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Mobile phone using dedicated and programmable processors for pipelined image processing, and method thereof

  • US 8,855,712 B2
  • Filed: 03/15/2013
  • Issued: 10/07/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A cell phone comprising:

  • an image sensor portion that outputs frames of image data;

    a processing system coupled to the image sensor portion, the processing system including plural hardware processing units, including;

    a first processing unit comprising first circuitry; and

    a second processing unit different than the first processing unit, the second processing unit comprising second circuitry different than the first circuitry;

    the processing system including an interconnection arrangement that conveys data from an output of the first processing unit to an input of the second processing unit;

    a memory containing instructions that cause the processing system to configure a pipelined arrangement in which one of said processing units processes one frame of image data while another of said processing units processes a different frame of image data;

    a setup module that sends information specifying operations to be performed on a first frame of data by the first and second processing units, before the pipelined arrangement begins processing said first frame of data; and

    a radio interface coupled to the processing system to enable wireless transmission of one or more frames of processed image data from the cell phone;

    wherein said instructions and information;

    cause the first processing unit to process a first frame of data at a first time, applying a first function;

    cause the same first processing unit to process said same first frame of data at a second, later time, applying a second function different than the first function; and

    cause the second processing unit to process said same first frame of data between said first and second times, the second processing unit applying a third function different than the first and second functions.

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