Image processing system for high performance digital imaging devices
First Claim
1. A method for processing an image in an image capture unit including a display, the method comprising the steps of:
- capturing raw image data;
processing the raw image data through a capture data path;
storing the raw image data in a first memory, wherein the first memory contains raw image data for one or more images;
accessing a particular raw image data from the first memory and performing image processing on the particular raw image data to produce a rotated processed image;
loading the processed image in a second buffer;
compressing the processed image to generate a compressed image;
unrotating the image;
performing display processing to produce graphics for display;
storing the graphics and image in a fourth buffer; and
rendering the graphics and image from the fourth buffer for display on the image capture unit.
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Abstract
An image processing system for high performance digital imaging in a digital camera. The reflected light from an image is focused through a lens and optically filtered. A CCD array converts this image into an electrical signal. This electrical signal is processed and then converted into an equivalent digital signal. A digital signal processor is then used to process the raw digital signal. The DSP includes a capture data path, a data flow control, an image processing data path, a compression/decompression engine, a resize circuit, a display processing circuit, and a rotation circuit. Data is routed between the DSP and memory via a bus. By selectively activating and reusing certain parts of the hardware architecture and various data paths, at least four modes of operation can be supported: live view, instant review, and play mode. Furthermore, the correct image is automatically displayed in all four modes, regardless of the orientation of the image or the physical orientation of the camera (both at the time the picture was taken and at the time the picture is being rendered for display).
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for processing an image in an image capture unit including a display, the method comprising the steps of:
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capturing raw image data;
processing the raw image data through a capture data path;
storing the raw image data in a first memory, wherein the first memory contains raw image data for one or more images;
accessing a particular raw image data from the first memory and performing image processing on the particular raw image data to produce a rotated processed image;
loading the processed image in a second buffer;
compressing the processed image to generate a compressed image;
unrotating the image;
performing display processing to produce graphics for display;
storing the graphics and image in a fourth buffer; and
rendering the graphics and image from the fourth buffer for display on the image capture unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In a digital camera, a method for digital image processing, comprising the steps of:
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generating a live view image for display with the digital camera in a horizontal, vertical, or upside-down orientation;
capturing an image for subsequent display, wherein the image is captured with the digital camera in either a horizontal or vertical orientation;
rendering a captured image for instant review with the digital camera in either the horizontal or vertical orientation and with the captured image rotated or not rotated;
rendering the captured image for a play mode of operation with the digital camera in either the horizontal or vertical orientation and with the captured image rotated or not rotated. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A digital signal processor for use in an image capture apparatus, comprising:
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a bus a capture data path coupled to the bus for accepting CCD data and outputting raw lines to the bus;
a memory coupled to the bus for storing the raw lines;
a data flow controller coupled to the bus for generating raw minimum computational units (MCUs) based on the raw lines stored in the memory;
an image processing data path for processing the raw MCUs from the data flow controller;
a buffer for storing the MCU'"'"'s from the image processing data path;
a JPEG engine for compressing the MCU'"'"'s before storage in the memory and for decompressing MCU'"'"'s read from the memory;
a resize circuit coupled to the buffer for resizing image data;
a display processor coupled to the resize circuit for generating graphical information for display with the image data;
a rotation circuit coupled to the bus for rotating the image data and storing a rotated image data in the buffer. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification