Integrated CMOS imager and microcontroller

• US 8,179,468 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Sarwari, Atif
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Luong T
• Application Number:
  US12/611,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20100091100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 348 65- 77, 348/207.99, 348373-376, 396535-541, 600/100, 600109-112, 600160-183, 600/407, 600476-480
• US Class Current: 348/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

A method and apparatus providing a CMOS imager with an integrated controller on a common integrated circuit substrate. Also integrated on the common substrate are, a serializer circuit including a dynamic arbiter under the control of the microcontroller core and a set of extended special function registers through which data is passed to allow the microcontroller to control the CMOS imager and the serializer circuit.

Claims

1. An ingestible capsule imaging system comprising:

an ingestible capsule;

a photosensor device having a photosensor array, said photosensor device having a first control input and an image data output;

a processor having a second control output for supplying data to said first control input, said processor and said photosensor device both being disposed on a common substrate and disposed within said ingestible capsule;

a serializer circuit coupled to receive image data output from the photosensor device, said serializer circuit comprising a randomizer, control circuit and dynamic arbiter for controlling image data output from the serializer circuit, said dynamic arbiter having first and second inputs and said control circuit executing arbiter switching between said first and second inputs; and

a power supply disposed within said ingestible capsule and coupled to said photosensor device, said processor, and said serializer circuit.

2. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of special function registers disposed on a common integrated circuit substrate with the processor and photosensor device.

3. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 2, wherein at least one of said plurality of special function registers is coupled to both said processor and said photosensor device.

4. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of special function registers comprises at least one of a sensor control register, sensor capture register, DMA control register, pixel data buffer register, header data buffer register, pixel data buffer underflow register, header data buffer underflow register, pixel data buffer overflow register, header data buffer overflow register, pixel data buffer request latency timer register, header buffer request latency timer register, and a randomizer enable register and seed register.

5. An ingestible capsule imaging system comprising:

an ingestible capsule housing a CMOS imager, said CMOS imager comprising;

an image sensor comprising a sensor array;

a pixel data buffer coupled to said sensor array;

a header data buffer;

a dynamic arbiter coupled to said pixel data buffer and to said header data buffer;

a processor coupled to said dynamic arbiter;

an output register coupled to an output of said dynamic arbiter, said dynamic arbiter being adapted to programmably switchingly couple said output register alternately to said pixel data buffer and said header data buffer; and

a plurality of special function registers disposed on a common integrated circuit substrate with said processor, image sensor, arbiter and buffers,

wherein at least one of said plurality of special function registers is coupled to both said processor and said image sensor.

6. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 5, wherein said dynamic arbiter comprises a multiplexer circuit.

7. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of special function registers comprises at least one of a sensor control register, sensor capture register, DMA control register, pixel data buffer register, header data buffer register, pixel data buffer underflow register, header data buffer underflow register, pixel data buffer overflow register, header data buffer overflow register, pixel data buffer request latency timer register, header buffer request latency timer register, and a randomizer enable register and seed register.

8. An ingestible capsule imaging system comprising:

an ingestible capsule housing a programmable imager comprising;

a microcontroller circuit;

an image sensor coupled at an input to receive an output of said microcontroller circuit;

a serializer circuit coupled at an input thereof to an output of said image sensor, said serializer circuit adapted to provide image data from said image sensor, said serializer circuit comprising a randomizer, control circuit and dynamic arbiter for controlling the provided image data from the serializer circuit, at least said microcontroller circuit, and image sensor being disposed on a common integrated circuit, said dynamic arbiter having first and second inputs and said control circuit executing arbiter switching between said first and second inputs; and

a plurality of special function registers disposed on said common integrated circuit with said microcontroller circuit and said image sensor.

9. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a sensor control register.

10. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a sensor capture register.

11. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a DMA control register.

12. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a pixel data buffer register.

13. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a header data buffer register.

14. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a pixel data buffer underflow register.

15. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a header data buffer underflow register.

16. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a pixel data buffer overflow register.

17. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a header data buffer overflow register.

18. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a pixel data buffer request latency timer register.

19. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a header buffer request latency timer register.

20. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a randomizer enable register and seed register.

21. The ingestible capsule imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of special function registers comprises a random access memory device disposed on a common integrated circuit substrate with said microcontroller circuit and said image sensor, said random access memory device being coupled to said microcontroller.