Coding standard token in a system compromising a plurality of pipeline stages

• US 6,079,009 A
• Filed: 09/24/1997
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Coases Investments Bros LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Discovision Associates (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Wise, Adrian Philip, Sotheran, Martin William
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Ai T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Jr., Walter D.
• Application Number:
  US08/937,143
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 712/200, 712/209, 712/18, 382/303, 345/501, 345/506, 348/384, 348/441, 341/65
• US Class Current: 712/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0207 with multidimensional access, e.g. row/column, matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/04 Addressing variable-length words or parts of words
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0607 Interleaved addressing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/16 for access to memory bus G06F13/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3867 using instruction pipelines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4494 data driven
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/42 characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/423 characterised by memory arrangements H04N19/433 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/91 Entropy coding, e.g. variable length coding [VLC] or arithmetic coding

Abstract

A multi-standard video decompression apparatus has a plurality of stages interconnected by a two-wire interface arranged as a pipeline processing machine. Control tokens and DATA Tokens pass over the single two-wire interface for carrying both control and data in token format. A token decode circuit is positioned in certain of the stages for recognizing certain of the tokens as control tokens pertinent to that stage and for passing unrecognized control tokens along the pipeline. Reconfiguration processing circuits are positioned in selected stages and are responsive to a recognized control token for reconfiguring such stage to handle an identified DATA Token. A wide variety of unique supporting subsystem circuitry and processing techniques are disclosed for implementing the system.

Claims

1. For use with a system having a plurality of processing stages:

a universal adaptation unit in the form of an interactive interfacing token for control and/or data functions among said processing stages,

wherein said token is a CODING_-- STANDARD token for conditioning said system for processing in a selected one of a plurality of picture compression/decompression standards;

one of said processing stages being a Huffman decoder and parser;

one of said control tokens being a CODING_-- STANDARD control token; and

upon receipt of said CODING_-- STANDARD control token, said parser is reset to an address location corresponding to the location of a program for handling the picture standard identified by said CODING_-- STANDARD control token.

3. A machine as in either claims 1 or 2, and further comprising:

a reset address selected by said CODING_-- STANDARD control token corresponding to a memory location used for testing said Huffman decoder and parser.

4. A system as recited in either claims 1 or 2, and further comprising:

said Huffman decoder including a decoding stage and an Index to Data stage; and

said parser stage sends an instruction to said Index to Data Unit to select tables needed for a particular identified coding standard, said parser stage indicating whether the arriving data is inverted or not.

2. In a system having an input, an output and a plurality of processing stages between the input and the output, the improvement comprising:

an interactive metamorphic interfacing token, defining a universal adaptation unit for control and/or data functions among said processing stages,

wherein said token is a CODING_-- STANDARD token for conditioning said system for processing in a selected one of a plurality of picture compression/decompression standards;

one of said processing stages being a Huffman decoder and parser;

one of said control tokens being a CODING_-- STANDARD control token; and

upon receipt of said CODING_-- STANDARD control token, said parser is reset to an address location corresponding to the location of a program for handling the picture standard identified by said CODING_-- STANDARD control token.