Information processor using processors to rapidly process data stored on an optical storage medium
AssigneeNintendo Co., Ltd.
InventorsTeruki Hayashi, Kunihiro Tanaka, Hideki Tanaka, Hiroyuki Nozawa, Kouichi Sano
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An information processing apparatus using an optical storage medium such as a CD-ROM processes optically stored data using different capability data processors having different processing speeds and/or operand bit-width processing. Picture data, program data, and audio data stored in the optical storage medium are accessed and written into a main semiconductor type RAM. Selective routing over various data buses to specific data processors permits a data processing task to be performed by the data processor best suited to perform that task in the most efficient and effective manner.
Claims18
An information processing apparatus conducting picture processing using data stored in an optical storage medium that stores data including at least picture processing data and is connectable to the information processing apparatus, comprising:
- an optical reader for reproducing data stored in the optical storage medium;
- a semiconductor storage storing data sent from the optical reader in an as-received data format;
- a first central processing unit for processing data stored in the semiconductor storage;
- a second central processing unit having a better data handling capability than the first central processing unit;
- a first data bus connected to the first central processing unit;
- a second data bus connected to the second central processing unit and to the semiconductor storage;
- a bus selector for connecting the optical reader to the second data bus in a first mode, for disconnecting the first data bus from the second data bus in a second mode, and for connecting the second data bus to the first data bus in a third mode.
An information processing apparatus conducting picture processing using data stored in an optical storage medium connectable to the information processing apparatus that stores data including at least picture processing data comprising:
- an optical reader for reproducing data stored in the optical storage medium;
- a semiconductor storage storing data sent from the optical reader in an as-received data format;
- a first central processing unit for processing data stored in the semiconductor storage means;
- a second central processing unit having a better data handling capability than the first central processing unit;
- a first data bus connected to the first central processing unit;
- a second data bus connected to the second central processing unit and to the semiconductor storage;
- a bus selector for connecting the optical reader to the second data bus in a first mode, for disconnecting the first data bus from the second data bus in a second mode, and for connecting the second data bus to the first data bus in a third mode,
- wherein said second central processing unit conducts a preliminary data processing operation on the data stored in said semiconductor storage and writes a result of the preliminary operation in said semiconductor storage;
- and
- said first central processing unit processes an application program of said information processing apparatus based on the data stored in the semiconductor storage in the third mode using results of the preliminary data processing operation stored in the semiconductor storage.
An information processing apparatus conducting picture processing using data stored in an optical storage medium connectable to the information processing apparatus that stores data including at least picture processing data, comprising:
- an optical reader for reproducing data stored in the optical storage medium;
- a semiconductor storage storing data sent from the optical reader in an as-received data format;
- a first central processing unit for processing data stored in the semiconductor storage;
- a second central processing unit having a better data handling capability than the first central processing unit;
- a first data bus connected to the first central processing unit;
- a second data bus connected to the second central processing unit and to the semiconductor storage;
- a bus selector for connecting the optical reader to the second data bus in a first mode, for disconnecting the first data bus from the second data bus in a second mode, and for connecting the second data bus to the first data bus in a third mode;
- a second semiconductor storage storing data sent from the optical reader in an as-received data format;
- a third central processing unit for processing data stored in the second semiconductor storage;
- a second data bus connected to the third central processing unit and to the second semiconductor storage;
- wherein said bus selector connects the third data bus to said optical reader.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.