Patent · US Expired

Improving the control of streaming data through multiple processing modules

US6658477B1 · kind B1 · utility

130Cited by
16References
37Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 12, 1999
Grant dateDec 2, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 12, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/546
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Frame-based streaming data is controlled through a reconfigurable graph of processing modules. A control mechanism employs a set of components that are used and combined among themselves to implement control functions at the control pins of processing modules. The components include a source pin and a sink pin for connecting modules together, a queue for making data frames available to module functions, a data-frame requester, and a splitter for handling graph branches. When modules are assembled into a graph, a control manager implements their control operations as combinations of the above components, then examines all of the components in a graph control structure to determine whether any can be removed as unnecessary to the overall operation of the structure. If so, the remaining components are connected directly to each other. When the graph is played, control packets traverse the simplified structure, carrying with them associated frames of data for processing by the modules.

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