KR19990047318A - Network-based Multimedia Computer and Variable Structure Control Method Using the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a network-based multimedia computer capable of variably controlling the structure of an entire system by connecting hardware devices for individual multimedia processing such as audio, video, and graphics to a network, and a variable structure control method using the same.

The present invention configures the entire system by connecting the multimedia processing hardware such as audio, video, and graphics boards constituting the conventional desktop multimedia computer through a high-speed network faster than the system bus without mounting them on the system bus. The above configuration can eliminate the bottlenecks caused by the transfer of multimedia data through a system bus having a limited data bandwidth of conventional desktop multimedia computers. In addition, even if the entire system is in operation, by simply connecting a desired hardware device on the network, it is possible to add hardware or improve processing performance.

Accordingly, the present invention makes hardware installation and system configuration simpler than a conventional desktop multimedia computer by using a high-speed network as a system bus, and a network-based multimedia computer having an easy system maintenance and repair function and a variable structure using the same. The control method is presented.

Description

Network-based Multimedia Computer and Variable Structure Control Method Using the Same

The present invention relates to a network-based multimedia computer capable of variably controlling the structure of an entire system by connecting hardware devices for individual multimedia processing such as audio, video, and graphics to a network, and a variable structure control method using the same.

As the system bus used in conventional desktop computers, the maximum bus transfer rate is the same for the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus and the Extension to Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. It supports 8.33 megabytes per second and 33 megabytes per second. However, graphics processing that supports 1280 x 1024 resolution and 16 million (3 bytes per pixel) color requires 3.9 megabytes (3,932,160 = 1280 x 1024 x 3 bytes) of memory to store a single piece of image information. In order to output 10 frames per second, graphic data must be displayed on the screen at 39 megabytes per second. Also, a movie with a resolution of 640 x 480 and 256 colors (1 byte per pixel) is 307.2 kilobytes (307,200 = 640 x 480 x 1), which is 9.2 Mbytes per second for 30 frames. Screen output is required.

Therefore, since the transfer speed of 48.2 megabytes per second is required for outputting graphic and video data, there is a limitation in processing performance with a system bus such as a conventional ISA or an EISA.

Peripheral Component Interface (PCI), which is now used in most desktop multimedia computers, the local bus has a data transfer rate of up to 132 megabytes per second, providing sufficient bus bandwidth for graphics or video data output. The width is provided, and the plug-in-play function facilitates hardware mounting. On the other hand, PCI bus-based hardware devices that can be additionally mounted due to the data transmission delay of the system bus are limited to four to six.

Therefore, in the conventional desktop multimedia computer, as described above, it is difficult to additionally install other than a limited number of multimedia hardware devices and a decrease in processing performance according to the bandwidth of the system bus in processing multimedia data.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides efficient transmission of multimedia data by connecting individual multimedia hardware devices such as audio, video and graphics equipped with network access devices and mass storage devices such as hard disks on a high-speed network. It is possible to improve the processing performance of the system by connecting additional hardware devices to the network at any time, regardless of whether the entire system is operating, storage, control, or the like. The purpose.

The network-based multimedia computer of the present invention for achieving the above object is a main module consisting of a low power high performance central processor, a high speed network connector and a memory, a low power central processor, a high speed network connector, a video controller which is a hardware module for processing individual multimedia. And a video module comprising a camera attached to the video controller, a low power central processor, a high speed network connector, a graphics controller and a monitor attached to the graphic controller, a low power central processor, a high speed network connector, a microphone; An audio module comprising an audio controller with a speaker, and the multimedia hardware modules connected to the high-speed network to receive characteristic data and connection status messages of each module connected to the high-speed network from a main module. Characterized in that the management configuration management and routing of multimedia data of the overall multimedia computer system.

The method of controlling a variable structure of a network-based multimedia computer of the present invention includes a first step of initializing a high speed network connector of a main module, a second step of initializing a video, graphic, and audio module connected to the high speed network, and the video and graphic. And a third step of checking whether a connection state of the audio module and a characteristic data message of the module are received, and if the data message is not received in the third step, returns to the second step, and the data message is returned. If received, the fourth step of storing the characteristic data message received from the corresponding module connected to the high-speed network in the memory of the main module, and in the fourth step the modules are additionally connected or disconnected from the high-speed network In this case, update the property data. Is a fifth step, a sixth step of storing and updating path data of a routing table managing a data transfer path of connection modules according to the application in the fifth step, and each module in the main module after performing the steps. A seventh step of retransmitting the multimedia data received from the terminal according to the set path; receiving the audio data input from the microphone attached to the audio module in the main module, outputting the audio data to the speaker attached to the audio module, and And receiving an image data input from a camera and outputting the image data to a monitor screen attached to the graphic controller of the graphic module.

1 is a block diagram of a network-based multimedia computer having a variable structure according to the present invention.

2 is a flow diagram of a variable structure control in accordance with the present invention.

<Description of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings>

10: main module 10.1: low power high performance central processor

10.2: High speed network connector 10.3: Memory

11: Video Module 11.1: Low Power Central Processor

11.2: high speed network connector 11.3: video controller

11.4: Camera 12: Graphics Module

12.1: Low Power Central Processor 12.2: High Speed Network Interface

12.3: Graphic Controller 12.4: Monitor

13: audio module 13.1: low power central processor

13.2: high-speed network connector 13.3: audio controller

13.4: Microphone 13.4: Speaker

14: high speed network

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention.

1 is a block diagram of a network-based multimedia computer having a variable structure according to the present invention.

The main module 10 is composed of a strong ARM high-risk (RISC) processor, a high-speed network connector (10.2) and a memory (10.3), a low-power, high-performance central processor (10.1), and the video module (11) is a low-power It consists of ARM's ARM7500 risk processor, a central processor (11.1), a high-speed network connector (11.2), a video controller (11.3), and a camera (11.4). The graphics module 13 also comprises a low power central processor 12.1 and a high speed network connector 12.2, a graphics controller 12.3 and a monitor 12.4, and the audio module 13 comprises a low power central processor 13.1 and a high speed network. It consists of a connector 13.2, an audio controller 13.3 and a microphone 13.4 and a speaker 13.5.

As a characteristic of the network-based multimedia computer configuration, each module commonly uses a low-power central processor and a high-speed network connector that operates on a 3.3 volt power source. It is connected to the network 14. In such a configuration, each module is connected using a high speed network 14 instead of a system bus used in a conventional desktop multimedia computer. Thus, the entire system can be configured simply by connecting or leaving the module in a high speed network.

The operation of the network-based multimedia computer configured as described above is as follows.

The low power high performance central processor 10.1 of the main module 10 outputs a system initialization message to the monitor screen attached to the graphics controller 12.3 via the graphics module 12 connected to the high speed network 14, Image data is input from a camera attached to the video controller 11.3 of the video module 11 connected to the network 14 to overlay the graphic data and the video data on the monitor 12.4 of the graphic module 12. Output Similarly, the audio module 13 connected to the high speed network 14 receives the voice data from the attached microphone 13.4 and outputs the voice data to the speaker 13.5 attached to the same audio module 13, or to the high speed network. It can also output to the speaker of the audio module connected to 14 further. In this process, if a module having the same function, that is, the same audio module is additionally connected, each module has a unique network address so that each module is distinguished from the network.

In the above process, the low-power, high-performance central processor 10.1 of the main module 10 undergoes the initialization process of the high-speed network connector 10.2. Then, the method of recognizing the connection status of the modules connected on the high-speed network 14 and the characteristics of each module such as audio, video, and graphics gives a module specific characteristic number in the central processor mounted in each module. Then, by sending the characteristic message of each module to the main module 10 through the network connector, the main module grasps the connection status and characteristics of all the modules placed on the high speed network 14.

2 is a control flowchart for a variable configuration of a network-based multimedia computer of the present invention.

The high speed network connector 10.2 mounted on the main module 10 is initialized (20), and the audio module 13, the video module 11, and the graphics module 12 are initialized (21). After the initialization process of all the modules connected to the high-speed network 14, the main module 10 receives the characteristic data message from each module to determine the characteristics and the connection state of each of the connected modules (22). At this time, the characteristic data of the corresponding modules are stored in the memory 10.3 of the main module 10 from the received message (23), and in the main module 10, a new module is additionally connected to the high-speed network 14 or an existing module Keep checking if this is broken (24). In the case where it is confirmed that the connection or detachment is additionally performed during the verification, the characteristic data stored in the memory 10.3 of the main module 10 is updated (23).

After completing the above process, by storing and updating the route data of the routing table managing the data transfer route of the access modules according to the application (23), the main module 10 is configured to set the multimedia data transmitted from each module Retransmit along the path (25). Accordingly, the main module 10 receives audio data input from the microphone 13.4 attached to the audio module 13, outputs the audio data to the speaker 13.5 attached to the audio module 13, and sends the video data to the video module 11. It receives the image data input from the attached camera 11.4 and outputs the image data to the monitor 12.4 screen attached to the graphic controller 12.3 of the graphic module 12 (26), thereby connecting to the high speed network 14 The structure of the whole system can be controlled and configured variably according to the characteristics of each module.

As described above, the present invention can variably configure the overall structure of a multimedia computer system by directly connecting to a high-speed network instead of mounting hardware for multimedia processing on a system bus in a desktop multimedia computer. In addition, the system of the above structure can not only solve the problem of bandwidth required for multimedia data transmission, but also have an excellent effect of easily attaching or detaching hardware by simply connecting the modules on a high-speed network. have.

In addition, since configuration management of the modules connected on the high-speed network is easy, only the transmission / reception path of each module connected to the network may be determined using the routing table of the access modules, and thus may be utilized in an application such as a video conferencing system.

Claims (2)

A main module consisting of a low power, high performance central processor, a high speed network connector and a memory; A video module comprising a low power central processor, a high speed network connector, a video controller and a camera attached to the video controller, which are hardware modules for processing individual multimedia, A graphics module consisting of a low power central processor, a high speed network connector, a graphics controller and a monitor attached to the graphics controller, An audio module comprising a low power central processor, a high speed network connector, an audio controller with a microphone and a speaker, The multimedia hardware modules are connected on the high-speed network to receive the characteristic data and the connection status message of each module connected on the high-speed network from the main module to manage configuration management and the path of the multimedia data of the entire multimedia computer system. Featured network-based multimedia computer. A first step of initializing the high speed network connector of the main module, Initiating a video, graphics, and audio module connected to the high speed network; A third step of checking whether a connection state of the video, graphic and audio module and a characteristic data message of the module are received; If the data message is not received in the third step, the method returns to the second step. If the data message is received, the personality data message received from the corresponding module connected to the high-speed network is sent to the memory of the main module. A fourth step of storing data, A fifth step of updating the characteristic data when the corresponding modules are additionally connected to or disconnected from the high speed network in the fourth step; A sixth step of storing and updating path data of a routing table managing data transfer paths of the access modules according to the application in the fifth step; A seventh step of retransmitting multimedia data received from each module in the main module according to a set path after performing the above steps; The main module receives the audio data input from the microphone attached to the audio module and outputs it to the speaker attached to the audio module. The monitor receives the image data input from the camera attached to the video module and is attached to the graphic controller of the graphic module. And a eighth step of outputting image data to a screen.