Communicating information from an imaging device to a processor-based system

• US 6,865,283 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Cheung, Chi M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARTER, AARON W
• Application Number:
  US09/628,759
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 382/107, 382/236, 348152-155, 348/700, 348/159, 348/208.14, 348/209.16, 340/541, 340/545.1, 340/545.2, 340552-557, 340/545.3
• US Class Current: 382/107
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

Image data from a capture device may be streamed from the capture device to a processor-based system. A motion detector associated with the capture device may provide a bit that is incorporated into the image data stream in place of image data, in one embodiment of the present invention. This bit may be decoded in a processor-based system to control how the image data stream, received from the capture device, is handled.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving motion detection information from an infrared motion detector;

capturing a digital representation of a scene in an imaging device;

forming in said, imaging device a plurality of packets containing image data and said motion detection information; and

transmitting said packets from said imaging device to a processor-based system over a bus.

2. The method of claim 1 including transmitting said packets over a Universal Serial Bus.

3. The method of claim 1 including replacing intensity information in said packet with said motion information.

4. The method of claim 3 including providing a bit in said packet to indicate whether motion was detected.

5. The method of claim 1 including controlling the storage of said digital representation on a processor-based system based on whether motion was detected.

6. The method of claim 1 including replacing image data in one of said packets with said motion detection information.

7. An article comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a digital imaging device to:

detect motion within an imaged scene using an infrared motion detector and, in response to the detection of motion, generate motion detection information;

capture a digital representation of a scene in an imaging device using an infrared motion detector;

encode said motion detection information in said digital representation; and

transmit said digital representation from said imaging device to a processor-based system over a bus.

8. The article of claim 7 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the digital imaging device to transmit said digital representation over a Universal Serial Bus.

9. The article of claim 7 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the digital imaging device to encode said motion detection information in said digital representation in place of image data.

10. The article of claim 9 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the digital imaging device to replace intensity information in said digital representation with said motion detection information.

11. The article of claim 10 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the digital imaging device to provide a bit in said digital representation to indicate whether motion was detected.

12. The article of claim 7 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the digital imaging device to replace image data in one of said packets with said motion detection information.

13. A digital imaging device comprising:

an infrared motion detector;

an imaging element to capture image data representing an image; and

a serial bus interface, coupled to said imaging element and said motion detector, said serial bus interface to form a plurality of packets containing said image data for transmission over a bus, serial bus interface to incorporate information about whether motion was detected by said infrared motion detector into said packets containing said image data.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said serial bus interface is coupled to a Universal Serial Bus.

15. The device of claim 13 including a processor-based device coupled to the bus, said motion detector, serial bus interface and imaging element also coupled to said bus.

16. The device of claim 13 where in said serial bus interface forms said image data into packets including both a payload and a header.

17. The device of claim 16 including intensity information in said packets, said intensity information having a least significant bit.

18. The device of claim 17 including replacing said least significant bit with a bit indicating whether motion was detected by said motion detector.

19. A system comprising:

an infrared motion detector coupled to said imaging device;

a digital imaging device, coupled to said detector, said device including a packetizer that converts image data captured by said imaging device into a plurality of packets and inserts into at least one packet data from said infrared motion detector;

a processor-based device; and

a bus coupling said processor-based device and said imaging device.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said bus is a Universal Serial Bus.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein said packetizer inserts motion data received from said motion detector into packets including said image data.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said packetizer inserts a bit indicating whether motion was detected into a packet including image data to indicate whether motion was detected in that image data.