Multi-mode home terminal system that utilizes a single embedded general purpose/DSP processor and a single random access memory

US5250940A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION · US

Inventors

• Maurice Valentaten · Geltendorf, DE
• Bernd Moeschen · Starnberg, DE
• Yehezkel Friedman · Ramat HaSharon, IL
• Yom-Tov Sidi · Nes Ziona, IL
• Zeev Bikowsky · Petah Tikva, IL
• Zohar Peleg · Ramat Gan, IL

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 18, 1991
• Grant date: Oct 5, 1993
• Expiry date: Jan 18, 2011

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F3/14
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A multi-mode home terminal system utilizes a single embedded processor and a single RAM for performing modem operations, graphics/video processing and general purpose control tasks. The multi-mode home terminal system supports a wide range of video/graphics standards, modems and voice algorithms. Home terminal input data to be displayed on an associated monitor can be decoded to any display list format or directly to the system's frame buffer. The display lists, frame buffer, font area, and embedded processor memory are located in the same single random access memory, thus allowing the use of a single RAM for DSP data, display lists, video buffers, voice compression/decompression algorithms and embedded controller tasks. The system is flexible for programming the desired video standard, modem type and display list format. Since both the video function and the embedded processor are supported by the same RAM, a RAM arbiter resolves bus contention.