Topological identification and initialization of a system for processing video information
First Claim
1. A method of initializing and determining the topological configuration of a system for processing video information, the system having a master device and a plurality of slave devices for transmitting or receiving the video information coupled in a daisy chain by a video link, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) using the master device to transmit video data onto the video link;
(b) using the master device to issue commands to the slave devices to control the routing of the transmitted video data within the slave devices;
(c) assigning a unique address to each of the slave devices based on responses of the slave devices to the commands and the transmitted video data; and
(d) determining the position in the daisy chain of each of the slave devices based on the responses of the slave devices to the commands and the transmitted video data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for initializing and determining the topological configuration of a system for processing video information is described. The system has a master device and multiple slave devices for transmitting or receiving video information. The master and slave devices are coupled together in a daisy chain by a serial video link. The master device issues commands to the slave devices to selectively control the routing of a video data stream within each of the slave devices. The master transmits the video data onto the serial video link to the slave devices and assigns a unique address to each of the slave devices based on the responses of the slave devices to the commands and the transmitted data stream. The master device also determines the position in the daisy chain of each of the slave devices based on those responses.
67 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method of initializing and determining the topological configuration of a system for processing video information, the system having a master device and a plurality of slave devices for transmitting or receiving the video information coupled in a daisy chain by a video link, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) using the master device to transmit video data onto the video link; (b) using the master device to issue commands to the slave devices to control the routing of the transmitted video data within the slave devices; (c) assigning a unique address to each of the slave devices based on responses of the slave devices to the commands and the transmitted video data; and (d) determining the position in the daisy chain of each of the slave devices based on the responses of the slave devices to the commands and the transmitted video data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of initializing and determining the topological configuration of a system for processing video information, the system having a master device coupled by a serial video data link in a daisy chain to a plurality of slave devices for transmitting or receiving video data, each of the slave devices having a first input and a second input, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) assigning a default address to each of the slave devices; (b) configuring each of the slave devices which has the default address for receiving at the first input and locking on to video data transmitted from the master device and for not transmitting the received video data to slave devices more junior in the daisy chain; (c) transmitting a video data stream from the master device on the data link such that no more than one slave device receives and locks on to the video data; (d) assigning a unique address to replace the default address to any slave device which has received and locked on to the video data stream; (e) determining whether one of the slave devices has been assigned the unique address; (f) if a slave device has been assigned the unique address, determining the relative position in the daisy chain of the slave device which has been assigned the unique address; (g) if a slave device has been assigned the unique address, storing the unique address and the relative position in the daisy chain of the slave device which has been assigned the unique address; (h) configuring the slave device which has been assigned the unique address for transmitting video data received at the first input to slave devices more junior in the daisy chain without locking on to the video data; (i) repeating steps (b) through (h) such that each of the slave devices is assigned a unique address and such that the relative position in the daisy chain and the corresponding unique address for each slave device is stored. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of initializing and determining the topological configuration of a system for processing video information, the system having a controller coupled by a video data link in a daisy chain to a plurality of video devices for transmitting or receiving video data, the controller and the video devices each having an interface device for interfacing with the video data link, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) assigning a default address to each of the video devices; (b) configuring each interface device of a video device having the default address for receiving at a first input and locking on to video data transmitted from the controller and for not transmitting the received video data to video devices more junior in the daisy chain; (c) transmitting a video data stream from the controller on the serial data link such that no more than one interface device receives and locks on to the video data; (d) assigning a unique address to replace the default address to any video device the interface device of which has received and locked on to the video data stream; (e) determining whether one of the video devices has been assigned the unique address; (f) storing in a memory in the controller, if a video device has been assigned the unique address, the unique address and the relative position in the daisy chain of the video device which has been assigned the unique address; (g) configuring the interface device of the video device having the unique address for transmitting video data received at the input to video devices more junior in the daisy chain without locking on to the video data; (h) repeating steps (b) through (g) such that each of the video devices is assigned a unique address and such that the relative position in the daisy chain and the corresponding unique address for each video device is stored in the memory. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A control device capable of being coupled to a plurality of interface devices by a daisy chain video data link, each of the interface devices for coupling one of a plurality of video devices to the daisy chain video data link, the control device comprising:
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(1) a memory; and (2) a processor coupled to each of the interface devices by a control bus and coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to; (a) cause video data to be transmitted on the daisy chain video data link to the video devices from the control device; (b) cause a plurality of commands and addresses to be transmitted to the video devices, the commands for causing selection of the routing of the transmitted video data within each of the interface devices; (c) assign a unique address to each of the video devices based on responses of the interface devices to the commands and to the video data transmitted on the daisy chain video data link from the control device; (d) determine the relative position in the daisy chain and the corresponding unique address of each of the video devices based on responses of the interface devices to the commands and to the video data transmitted on the daisy chain video data link from the control device; and (e) store in the memory the relative position in the daisy chain and the corresponding unique address of each of the video devices. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. An apparatus for processing video data, comprising:
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(a) a plurality of means for transmitting or receiving video data, each of the means for transmitting or receiving having an interface means for coupling the means for transmitting or receiving to a video data link; and (b) control means coupled to each of the interface means in a daisy chain by the data link, the control means for selecting the routing of video data between the means for transmitting or receiving, the control means having; (1) storage means for storing a plurality of addresses; and (2) processor means for causing a plurality of commands, video data, and the addresses to be transmitted to the means for transmitting or receiving from the control means, the commands for causing each of the interface means to select the routing of the transmitted video data within each of the interface means, wherein the processor means is further for assigning a unique address to each of the means for transmitting or receiving and for determining and storing in the storage means the relative position in the daisy chain and the corresponding unique address of each of the means for transmitting or receiving based on responses of the interface means to the commands and to the video data transmitted from the control means.
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Specification