Hardware architecture for video conferencing

• US 8,169,464 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US12/463,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20090213126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 709204-205, 370260-261
• US Class Current: 348/14.09
• 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 signal processors that perform processing of data representative of video images, the plurality of signal processors being interconnected via switches that choose between unicast and multicast transmission of received data; and

each of the switches maintains a representation of a network topology of an entire architecture of the multipoint control unit of links between the signal processors allowing the switches to make routing decisions and determines an unicast or multicast format transmission of data for a next hop or hops.

2. A method of routing video data in a multipoint control unit having a plurality of signal processors, the plurality of signal processors being interconnected via switches that choose between unicast and multicast transmission of received data, the method comprising:

storing or retrieving, in each of the switches, a representation of a network topology of an entire architecture of the multipoint control unit of links between the signal processors allowing the switches to make routing decisions; and

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

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting information in the unicast format until a routing branch is reached at which data needs to follow a plurality of links and then transmitting information in the multicast format at that routing branch.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer program instructions for routing video data in a multipoint control unit having a plurality of signal processors, the plurality of signal processors being interconnected via switches that choose between unicast and multicast transmission of received data, the computer program instructions comprising:

instructions for storing, in each of the switches, a representation of a network topology of an entire architecture of the multipoint control unit of links between the signal processors allowing the switches to make routing decisions; and

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