Patent ID: 7444488

Claim:
A method for sequentially reading out continuous bit segments of a data string by means of bit field shifting using variable bit positions, the method comprising: providing a pipeline structure comprising programmable unit which comprises a first and second memory unit and an additional register, wherein in the additional register a first and a second start point are stored in order to be able to read out the corresponding bit segment from the first memory unit and in order to be able to store the corresponding bit segment into the second memory unit, respectively; embedding recurring program steps of programmable unit within a program loop, the program steps comprising: (a) reading out a first bit segment of a data string to be read with a first bit length from a first bit field in the first memory unit starting at the first start point; (b) shifting and storing the bit segment that has been read in the first bit field of the second memory unit staring at the second start point; (c) updating the first and the second start points by incrementing the first and second start points by a predetermined offset-value; (d) storing the first and the second start points in the additional register; and (e) returning to step (a) to read out the further bit segments of the data string to be read.