Teranex, Inc.

David A Duncan

Woodrow L Meeker

Michele D Van Dyke-Lewis

Andrew P Abercrombie

Ronald W Schoomaker

An apparatus for processing data has a Single-Instruction-Multiple-Data (SIMD) architecture, and a number of features that improve performance and programmability. The apparatus includes a rectangular array of processing elements and a controller. In one aspect, each of the processing elements includes one or more addressable storage means and other elements arranged in a pipelined architecture. The controller includes means for receiving a high level instruction, and converting each instruction into a sequence of one or more processing element microinstructions for simultaneously controlling each stage of the processing element pipeline. In doing so, the controller detects and resolves a number of resource conflicts, and automatically generates instructions for registering image operands that are skewed with respect to one another in the processing element array. In another aspect, a programmer references images via pointers to image descriptors that include the actual addresses of various bits of multi-bit data. Other features facilitate and speed up the movement of data into and out of the apparatus. &ldquo;Hit&rdquo; detection and histogram logic are also included.

Mesh connected computed

Mesh connected computer

An apparatus for processing data has a plurality of single-bit processing elements coupled together to form an m&times;n processing element array, where m is an integer number of rows and n is an integer number of columns. Each processing element has addressable storage for storing pixel data in an array format in which each addressable storage holds all of the bits associated with one pixel; and the processing element array includes a mechanism for providing direct read/write access to the addressable storage located in any addressed row of the processing element array without requiring that data be passed through other rows of the array. The apparatus also includes an addressable input/output memory for storing pixel data in a raster scan order; and pixel corner-turning logic, coupled to the input/output memory and to the processing element array, for transferring pixel data between the input/output memory and the processing element array, and for reordering bits of the pixel data being transferred so as to convert between the raster scan order and the array format.

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Orlando, FL, United States of America

David A Duncan