Electronically configurable interface

• US 7,990,992 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Alakarhu, Juha, Muukki, Mikko Juhana, Ollila, Mikko Antti
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung; Min
• Application Number:
  US12/214,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20090316724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 370/419, 370/469
• US Class Current: 370/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

A physical interface that is electronically configurable to transfer information according to any protocol of a pre-defined set of at least two protocols is disclosed. Moreover, electronic configuration of such a physical interface to transfer information according to any protocol of a pre-defined set of at least two protocols is disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising

at least one processor;

and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to

electronically configure an electronically configurable physical interface of said apparatus to transfer image information from a camera of said apparatus according to a selected protocol of a pre-defined set of at least two protocols, so as to enable the transfer of the image information to an image processor of said apparatus that is only operable using said selected protocol and selected from among other processors only operable using another protocol of said pre-defined set of at least two protocols, and processing of the image information for display by a display of said apparatus.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two protocols of the pre-defined set of at least two protocols are serial protocols.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera comprises the physical interface electronically configurable via a serial computer bus.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera comprises the physical interface electronically configurable via a camera control interface.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two protocols are configured to have a mutually interoperable underlying physical layer protocol.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two protocols are configured to at least partially use the same physical signal lines.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a physical layer of at least one of the at least two protocols comprises physical differential signal lines configurable to comprise a selected number of physical differential signal lines wherein said selected number comprises at least two different numbers.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two protocols are configured to use a different number of physical signal lines of the physical interface or to use different image information transfer speed on the physical interface, or both.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the physical interface is operable in at least two states comprising a software standby state.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the physical interface is electronically configurable while the interface is in a software standby state.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the physical interface is operable in at least four states comprising a power off state, a hardware standby state, a software standby state and an active state.

12. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the physical interface is configurable by the same entity to which or from which the image information is transferred.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera comprises an image detector configured to generate the image information.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image detector comprises said physical interface.

15. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is a camera module comprising said physical interface.

16. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image processor performs baseband processing of the image information.

17. Camera module comprising

a camera configured to generate image information;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the camera module at least to electronically configure a physical interface of the camera module for installation and connection to physical lines of a portable device,

wherein the physical interface is electronically configurable to transfer the image information from the camera module over the physical lines of the portable device according to a selected protocol for further processing by a selected image processor installed in said portable device and only operable using the selected protocol for display on a display of said portable device, said selected image processor selected from among at least one other image processor that uses another protocol, said physical interface also electronically configurable for connection to the at least one other image processor only operable using the other protocol instead of said selected protocol so that said camera module is configurable for use with at least said selected image processor or said other image processor in said portable device.

18. Method comprising configuring an electronically configurable physical interface of a camera module in a portable device according to a selected protocol of a pre-defined set of at least two protocols so that image information is transferable from the camera module via the physical interface to an entity in the portable device interfaced over physical signal lines of the portable device to the camera module, the entity only operable using the selected protocol for processing the image information for display.

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein the at least two protocols of the pre-defined set of at least two protocols are serial protocols.

20. Method according to claim 18, wherein the physical interface is electronically configurable via a serial computer bus.

21. Method according to claim 20, wherein the physical interface is electronically configurable via a camera control interface.

22. Method according to claim 18, wherein the at least two protocols are configured to have a mutually interoperable underlying physical layer protocol.

23. Method according to claim 18, wherein the at least two protocols are configured to at least partially use the physical signal lines.

24. Method according to claim 23, wherein at least one of the at least two protocols comprises physical differential signal lines configurable to comprise a selected number of physical differential signal lines wherein said selected number comprises at least two different numbers.

25. Method according to claim 18, wherein the at least two protocols are scalable protocols configured to use a different number of the physical signal lines of the physical interface or to use a different image information transfer speed on the physical interface, or both.

26. Method according to claim 18, wherein the physical interface is operable in at least two states comprising a software standby state.

27. Method according to claim 26, wherein the physical interface is electronically configurable while the interface is in a software standby state.

28. Method according to claim 26, wherein the physical interface is operable in at least four states comprising a power off state, a hardware standby state, a software standby state and an active state.

29. Method according to claim 18, wherein the physical interface is configurable by the entity interfaced to the camera module.

30. Method according to claim 18, wherein the image information is generated by a detector of the camera.

31. Method according to claim 30, wherein the entity is configured to perform baseband processing of the image information.

32. Method according to claim 18, wherein the method is performed by the camera module in a portable device that comprises a user interface.

33. A nontransitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method according to claim 18.

34. An apparatus comprising:

means for enabling a physical interface of a camera module in the apparatus to be electronically configured to transfer image information according to a selected protocol of a pre-defined set of at least two protocols; and

means for transferring the image information from the camera module via the physical interface according to the selected protocol to an entity in the apparatus interfaced to the camera module and only operable using the selected protocol for processing the transferred image information for display by the apparatus, said entity selected from among at least one other entity that uses another protocol, said physical interface also electronically configurable for transfer of image information using the other protocol so that said camera module is useable at least with either said selected entity or with said at least one other entity in said apparatus.

35. Apparatus comprising a controller including a processor and at least one memory including control program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to electronically configure a physical interface in the apparatus to transfer image information according to a selected protocol of a pre-defined set of at least two protocols from a camera in the apparatus to an entity in the apparatus only operable using the selected protocol for processing the transferred image information for display by the apparatus, said entity selected from among at least one other entity that uses another protocol, said physical interface also electronically configurable for transfer of image information using the other protocol so that said camera module is useable at least either with said selected entity or with said at least one other entity in said apparatus.

36. A method comprising electronically configuring a physical interface in an apparatus to transfer image information according to a selected protocol of a pre-defined set of at least two protocols from a camera in the apparatus to an entity in the apparatus only operable using the selected protocol for processing the transferred image information for display by the apparatus, said entity selected from among at least one other entity that uses another protocol, said physical interface also electronically configurable for transfer of image information using the other protocol so that said camera module is useable at least either with said selected entity or with said at least one other entity in said apparatus.

37. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method of claim 36.

38. An apparatus comprising:

means for communicating with a physical interface via a physical connection in the apparatus; and

means for electronically configuring the physical interface via the physical connection to transfer image information according to a selected protocol of a pre-defined set of at least two protocols to an entity in the apparatus connected to the physical interface to receive the image information and only operable according to the selected protocol to process the transferred image information for display by the apparatus by the apparatus, said entity selected from among at least one other entity that uses another protocol, said physical interface also electronically configurable for transfer of image information using the other protocol so that said camera module is useable at least with either said selected entity or with said at least one other entity in said apparatus.