Multimedia processing system and method of operating the same

• US 9,448,609 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sun Kyu, Park, Shin Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoynov, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US14/797,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20150316978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• 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 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/00 Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis in musical instruments G10H
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418

Abstract

The multimedia processing system includes a plurality of first units including a CPU and a top domain; a storage domain configured to store a plurality of multimedia data; a multimedia codec domain configured to decode segments of target multimedia data received from the storage domain and to output decoded segments according to control of the CPU or the top domain; a system bus configured to connect the plurality of first units, the storage domain, and the multimedia codec domain with one another; and an alive domain configured to control power supply to the plurality of first units, the storage domain, the multimedia codec domain, and the system bus and to receive a signal from a user.

Claims

1. A multimedia processing system comprising:

a plurality of first units including a central processing unit (CPU) and a top domain;

a storage domain configured to store a plurality of multimedia data;

a multimedia codec domain configured to decode segments of target multimedia data received from the storage domain and to output decoded segments according to control of the CPU; and

a system bus connected to the plurality of first units, the storage domain, and the multimedia codec domain,

wherein the multimedia processing system is configured such that while the multimedia codec domain performs a decoding operation, the plurality of first units and the system bus enter a low power mode, and when the system bus is in the low power mode, the multimedia codec domain activates the system bus to access the storage domain.

2. The multimedia processing system of claim 1, wherein the top domain comprises:

a main direct memory access (DMA) controller configured to access the target multimedia data stored in the storage domain and load the segments of the target multimedia data to the multimedia codec domain according to the control of the CPU.

3. The multimedia processing system of claim 2, wherein the multimedia codec domain comprises:

a sub-DMA controller configured to transmit the segments of target multimedia data from the storage domain to the multimedia codec domain while the CPU and the main DMA are in the low power mode.

4. The multimedia processing system of claim 1, wherein the multimedia codec domain comprises:

a data memory configured to store the segments of the target multimedia data received through the system bus and the decoded segments of the target multimedia data;

a multimedia codec processor configured to decode the segments in the data memory and send the decoded segments to the data memory;

a sub-direct memory access (DMA) controller configured to access the storage domain or the data memory; and

a local bus connected to the data memory, the multimedia codec processor, the sub-DMA controller, and the system bus.

5. The multimedia processing system of claim 4, wherein the multimedia codec domain further comprises:

an instruction memory configured to store instructions stored by the CPU or the main DAM controller, the instructions being performed by the multimedia codec domain.

6. The multimedia processing system of claim 4, wherein the multimedia codec domain further comprises:

a control module connected to the local bus, the control module being configured to generate an operation control instruction for the multimedia codec domain according to the control of the CPU and may transmit a request to the first units.

7. The multimedia processing system of claim 6, wherein the control module comprises:

a communication box configured to store commands for the communication between the CPU and the multimedia codec domain; and

a memory configured to store a plurality of parameters used for the operation of the multimedia codec domain.

8. The multimedia processing system of claim 7, wherein the parameters include an initialization parameter necessary for initialization of the multimedia codec domain.

9. The multimedia processing system of claim 4, wherein the data memory comprises:

a first buffer configured to store the segments of the target multimedia data received from the storage domain; and

a second buffer configured to store the decoded segments of the target multimedia data received from the multimedia codec processor.

10. A method of operating a multimedia processing system including a multimedia codec domain, a central processing unit (CPU), a top domain, a storage domain including a memory controller, and a system bus, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the top domain, instructions from the storage domain to the multimedia codec domain through the system bus, the instructions being executed by the multimedia codec domain;

transmitting, by the top domain, segments of target multimedia data to the multimedia codec domain through the system bus;

switching the CPU and the system bus to a low power mode;

decoding the segments of target multimedia data by the multimedia codec domain while the CPU and the system bus are in the low power mode;

activating, by the multimedia codec domain, the system bus from the low power mode without waking up the CPU; and

accessing, by the multimedia codec domain, the storage domain through the activated system bus while the CPU is in the low power mode.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitting the segments of target multimedia data comprises:

transmitting the segments of target multimedia data from the storage domain to the multimedia codec domain by a main direct memory access (DMA) controller in the top domain.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting the segments of target multimedia data from the storage domain to the multimedia codec domain by a sub-DMA controller in the multimedia codec domain while the CPU and the main DMA are in the low power mode.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing the transmitted instructions in an instruction memory of the multimedia codec domain;

performing the instructions by the multimedia codec domain; and

storing the transmitted segments of target multimedia data in a data memory of the multimedia codec domain.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing the transmitted segments of target multimedia data in a first buffer in the multimedia codec domain; and

storing the decoded segments of target multimedia data in a second buffer in the multimedia codec domain.

15. A System-on-Chip (SoC) comprising:

a plurality of first units including a central processing unit (CPU) and a top domain;

a memory controller;

a multimedia codec domain configured to decode segments of target multimedia data received through the memory controller and to output decoded segments according to control of the CPU; and

a system bus connected to the plurality of first units, the memory controller, and the multimedia codec domain,

wherein while the multimedia codec domain performs a decoding operation, the plurality of first units and the system bus enter a low power mode, and when the system bus is in the low power mode, the multimedia codec domain activates the system bus without waking up the plurality of first units to load the segments of the target multimedia data to the multimedia codec domain through the memory controller.

16. The system-on-chip of claim 15, wherein the top domain comprises:

a main direct memory access (DMA) controller configured to access the target multimedia data through the memory controller and load the segments of the target multimedia data to the multimedia codec domain according to control of the CPU.

17. The system-on-chip of claim 16, wherein the multimedia codec domain comprises:

a memory configured to store the segments of the target multimedia data received through the system bus and the decoded segments of the target multimedia data;

a multimedia codec processor configured to decode the segments in the memory and send the decoded segments to the memory;

a sub-direct memory access (DMA) controller configured to transmit the decoded segments to the memory and transmit the segments of the target multimedia data to the memory; and

a local bus connected to the memory, the multimedia codec processor, the sub-DMA controller, and the system bus.

18. The system-on-chip of claim 17, wherein the multimedia codec domain further comprises:

a control module configured to switch the plurality of first units and the system bus to a wake-up mode and generates a request to transfer other segments of the target multimedia data through the memory controller.

19. The system-on-chip of claim 18, wherein the memory comprises:

a first buffer configured to store the segments of the target multimedia data received through the memory controller; and

a second buffer configured to store the decoded segments of the target multimedia data.

20. The system-on-chip of claim 17, wherein the multimedia codec domain further comprises:

an instruction memory configured to store instructions stored by the CPU or the main DMA controller, the instructions being performed by the multimedia codec domain.