedia end devices availability;

(b) instruction memory availability;

(c) data memory availability;

(d) digital signal processor cycles-per-second availability;

(e) data bus bandwidth availability;

(f) interrupt vector availability; and

(g) direct memory access operations availability.

23. An improved means for loading modular multimedia software tasks according to claim 17, wherein said digital signal processor manager program means determines whether a particular modular multimedia software task is eligible for loading to and execution by said digital signal processor after comparing resource requirements at said particular modular multimedia task with digital signal processor resource availability.

24. An improved means for loading modular multimedia software tasks according to claim 17, wherein loading and execution of said particular digital signal processor is denied only if a digital signal processor resource shortage or conflict exists.

25. An improved means for loading modular multimedia software tasks according to claim 17, wherein said digital signal processor manager program means allows loading and execution of said particular modular multimedia software task if no digital signal processor resource shortage or conflict exists, and wherein loading and execution is performed without interference with the on-going execution of other modular multimedia software tasks.

26. In a multimedia data processing system including:

(a) a central processing unit for data processing operations;

(b) a digital signal processor for processing real-time and asynchronous streamed data;

(c) multimedia end devices that consume or produce at least one of (a) real-time and (b) asynchronous streamed data; and

(d) multimedia applications which are executable by said central processing unit;

a method of loading to said digital signal processor, comprising the method steps of;

creating a plurality of modular multimedia software tasks which may be selectively loaded to said digital signal processor for execution;

selecting a particular modular multimedia software task for loading to and execution by said digital signal processor;

determining the digital signal processor resource requirement of said particular modular multimedia software task;

determining the digital signal processor resource availability; and

comparing said resource requirement with said resource availability to determine if loading is possible.

27. A method of loading to said digital signal according to claim 26:

wherein said multimedia data processing system further includes at least one additional digital signal processor;

said method further comprising;

determining digital signal processor resource availability for said additional digital signal processors;

comparing said resource requirements with said resource availability for a plurality of said digital signal processors to determine if loading is possible.