Patent · US Expired

Format converter architecture

US5200749A · kind A · utility

24Cited by
7References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 28, 1991
Grant dateApr 6, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 28, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N9/877
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A format converter for converting an input signal having a specified format to a digital signal of a pre-existing format, and for converting the digital signal back to the input signal automatically, loads an active data portion of the input signal into an input first-in/first-out (FIFO) buffer at a first data rate and reads the active data portion together with dummy filler samples from the FIFO at a second data rate as the digital signal. The number, location and/or values of the filler samples identify the specified format. In reverse the filler samples are stripped from the digital signal and the resulting active samples are loaded into an output FIFO at the second data rate. The stripped filler samples are used to determine the specified format of the original source of the data signal, and the active samples are read from the output FIFO at the first data rate in the specified format to reproduce the input signal.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.