Field programmable object array having image processing circuitry
AssigneeMathStar, Inc.
InventorsDean Stuart Susnow, Richard D. Reohr, JR.
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Abstract
A field programmable object array integrated circuit has video data compression capability. The integrated circuit comprises an array of programmable objects and a video compression co-processor communicatively coupled to the array of objects. The video compression co-processor comprises a set of search engines and a subpixel engine. The subpixel engine can interpolate subpixels from integer pixels and shift the integer pixels by a predetermined number of subpixels. The search engines can perform a plurality of sum of absolute differences (SAD) computations between search window pixels and macroblock pixels to locate the best SAD value using either integer pixels and/or the interpolated subpixels.
Claims45
An integrated circuit comprising:
- an array of programmable objects comprising functional core circuitry and communication circuitry;
- and
- a video compression co-processor communicatively coupled to the array of programmable objects.
A reprogrammable integrated circuit having a core region surrounded by a periphery region, the reprogrammable integrated circuit comprising:
- an array of programmable objects located in the core region, each object comprising functional core circuitry and communication circuitry;
- periphery memory located in the periphery region;
- a data transfer engine located in the periphery region;
- and
- a video compression co-processor located in the periphery region, the video compression co-processor configured to receive search window pixel data from the periphery memory either via the communication circuitry within a set of the programmable objects or via the data transfer engine.
A video compression co-processor integrated within a programmable integrated circuit comprising a configurable array of elements, the video compression co-processor comprising:
- an interface to the configurable array of elements;
- at least one search engine, each search engine comprising a set of steering multiplexers, a set of compressor trees for calculating a sum of absolute differences between corresponding pairs of baseline pixels and search window pixels, and at least two pixel buses configured to transfer search window pixels to the set of compressor trees via the set of steering multiplexers;
- and
- a subpixel engine configured to interpolate a set of subpixels from a set of integer pixels, and further configured to shift the set of integer pixels by a predetermined number of subpixels, wherein each search engine is configured to select search window pixels from either integer pixels or interpolated subpixels and to select baseline pixels from either integer baseline pixels or baseline subpixels.
A sum-of-absolute-differences calculator for use with a motion estimation engine to support temporal video compression, the sum-of-absolute-differences calculator comprising:
- a set of compressor trees for calculating a sum of absolute differences between corresponding pairs of baseline pixel data and reference pixel data;
- a set of multiplexers configured to deliver to the set of compressor trees the reference pixel data selected from a first set of reference pixel data and a second set of reference pixel data;
- and
- a plurality of pixel data buses configured to deliver the first set of reference pixel data and the second set of reference pixel data to the set of multiplexers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.