Apparatus, systems and methods for packet based transmission of multiple data signals

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods for receiving one or more input signals and providing output signals in various video, audio, data and mixed formats are described. One or more input processors receive the input signals. Each of the input processors provides one or more packetized signals corresponding to one or more of the input signals received at the input processor. Each output processor can receive one or more packetized signals and generate one or more output signals. The output signals correspond to one or more of the input signals, additional locally generated signals or data relating to the signals or any combination of such signals. Use of a packet router according to the invention allows input signals encoded as one set of packetized signals to be recombined to provide additional packetized signals incorporating the same or different combinations of the packetized signals.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A packet router comprising:
 one or more input stages, each of the input stages configured to:
 receive an incoming packetized signal, 
 determine a unique global identification code of each packetized signal packet extracted from the incoming packetized signal, and 
 store packetized signal packets in a separate buffer in a memory system as output source signals, based on the unique global identification code in the packetized signal packets of each packetized signal; and 
   a controller for generating and transmitting router control signals to the one or more input stages to control the storage of the packetized signal packets in the memory system.   
     
     
         2 . The packet router of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more output stages, each of the output stages configured to:
 read one or more output source signals from the memory system and 
 generate an outgoing packetized signal corresponding to the one or more output source signals read by the output stage; and 
   the controller further configured to generate and transmit the router control signals to the one or more output stages to control the generation of the outgoing packetized signals.   
     
     
         3 . The packet router of  claim 2  wherein the memory system includes a plurality of packet storage locations and wherein the controller includes a global identification code distribution table to manage the distribution of output source signals to particular output stages, and wherein the controller is configured to instruct the input stages to store each packetized signal packet in a free packet storage location and to instruct each of the particular output stages to read an output source signal from the packet storage location. 
     
     
         4 . The packet router of  claim 3  wherein the global identification code distribution table identifies the particular output stages to which packetized signal packets having a particular global identification code are distributed. 
     
     
         5 . The packet router of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 one or more signal processors coupled to the memory system, wherein each signal processor is configured to process one or more output source signals stored in the memory system to generate a corresponding processed output source signal.   
     
     
         6 . The packet router of  claim 5 , wherein at least one processed output source signal is a scaled version of the corresponding output source signal. 
     
     
         7 . The packet router of  claim 5 , wherein at least one processed output source signal is a compressed version of the corresponding output source signal. 
     
     
         8 . The packet router of  claim 5 , wherein at least one signal processor is a horizontal line filter. 
     
     
         9 . The packet router of  claim 5 , wherein at least one signal processor is a vertical line filter. 
     
     
         10 . The packet router of  claim 2 , wherein at least one output stages is further configured to:
 format one or more outgoing packetized signal based on the router control signals from the controller.   
     
     
         11 . A method of generating one or more outgoing packetized signals in a packet router, the method comprising:
 receiving an incoming packetized signal at one or more input stages of the packet router, the incoming packetized signal including one or more packetized signal packets;   determining a unique global identification code of each packetized signal packet extracted from the incoming packetized signal;   storing packetized signal packets in a separate buffer in a memory system as output source signals, based on the unique global identification code in the packetized signal packets of each packetized signal; and   receiving, from a controller, router control signals to the one or more input stages to control the storage of the packetized signal packets in the memory system.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 reading one or more output source signals from the memory system, by one or more output stages of the packet router;   generating an outgoing packetized signal corresponding to the one or more output source signals read by the output stage; and   receiving, from the controller, the router control signals at the one or more output stages to control the generation of the outgoing packetized signals.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 processing one or more output source signals stored in the memory system, by one or more signal processors coupled to the memory system, to generate a corresponding processed output source signal.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein at least one processed output source signal is a scaled version of the corresponding output source signal. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein at least one processed output source signal is a compressed version of the corresponding output source signal. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein at least one signal processor is a horizontal line filter. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein at least one signal processor is a vertical line filter. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 formatting, using at least one output stage, one or more outgoing packetized signals based on the router control signals from the controller.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the output source signals is a video signal and wherein the corresponding packetized signal packets include video data and position information indicating how the video data is to be displayed on a video display. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the position information includes pixel information indicating a position within a window of the video display at which the video data is to be displayed.