Using atomic commands with an imaging device to prevent the transmission of interleaved sets of commands

• US 6,975,350 B1
• Filed: 12/18/1998
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Mohammed, Mannan A., Clemens, Bruce P., Fichtner, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MISLEH, JUSTIN P
• Application Number:
  US09/216,489
• Time in Patent Office: 2,552 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207, 348/211, 348/220.1, 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 348/552, 348/211.99, 348/211.4, 348/211.7, 348/211.6, 348/143, 348/207.1, 348/207.2, 348/207.11, 348/211.1, 348/211.2, 348/211.3, 348/211.5, 348/211.8, 348/211.9, 348/211.11, 348/211.12, 348/211.13, 348/211.14, 348/159, 348/207.99, 370/458, 370/229, 370/235, 710/100
• US Class Current: 348/207.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/617 Upgrading or updating of programs or applications for camera control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

A method includes generating a first set of commands for an imaging device. The first set of commands are associated with a first task to be performed by the imaging device. A second set of commands are generated for the imaging device during a second time interval that overlaps the first time interval. The second set of commands are associated with a second task to be performed by the imaging device. The first set of commands is transmitted to the imaging device during a third interval of time, and the second set of commands is transmitted to the imaging device during a fourth interval of time that does not overlap with the third interval of time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accumulating commands generated by execution of an application program, the commands including an action command to cause an imaging device to perform an action and at least one set up command separate from the action command to set up the imaging device to perform the action;

determining whether one of the commands generated by the execution of the application program is said action command;

halting transmission of all of the accumulated commands to the imaging device in response to the determination that one of the commands is not the action command; and

triggering transmission of all of the accumulated commands to the imaging device in response to the determination that one of the commands is the action command.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responding to the determination by transmitting the accumulated commands to the imaging device during a time in which no other commands are transmitted to the imaging device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the imaging device comprises a digital camera, the method further comprising:

transmitting all of the accumulated commands to the digital camera over a serial bus in response to the determination that one of the commands is the action command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the action command comprises a command to instruct the imaging device to capture a frame of a video image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the action command comprises a command to instruct the imaging device to capture a frame of a still image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the action command comprises a command to instruct the imaging device to deliver a frame of a previously captured still image to a computer over a serial bus.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one set up command comprises a command to instruct the imaging device to set an exposure time of the device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the accumulating, triggering and determining occur in response to execution of a driver program for the imaging device, the driver program being separate from the application program.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program comprises one of a still image capture program and a video image capture program.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preventing any of the accumulated commands from being transmitted to the imaging device until the determination that one of the commands is the action command.

11. An article comprising a storage medium storing instructions to cause a processor-based system to:

accumulate commands generated by execution of an application program, the commands including an action command to cause an imaging device to perform an action and at least one set up command separate from the action command to set up the imaging device to perform the action;

determine whether one of the commands generated by the execution of the application program is said action command;

halt transmission of all of the accumulated commands to the imaging device in response to the determination that one of the commands is not the action command; and

trigger transmission of all of the accumulated commands to the imaging device in response to the determination that one of the commands is the action command.

12. The article of claim 11, the storage medium storing instructions to cause the processor-based system to:

respond to the determination by transmitting the accumulated commands to the imaging device during a time in which no other commands are transmitted to the imaging device.

13. The article of claim 11, wherein the imaging device comprises a digital camera, the storage medium storing instructions to cause the processor-based system to:

transmit all of the accumulated commands to the digital camera over a serial bus in response to the determination that one of the commands is the action command.

14. The article of claim 11, wherein the action command comprises a command to instruct the imaging device to capture a frame of a video image.

15. The article of claim 11, wherein the action command comprises a command to instruct the imaging device to capture a frame of a still image.

16. The article of claim 11, wherein the action command comprises a command to instruct the imaging device to deliver a frame of a previously captured still image to a computer over a serial bus.

17. The article of claim 11, wherein said at least one set up command comprises a command to instruct the imaging device to set an exposure time of the device.

18. The article of claim 11, wherein the instructions to cause the processor-based system to accumulate, trigger and determine are part of a driver program for the imaging device, the driver program being separate from the application program.

19. The article of claim 11, wherein the application program comprises one of a still image capture program and a video image capture program.

20. The article of claim 11, the storage medium storing instructions to cause the processor-based system to prevent any of the accumulated commands from being transmitted to the imaging device until the determination that one of the commands is the action command.

21. A system comprising:

a camera;

a serial bus coupled to the camera; and

a computer coupled to the serial bus, the computer to;

execute an application program to generate commands, the commands including an action command to cause the camera to perform an action and at least one set up command other than the action command to set up the camera to perform the action,

determine whether one of the commands generated by the execution of the application program is said action command,

halt transmission of all of the accumulated commands to the camera via the serial bus in response to the determination that one of the commands is not the action command, and

trigger transmission of all of the accumulated commands to the camera via the serial bus in response to the determination that one of the commands is the action command.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the application program comprises one of a video image capture program and a still image capture program.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the camera is a multimode camera having a first mode to capture a still image and a second mode to capture a video image.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer prevents any of the accumulated commands from being transmitted to the camera device until the determination that one of the commands is the action command.