Multistandard video decoder and decompression system for processing encoded bit streams including a standard-independent stage and methods relating thereto

• US 20040221143A1
• Filed: 02/01/2001
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1992
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coases Investments Bros LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Adrian P. Wise, Anthony M. Jones, Anthony Peter J. Claydon, Helen R. Finch, Kevin J. Boyd, Martin W. Sotheran, William P. Robbins
• Inventors: Wise, Adrian P., Jones, Anthony M., Boyd, Kevin J., Finch, Helen R., Robbins, William P., Sotheran, Martin W., Claydon, Anthony Peter J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,892,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 712/300
• 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 13/1673 using buffers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1689 Synchronisation and timing concerns synchronisation on a memory bus G06F13/4234
• 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 19/13 Adaptive entropy coding, e.g. adaptive variable length coding [AVLC] or context adaptive binary arithmetic coding [CABAC]
• 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 pipeline video decoder and decompression system handles a plurality of separately encoded bit streams arranged as a single serial bit stream of digital bits and having separately encoded pairs of control codes and corresponding data carried in the serial bit stream. The pipeline system employs a plurality of interconnected stages to decode and decompress the single bit stream, including a start code detector. When in a search mode, the start code detector searches for a specific start code corresponding to one of multiple compression standards. The start code detector responding to the single serial bit stream generates control tokens and data tokens. A respective one of the tokens includes a plurality of data words. Each data word has an extension bit which indicates a presence of additional words therein. The data words are thereby unlimited in number. A token decode circuit positioned in certain of the stages recognizes certain of the tokens as control tokens pertinent to that stage and passes unrecognized control tokens to a succeeding stage. A reconfigurable decode and parser processing means positioned in certain of the stages is responsive to a recognized control token and reconfigures a particular stage to handle an identified data token. Methods relating to the decoder and decompression system include processing steps relating thereto.

Claims

1. A multi-standard decoder for decoding data streams comprising:

processing stages interconnected to form a pipeline and for processing tokens derived from one or more of the data streams, the processing stages including standard-independent and standard-dependent processing stages, the standard-dependent processing stages capable of reconfiguration to operate in accordance with different data encoding standards; and

wherein the tokens provide reconfiguration information to the standard-dependent processing stages at an intermediate stage between an original stage and a final stage.

2. The multi-standard decoder of claim 1, wherein each of the tokens includes an extension indicator that indicates whether additional words are present.

3. The multi-standard decoder of claim 1, wherein one of the standard-dependent processing stages comprises an inverse quantizer.

4. The multi-standard decoder of claim 3, wherein one of the tokens comprises a first QUANT_TABLE token.

5. The multi-standard decoder of claim 4, wherein the inverse quantizer recognizes the first QUANT_TABLE token and, responsive to a first state of the extension indicator in a first word of the first QUANT_TABLE token, generates a second QUANT_TABLE token to be conveyed to another of the processing stages.

6. The multi-standard decoder of claim 5, wherein the second QUANT_TABLE token includes quantization table values.

7. The multi-standard decoder of claim 4, wherein responsive to a second state of the extension indicator of the first word of the QUANT_TABLE token, the inverse quantizer installs a quantization table of the first QUANT_TABLE token in a memory.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the second QUANT_TABLE token includes quantization table values to be used by the another processor.

8. A method of decoding data streams of data encoded by different standards comprising:

receiving tokens at a standard-dependent processor, the standard-dependent processor capable of reconfiguration of a multi-stage Pipeline to operate in accordance with the different standards; and

reconfiguring for standard-dependent processing in response to the received tokens at an intermediate stage between an original stage and a final stage of said multi-stage pipeline.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each token includes an extension indicator that indicates whether additional words are present and has a first and a second state to Indicate reconfiguration information.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the conveyed tokens is a first QUANT_TABLE token, and further comprising:

recognizing the first QUANT_TABLE token; and

responsive to the first state of the extension indicator in a first word of the first QUANT_TABLE token, generating a second QUANT_TABLE token to be conveyed to another processor.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

responsive to a second state of the extension indicator of the first word of the QUANT_TABLE token, installing a quantization table of the first QUANT_TABLE token in memory.

13. A system comprising:

processing stages including standard-independent and standard-dependent processing stages, the standard-dependent processing stages capable of reconfiguration to operate In accordance with different data encoding standards; and

tokens for interacting with the processing stages, the tokens providing reconfiguration information to the standard-dependent processing stages to cause the standard-dependent processing stages to reconfigure stages at an intermediate stage between an original stage and a final stage.