US 6,272,153 B1Granted

DVD audio decoder having a central sync-controller architecture

AssigneeLSI Logic Corporation

InventorsWen Huang, Sophia Kao

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Abstract

An audio decoder architecture makes use of various component sharing techniques to conserve hardware and reduce implementation cost. In one embodiment, the audio decoder comprises a bitstreamer, a synchronization controller, a first and second decode controllers, a memory module, a data path, and an output buffer. The bitstreamer retrieves compressed data and provides token-aligned data to the synchronization controller and decode controllers. The synchronization controller initially controls the bitstreamer to locate and parse audio frame headers to extract decoding parameters. The synchronization controller initiates the decode controller which corresponds to an identified compression format, and turns control of the bitstreamer and data path over to the selected decode controller. The selected decode controller then controls the bitstreamer to parse the variable length code compressed transform coefficients. The coefficients are passed to the memory module and data path which operate under the control of the selected decode controller to inverse transform the coefficients and produce digital output audio data. If the inverse transform is successfully completed, the selected decode controller asserts a decode done signal, and control returns uneventfully to the synchronization controller.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An audio decoder which comprises:

a synchronization controller configured to retrieve input audio data and configured to locate an audio frame header, wherein the synchronization controller is further configured to parse the audio frame header and identify an audio compression format for the audio frame;
a first decode controller configured to be triggered by the synchronization controller, wherein if the first decode controller is triggered, the first decode controller is configured to retrieve audio data from an audio frame having a first compression format and to convert the retrieved audio data into decompressed transform coefficients;
a second decode controller configured to be triggered by the synchronization controller, wherein if the second decode controller is triggered, the second decode controller is configured to retrieve audio data from an audio frame having a second compression format and to convert the retrieved audio data into decompressed transform coefficients;
and
a data path coupled to the first and second controllers to receive the decompressed transform coefficients, wherein the data path is configured to operate on the decompressed transform coefficients in response to control signals from a triggered decode controller to produce a sequence of digital output audio samples,
wherein the first and second decode controllers are each configured to direct the data path to carry out an inverse transform algorithm for the first and second compression formats, respectively, wherein the first and second decode controllers are each configured to assert a decode done signal after completion of the inverse transform algorithm, and
wherein the synchronization controller is configured to detect the decode done signal assertion and responsively locate a next audio frame header, wherein the synchronization controller is further configured to parse the next audio frame header to identify an audio compression format and responsively trigger a corresponding decode controller.

4 more elements

A hardware-saving architecture for an audio decoder, wherein the architecture comprises:

a bitstreamer configured to receive compressed audio data and configured to concatenate and shift adjacent bytes of the compressed audio data in response to token-size signals to produce token-aligned data;
a synchronizer coupled to the bitstreamer to provide the token-size signals and receive the token-aligned data, wherein the synchronizer is configured to locate and parse audio frame headers to extract decoding parameters and identify a compression format;
a first decode controller coupled to the bitstreamer to provide the token-size signals and receive the token-aligned data, wherein if the identified compression format is a first compression format, the first decode controller is configured to convert the token-aligned data into decompressed coefficients and to provide control signals for carrying out an inverse transformation algorithm for converting the coefficients into digital output audio samples;
a second decode controller coupled to the bitstreamer to provide the token-size signals and receive the token-aligned data, wherein if the identified compression format is a second compression format, the second decode controller is configured to convert the token-aligned data into decompressed coefficients and to provide control signals for carrying out an inverse transformation algorithm for converting the coefficients into digital output audio samples;
a data path module coupled to the first and second decode controllers to receive the decompressed coefficients and control signals and configured to responsively carry out an inverse transformation algorithm for converting the decompressed coefficients into digital audio samples,
wherein the synchronizer is configured to initiate a selected decode controller that corresponds to the identified compression format and to configure the bitstreamer and data path to operate under control of the selected decode controller.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.