JP2000231533A - Data processor, nonlinear editor and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate reconfigurations of hardware. SOLUTION: The information on the configuration of peripheral units 6a to 6c connected to a device is collected by a hardware information collecting means 3a. Then, a control environment maintaining means 3b arranges an environment for controlling the available units 6a to 6c. When an application program 1 outputs a processing request following an application command interface 2, an operation command means 3c utilizes the environment arranged by the means 3b and outputs an operation command to the peripheral units through an interface 4 for hardware control. The operation command is received by hardware controlling means 5a to 5c and the means 5a to 5c receiving the command controls the units 6a to 6c according to the command.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus and a non-linear editing machine, and more particularly to a data processing apparatus and a non-linear editing machine capable of freely changing the configuration of various peripheral devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Improvements in computer performance have made it possible to replace tasks conventionally performed by dedicated devices with general-purpose computers. One such device is a video editor. That is, VTR (Video T
It is now possible to use a computer to edit images and sounds such as ape recorders. In this case, image information and audio information are stored in a hard disk device of a computer, and editing is performed using an application program of the computer. Such a video editing system is called a non-linear editing machine.

A non-linear editing machine is superior to a conventional editing system in that it can freely deform and compose an image and there is no deterioration in image quality even when editing is repeated. For example, CG (Computer Graphics)
Is also easy to synthesize.

[0004] Conventional non-linear editing machines include the following three.
There are different types of structures. (1) A non-linear editing machine that is entirely built with software without using dedicated hardware. (2) A non-linear editing machine that requires dedicated hardware and cannot be selected. (3) A non-linear editing machine basically constructed entirely with software, but with a structure that can be added with limited hardware.

[0005]

However, in a conventional non-linear editing machine, in order to enhance hardware functions,
There was a problem that a large number of man-hours were required.

In the case of the above (1), in order to add hardware to enhance a certain function, it is necessary to make a change to the entire application, which requires a lot of man-hours.

[0007] In the case of the above (2), even when the dedicated hardware is updated, it is necessary to make a change to the entire application as in the case of (1), which requires a great deal of man-hours. In addition, since the non-linear editing machine is premised on the existence of dedicated hardware, there is also a problem that the whole system stops due to a failure of a part of the dedicated hardware.

In the case of the above (3), the number of steps for adding a limited piece of hardware is low and does not pose a problem. However, in order to newly introduce other hardware, it is necessary to make changes to the entire application as in (1) and (2), which requires a great deal of man-hours.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a data processing apparatus capable of easily changing a hardware configuration. Another object of the present invention is to provide a non-linear editing machine capable of easily changing the hardware configuration.

[0010]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a data processing device for executing a process requested from application software, a hardware information collecting means for collecting information relating to a configuration of a peripheral device is provided. A control environment maintenance means for preparing an environment for controlling a controllable peripheral device according to the information collected by the hardware information collection means, and an application command interface defined independently of the configuration of the peripheral device Command processing means for receiving a processing request based on the above, using the environment prepared by the control environment maintenance means, and outputting an operation command of the peripheral device via a hardware control interface for operating each peripheral device. And a data processing device characterized by having:

According to such a data processing device, the configuration of the peripheral device is collected by the hardware information collecting means. Then, an environment for controlling the available peripheral devices is prepared by the control environment maintenance means. And
When a processing request in accordance with the application command interface is received, the operation command means controls the peripheral equipment via the hardware control interface for operating each peripheral device based on the environment prepared by the control environment maintenance means. An operation command is output.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a non-linear editing machine that performs non-linear editing while utilizing functions provided by various peripheral devices, a hardware information collecting means for collecting information on the configuration of the peripheral devices, According to the information collected by the hardware information collecting means, a control environment maintenance means for preparing an environment for controlling the controllable peripheral device, and an application command interface defined independently of the configuration of the peripheral device. An operation command means for outputting an operation command of a peripheral device through a hardware control interface for operating an individual peripheral device by utilizing the environment prepared by the control environment maintenance means upon receipt of a processing request based on the processing environment And a non-linear editing machine characterized by having:

According to such a nonlinear processing device,
The configuration of the peripheral device is collected by hardware information collecting means. Then, an environment for controlling the available peripheral devices is prepared by the control environment maintenance means. Then, when a processing request according to the application command interface is received, the operation command means controls the peripheral devices via the hardware control interface for operating the individual peripheral devices based on the environment prepared by the control environment maintenance means. Is output.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention. In the data processing device of the present invention, the operation command of the peripheral devices 6a to 6c from the application program 1 is
By outputting the data through the multi-layered interface, a processing request independent of the hardware configuration is enabled.

The application program 1 is a peripheral device 6a according to an application command interface.
6c are output. At this time, the application command interface 2 is defined so as not to depend on the configuration of the peripheral device.

The hardware structure shielding means 3 comprises a hardware information collecting means 3a, a control environment maintenance means 3b, and an operation command means 3c. Hardware information collection means 3
a collects information on the configuration of the peripheral devices 6a to 6c. The control environment maintenance unit 3b prepares an environment for controlling the controllable peripheral devices according to the hardware configuration information collected by the hardware information collection unit 3a. When the operation command means 3c receives a processing request based on an application command interface defined without depending on the configuration of the peripheral device, the operation command means 3c uses the environment prepared by the control environment maintenance means 3b to issue an operation command to the peripheral device. To execute the processing according to the processing request.

The operation command from the operation command means 3c is specified by the hardware control interface 4. The hardware control interface 4 includes a plurality of peripheral devices 6.
a to 6c are defined. The operation command according to the hardware control interface 4 is transmitted to hardware control units 5a to 5c corresponding to the peripheral devices 6a to 6c.
Hardware control means 5a-5c received at 5c
Corresponds to the peripheral device 6 according to the received operation command.
The operations of a to 6c are controlled.

According to such a data processing device, the configuration of the peripheral devices 6a to 6c connected to the device is collected by the hardware information collecting means 3a. Then, the available peripheral devices 6a are controlled by the control environment maintenance means 3b.
An environment for controlling ６6c is prepared. For example, processing such as securing a buffer area for storing data to be transferred to each peripheral device is performed. When a processing request in accordance with the application command interface 2 is output from the application program 1, the operation command means 3c issues an operation command to the peripheral device using the environment prepared by the control environment maintenance means 3b. Is output. The operation command is received by the hardware control means 5a to 5c, and the received hardware control means 5a to 5c controls the peripheral devices 6a to 6c according to the command.

Thus, the application program only needs to output the processing request through the application command interface independent of the configuration of the peripheral device.
Even if the configuration of the peripheral device is changed, it is not necessary to change the application program.

Next, a specific description will be given of a case where the present invention is applied to a non-linear editing machine. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of a non-linear editing machine to which the present invention is applied. The non-linear editor is a personal computer unit 1
0 (hereinafter, referred to as “PCU”), a video processing unit 20 (hereinafter, referred to as “VPU”), and a disk unit (Disk Unit) 30. PCU
Reference numeral 10 designates this system as a non-real-time OS (Operating
System). Two monitors 41 and 42 are connected to the PCU 10 as display devices. As an input device, a keyboard 43 and a mouse 44 are connected. A control panel 45 is connected to the VPU 20.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the PCU. The PCU 10 is a CPU (Central Processing)
Unit) 11, a display control circuit (Graph) 12, a cache (Cac
he) 13, System Controller 1
4, a memory (Memory) 15 and the like.

The CPU 11 has a function of controlling and calculating the PCU 10. The display control circuit (Graph) 12
CPU (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus
11 and has a function of displaying the status and other information created by the CPU 11 through the monitors 41 and 42.

The cache 13 is a high-speed storage unit that stores information in a memory that is frequently accessed by the CPU 11. The cache 13 is designed to increase and decrease the speed of the system by directly transmitting and receiving information to and from the CPU 11.

The system controller 14 includes a CPU 1
1, cache 13, memory 15, and PCI (Periphera
l Component Interconnect) This is a hardware unit for adjusting data transfer with the bus 17.

The memory 15 is a storage unit for writing and reading information according to an instruction from the CPU 11 or an instruction from the system controller 14.
An AM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like is used.

The host bus 16 is a command bus which is directly connected to the CPU 11 and transmits commands from the CPU 11. The CPU 11 can exchange commands and data with the cache 13 and the system controller 14 through the host bus 16.

The PCI bus 17 is a means for transmitting information separated from the host bus 16, and is connected to the system controller 14. The extended PCI bus 18 is a PCU
PCI bus 17 in VPU 10 and PCI bus 2 in VPU 20
0c (shown in FIG. 4). This allows the CPU
11 can transmit command data to each board in the VPU 20.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the VPU and the disk unit. The VPU 20 performs input / output of digital data through a digital AV (Audio Visual) input / output port 46, real-time reproduction from a hard disk, real-time recording to a hard disk, and the like.
Has a function that operates in real time. This VPU20
Is a title generation unit (Title G) 22, CODEC (coder-
decoder) 23, video disk controller (Video S
torage) 24, DME (Distributed Management Environ)
ment) / SW (switch) board 25, audio disk controller (Audio Storage) 26, sound data conversion board (Audio) 27, local CPU 28, digital input / output board (DI / O) 29, etc. 26a and local CPU bus 20a, DAV
(Digital Audio Visual) bus 20b, PCI bus 20c
And three buses. The VPU 20 is provided with a spare slot 21. If there is a necessary board other than the board shown in FIG.
1 can be connected.

The local CPU bus 20a is connected to the local C
PU 28 is the title generation unit 22, CODEC 23, DM
A bus for transferring command data to each of the E / SW board 25, audio disk controller 26, sound data conversion board 27, and digital input / output board 29.

The DAV bus 20b is connected to the title generator 2
2. A bus for transferring real-time data (video / audio) among the CODEC 23, DME / SW board 25, audio disk controller 26, sound data conversion board 27, local CPU 28, and digital input / output board 29. is there.

The PCI bus 20c is connected to the title generation unit 2
2, CODEC23, video disk controller 2
4, DME / SW board 25, audio disk controller 26, sound data conversion board 27, local C
Each board of PU28 and digital input / output board 29
Commands and commands are mainly exchanged with the CPU 11 on the PCU 10 side.
This is a bus for transferring data.

The spare slot 21 is a slot directly connected to the local CPU bus 20a, DAV bus 20b, and PCI bus 20c, and is prepared for expansion. The title generation unit 22 is a local CPU bus 20
a, are directly connected to the DAV bus 20b and the PCI bus 20c. The title generation unit 22 has a function of creating a title or the like in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 11 and sending the title or the like to another board via the DAV bus 20b.

The CODEC 23 is connected to the local CPU bus 2
0a, DAV bus 20b, and PCI bus 20c. The CODEC 23 receives the video signal input from the digital AV input / output port 46 through the DAV bus 20b, compresses the video signal as it is or in real time, transfers the video signal to the video disk controller 24 through the DAV bus 20b, and 30 is provided. Also, the disk unit 3 is transmitted through the video disk controller 24.
It has a function of decompressing the compressed video signal read from 0 in real time (or uncompressed video signal as it is) and outputting it from the digital AV input / output port 46 through the DAV bus 20b.

The video disk controller 24 has a P
It is directly connected only to the CI bus 20c. The video disk controller 24 records the output from the CODEC 23 to the disk unit 30 in real time, and outputs the data read from the disk unit 30 to the CO
It has a function of outputting to the DEC 23 in real time.

The DME / SW 25 is directly connected to the local CPU bus 20a, DAV bus 20b, and PCI bus 20c. This DME / SW25 is a CODEC2
3. Transform / combine the output of the title generation unit 22 etc.
It has a function to control the switching between them.

Audio disk controller 26
Are directly connected only to the PCI bus 20c. The audio output from the audio data conversion board 27 is received through the DAV bus 20b, and the disk subsystem 26
a, and has a function of inputting an audio output read from the disk subsystem 26a to the audio data conversion board 27 in real time through the DAV bus 20b.

The sound data conversion board 27 has a local CP
It is directly connected to the U bus 20a, DAV bus 20b, and PCI bus 20c. This sound data conversion board 27
It has a function of receiving an audio signal input from the digital AV input / output port 46 through the DAV bus 20b, transferring the audio signal to the audio disk controller 26, and recording the audio signal in the disk subsystem 26a. The audio signal read from the disk subsystem 26a is received from the audio disk controller 26, and various parameters are converted.
After mixing, it has a function of outputting from the digital AV input / output port 46 through the DAV bus 20b.

The local CPU 28 is directly connected to the local CPU bus 20a, DAV bus 20b, and PCI bus 20c. It has a function of receiving command data from the CPU 11 (shown in FIG. 3) through the PCI buses 17, 18, and 20c and controlling the entire VPU 20 through the local CPU bus 20a.

The digital input / output board 29 includes a local CPU bus 20a, a DAV bus 20b, and a PCI bus 20.
c. A video signal and an audio signal from the digital AV input / output port 46 are transmitted to the local C
It has a function of inputting and outputting in response to an instruction from the PU.

The disk subsystem 26a is directly connected to the audio disk controller 26.
This disk subsystem 26a is provided with the CPU 11 (FIG.
) To record and read data on the PCI bus 20c. The connection format at that time is SCS
I (Small Computer System Interface) or Fiber
Channel (a serial bus standardized by SCSI-3) or the like is used.

The disk unit 30 is directly connected to the video disk controller 24. The connection format uses SCSI, Fiber Channel, or the like. In this example, in order to secure access speed, RAID
(Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) I use about 5 disk systems.

The PC of the non-linear editing machine having such a configuration
The following functions are constructed on U10. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an object model constructed on a PCU. In the PCU 10, a non-real-time OS for controlling the personal computer operates. For example, WindowsNT (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, USA) is used. In this system, the non-linear API (Application Program
ng Interface) 51 and a hardware API 52 are defined.

The non-linear API 51 is an interface that defines functions for controlling peripheral devices connected to the non-linear editing machine from the non-linear editing application 53. Non-linear editing application 53
Is an application built using the non-linear API 51, and is created without being aware of the hardware configuration and mounting method.

The hardware API 52 is an interface that defines functions for controlling peripheral devices from various applications running on the non-real-time OS, and performs efficient processing according to the functions of the peripheral devices. It is defined to be able to.

The non-linear editing application 53
An application program for nonlinearly editing image data stored in the disk unit 30 and audio data stored in the disk subsystem 26a. In this figure, the meaning of the non-linear editing function realized by executing the application program by the CPU 11 is included.

The local CPU interface 54 is an interface between the non-linear API 51 and the local CPU 28. In this figure, an object for notifying commands such as reproduction, fast-forward, rewind, and stop is prepared through this interface, and includes a meaning of a processing function realized by the CPU 11 executing the object.

The audio storage management unit 55 is an object for reading and writing audio data according to instructions from the list manager 63 and the sound data conversion board 27. In this figure, the object is
It includes the meaning of the processing function realized by the execution of the PU 11.

The video storage management unit 56 is an object for reading and writing video data according to instructions from the list manager 63 and the CODEC 23. In this figure, the meaning of the processing function realized by the CPU 11 executing the object is included.

The local CPU driver 57, audio driver 58, and CODEC driver 57 are kernel mode drivers that actually control hardware.
If certain hardware does not exist, this kernel mode driver is eliminated and will be implemented by software in the hardware API 52.

A hardware shield between the non-linear editing application 53 and the various drivers receives a request output according to the non-linear API 51 and outputs the request as a request according to the hardware API 52 to a peripheral device to process the request. 60 are provided.
The hardware shielding unit 60 includes the state management / operation control unit 6
1, controller 62, list manager 63, local command interface 64, VTR (Video Tape Re
corder) control unit 65 and message notification unit 6
6.

The state management / operation control unit 61 is an object that manages the state of the non-linear API 51 of the present invention and controls a manual operation. Controller 62
Transfers the playlist to the hardware API 52 through the list manager 63 while monitoring the status of the status management / operation control unit 61,
An object that controls download and the like.

The list manager 63 is an object for transferring a reproduction list in accordance with an instruction from the non-linear editing application 53 or the controller 62. The local command interface 64 is connected to the local CPU 28
After receiving an error notification, a transfer request for a reproduction list, and a change in hardware status from the server, these objects transfer information to the message notification unit 66, the list manager 63, and the status management / operation control unit 61, respectively.

The VTR control section 65 is an object that controls the operation of the VTR in accordance with an instruction from the non-linear editing application 53 and manages the state of the connected VTR.

The message notification unit 66 is a local CPU obtained through the local command interface 64.
Error message from the hardware API5
Non-linear editing application 53
Object for notifying

The state management / operation control unit 61 in the hardware shielding unit 60 has the functions of the hardware information collection unit 3a and the control environment maintenance unit 3b shown in FIG. The function of the operation command means 3c shown in FIG.
Each element in the hardware shielding unit 60 has.

In the non-linear editing machine having the above processing functions, when the power is turned on, the local CPU 28 (shown in FIG. 4) checks the presence / absence and operation of each board when the system is started, and manages the result in the state management. -Set in the memory under the control of the operation control unit 61.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a part of a memory map in the state management / operation control unit. In this example, a first byte 71 for registering a board detection result and a second byte 72 for registering an operation check result are provided. First byte 7
1 corresponds to CO in order from “0 bit” to “6 bits”.
DEC 23, DME / SW 25, first sound data conversion board 27, second sound data conversion board (not mounted in the configuration of FIG. 4), third sound data conversion board (in the configuration of FIG. 4, (Not mounted), digital input / output board 29, and local CPU 28. If the board is present, the corresponding bit is set to "1". The second byte 72 includes, in order from “0 bit” to “6 bits”, CODEC 23, DME / SW 25,
The first sound data conversion board 27 corresponds to the second sound data conversion board, the third sound data conversion board, the digital input / output board 29, and the local CPU 28. If each board is operating normally, the corresponding bit is "1"
Is set to

In a system in which only one sound data conversion board 27 is inserted as shown in FIG. 4, only "2 bits (Audio-2)" of the first byte 71 is set and "3 bits (Audio-2)" is set.
Bit (Audio-2) "and" 4 bits (Audio-3) "are not set.

The non-linear editing application 53
At startup, board information is fetched from the memory map in the state management / operation control unit 61 and parameters are set. Specifically, the existing board is recognized by each bit of the first byte 71, and whether or not the board is operating normally is recognized by each bit of the second byte 72. And
The parameters are set so that the functions of the board that is operating normally can be used.

Next, a description will be given of a configuration confirmation procedure at the time of startup in a system in which a plurality of sound data conversion boards 27 may be inserted. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a configuration confirmation procedure at the time of startup. [S1] When started, the nonlinear editing application 53 converts the local CPU program into the local CPU.
28. [S2] After the download is completed, the local CPU 28 that has received the program checks the type of the board connected to the local CPU bus 20a, and checks the operation of the detected board. [S3] The information of the checked board is stored in a memory as shown in FIG. [S4] The state management / operation control unit 61 causes the CPU 11 to execute the list manager 6 based on the information stored in step S3.
Buffer 3 is secured. [S5] After the execution of step S4, the non-linear editing application 53 checks the resources of the current system (the environment under execution) (checks the usable hardware configuration). Thus, the sound data conversion board can acquire the number of audio tracks that can be processed by the system. [S6] On the non-linear editing application 53 side,
Start running the application in a mode that is appropriate for the resource.

Thereafter, the non-linear editing application 5
On the third side, an operation command can be issued without being aware of the hardware configuration. As a result, the following effects can be obtained. (1) An application can be constructed regardless of the hardware configuration. (2) Hardware can be updated without affecting applications and non-linear APIs. (3) When improving the system by using new hardware, it is not necessary to change the application only by changing to the non-linear API. (4) Even if some hardware cannot be used due to a failure or the like, the hardware API can be implemented by software, so that the application can operate regardless of the hardware failure.

The processing contents of the functions that the nonlinear editing machine should have are described in a program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Is realized by a computer. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a magnetic recording device and a semiconductor memory. CD-ROM for distribution to the market
(Compact Disk Read Only Memory) or a program stored in a portable recording medium such as a floppy disk and distributed, or stored in a storage device of a computer connected via a network and transferred to another computer via the network You can also. When the program is executed by the computer, the program is stored in a hard disk device or the like in the computer, and is loaded into the main memory and executed.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the data processing apparatus and the non-linear editing machine of the present invention, the peripheral device control environment is prepared based on the information collected by the hardware information collecting means, and based on the environment. Since the processing request according to the interface for application commands that does not depend on the configuration of peripheral devices is transmitted to each peripheral device via the interface for hardware control, the application side can issue operation commands without being aware of the hardware configuration. Can be put out. As a result, even if the configuration of the peripheral device is changed, it is not necessary to rewrite the application program, and the configuration of the peripheral device can be easily changed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of a non-linear editing machine to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a PCU.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a VPU and a disk unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an object model constructed on a PCU.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a part of a memory map in a state management / operation control unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a configuration confirmation procedure at the time of startup.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Application program, 2 ... Application command interface, 3 ... Hardware structure shielding means, 3a ... Hardware information collecting means, 3b ... Control environment maintenance means, 3c ... Operation command means, 4 ... Hardware control interface, 5a 5c ... hardware control means, 6a-6c ... peripheral devices

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A data processing apparatus for executing a process requested by application software, comprising: a hardware information collection unit for collecting information on a configuration of a peripheral device; Upon receiving a processing request based on an application command interface defined without depending on the configuration of the peripheral device and a control environment maintenance device for preparing an environment for controlling the controllable peripheral device, the control environment maintenance device A data processing device comprising: an operation command unit that outputs an operation command of a peripheral device via a hardware control interface for operating each of the peripheral devices by using the prepared environment. 2. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control environment maintenance unit notifies the process of executing the predetermined application program of the prepared environment state. 3. A non-linear editing machine that performs non-linear editing using functions provided by various peripheral devices, wherein the hardware information collecting unit collects information on a configuration of the peripheral device, and the hardware information collecting unit collects information on the configuration of the peripheral device. In response to the received information, a control environment maintenance means for preparing an environment for controlling the controllable peripheral device and a processing request based on an application command interface defined without depending on the configuration of the peripheral device are received, Using the environment prepared by the control environment maintenance means, and an operation command means for outputting an operation command of the peripheral device through a hardware control interface for operating each peripheral device. Non-linear editing machine. 4. A hardware information collecting means for collecting information on a configuration of a peripheral device on a recording medium on which a control program for executing a process requested by application software is recorded, wherein the hardware information collecting means collects information. Control environment maintenance means for preparing an environment for controlling controllable peripheral devices according to the information, upon receiving a processing request based on an application command interface defined without depending on the configuration of the peripheral devices, the control A computer functioning as an operation command means for outputting an operation command of a peripheral device through a hardware control interface for operating each peripheral device by using the environment prepared by the environment maintenance means. A computer-readable recording medium recording a control program.