ELECTRONIC SYSTEM COMMUNICATING WITH IMAGE SENSOR

• US 20120026342A1
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: O2 Micro International Limited (O2 Micro Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: O2 Micro International Limited (O2 Micro Incorporated)
• Inventors: YU, Xiaoguang, DU, Sterling, HUANG, Yishao Max
• Application Number:
  US12/844,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20120026342A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A system includes a serial input/output (I/O) interface, a second I/O interface and a controller. The controller is coupled to an image sensor by the serial I/O interface and is coupled to a signal processor of a computer by the second I/O interface and can transfer image data input acquired by the image sensor to the signal processor. The signal processor can process the image data input.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a serial input/output (I/O) interface;

a second I/O interface; and

a first controller coupled to an image sensor by said serial I/O interface and coupled to a signal processor of a computer by said second I/O interface and operable for transferring image data input acquired by said image sensor to said signal processor,

wherein said signal processor is operable for processing said image data input.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said serial I/O interface is selected from the group consisting of a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) and Standard Mobile Imaging Architecture (SMIA).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said second I/O interface comprises a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interface.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller is embedded in a chip on a motherboard of said computer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said chip comprises a second controller operable for transferring data between said signal processor and a media card.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said chip comprises a second controller operable for transferring data between said signal processor and a security digital (SD) card.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said chip comprises a second controller operable for transferring data between said signal processor and a card complying with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller is integrated with a chipset on a motherboard of said computer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said signal processor executes a software application for processing said image data input and for displaying the processed image data input on a display device of said computer.

10. A controller for controlling data transfer between a computer and an image sensor, comprising:

a register operable for storing control information sent from said computer; and

a core coupled to said image sensor by a serial input/output (I/O) interface having higher bandwidth than Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0, wherein said core is operable for enabling communication between said computer and said image sensor if said control information requests image data input acquired by said image sensor be transferred from said image sensor to said computer;

wherein a signal processor of said computer is operable for processing said image data input.

11. The controller of claim 10, wherein said serial I/O interface is selected from the group consisting of a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) and Standard Mobile Imaging Architecture (SMIA).

12. The controller of claim 10, wherein said core provides said image data input to said computer through a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interface.

13. The controller of claim 10, wherein said controller is embedded in a chip on a motherboard of said computer.

14. The controller of claim 13, wherein said chip comprises a second controller operable for transferring data between said signal processor and a media card.

15. The controller of claim 13, wherein said chip comprises a second controller operable for transferring data between said signal processor and a security digital (SD) card.

16. The controller of claim 13, wherein said chip comprises a second controller operable for transferring data between said signal processor and a card complying with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface.

17. The controller of claim 10, wherein said controller is integrated with a chipset on a motherboard of said computer.

18. The controller of claim 10, wherein said signal processor executes a software application for processing said image data input and for displaying the processed image data input on a display device of said computer.

19. A method for controlling data transfer between a computer and an image sensor, comprising:

transferring image data input acquired by said image sensor to a controller through a serial input/output (I/O) interface having higher bandwidth than Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0;

transferring said image data input to a signal processor of said computer through a second I/O interface by said controller; and

processing said image data input by said signal processor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said second interface comprises a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interface.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said serial I/O interface is selected from the group consisting of a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) and Standard Mobile Imaging Architecture (SMIA).