Quad-core image processor for device with image display

• US 8,902,324 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): GILES, NICHOLAS G
• Application Number:
  US13/621,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20130010130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 808 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.99, 348/207.2, 348/222.1, 348/207.1, 348/294, 348/302
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0005 Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/005 Guides in the printing zone, e.g. guides for preventing contact of conveyed sheets with printhead
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/70 cutting perpendicular to the direction of paper feed
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/04 Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14314 Structure of ink jet print heads with electrostatically actuated membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/57 Arithmetic logic units [ALU], i.e. arrangements or devices for performing two or more of the operations covered by groups G06F7/483 – G06F7/556 or for performing logical operations G06F7/49, G06F7/491 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/226 Microinstruction function, e.g. input/output microinstruction; diagnostic microinstruction; microinstruction format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/265 by address selection on input of storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30094 : Condition code generation, e.g. Carry, Zero flag
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30101 : Special purpose registers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3885 : using a plurality of independent parallel functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 : by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 : Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 : multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 : Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10762 : Relative movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 : using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 : 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 : using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/576 : using active circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 : Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 : Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 : with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 : with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 : for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00965 : using a plug-in memory module, e.g. memory card, memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 : by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 : using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2154 : the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 : Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 : on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 : using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32587 : Controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32593 : Using a plurality of controllers, e.g. for controlling different interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32603 : Multi-bus systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/46 : Colour picture communication systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 : Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0008 : Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 : Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 : of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3261 : of multimedia information, e.g. a sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 : of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 : of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 : of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/40 : Circuit details for pick-up tubes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 : Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 : Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 : Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording

Abstract

A quad-core processor for a hand-held device with a color display, has an image sensor interface for receiving data from an image sensor, four interconnected processing units for color converting the data from the image sensor interface into a color space for the color display and, a color display interface for outputting color converted data to the color display. The four processing units, the image sensor interface and the color display interface are integrated onto a single chip.

Claims

1. A processor for a hand-held device that includes a display, the processor comprising:

an image sensor interface for receiving data from an image sensor;

a plurality of processing units for color converting the data from the image sensor interface into a color space for the display; and

,

a display interface for outputting color converted data to the display;

wherein color converting the data comprises executing image processing instructions for color converting the data, wherein the image processing instructions are stored in a memory and correspond to a signal that is associated with a bit pattern based on pixels.

2. The processor according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held device further includes an orientation sensor for sensing an orientation of the hand-held device, and the processor is configured to rotate the color converted data in accordance with output from the orientation sensor.

3. The processor according to claim 2, wherein the hand-held device further includes input buttons, wherein the processor further comprises a parallel interface configured for receiving signals from the input buttons and the orientation sensor in parallel.

4. The processor according to claim 1, wherein each processing unit in the plurality of processing units includes rewritable memory for microcode to operatively control the processing unit in which the rewritable memory is included.

5. The processor according to claim 4, further comprising a keyboard interface configured for input of instructions for rewriting the microcode in the rewritable memory included in each of the processing units.

6. The processor according to claim 1, further comprising a first interface configured to receive the signal that is associated with the bit pattern based on pixels.

7. The processor according to claim 6, further comprising an input FIFO (first in, first out) and an output FIFO, the input FIFO being configured for receiving data from the image sensor interface and inputting the data to the plurality of processing units, and the output FIFO being configured for receiving the color converted data.

8. The processor according to claim 7, further comprising a central processing unit and a data bus, the data bus configured to connect the central processing unit to the input FIFO and the output FIFO, and the central processing unit configured to operatively control the plurality of processing units.

9. The processor according to claim 8, wherein the first interface connects to the input FIFO and the central processing unit for inputting data corresponding to the signal that is associated with the bit pattern based on pixels to the plurality processing units by using the central processing unit to rewrite microcode in a memory in each of the plurality of processing units.

10. The processor according to claim 1, further comprising a crossbar switch to interconnect the plurality of processing units.

11. The processor according to claim 1, further comprising a data cache to store the color converted data.

12. The processor according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform one or more processing tasks selected from:

rotating the data from the image sensor;

color converting the data from the image sensor; and

dithering the data from the image sensor.

13. The processor according to claim 1, further comprising a USB (universal serial bus) interface, wherein the hand-held device has a USB port for communication with an external device.

14. The processor according to claim 1, wherein the image processing instructions comprise a script.

15. The processor according to claim 1, wherein a unit within the hand-held device is configured to decode the bit pattern based on pixels to generate the image processing instructions.

16. A hand-held device, comprising:

an image sensor for capturing an image of a scene;

a memory;

a display; and

a processor, comprising;

an image sensor interface for receiving data from the image sensor;

a plurality of processing units for color converting the data received by the image sensor interface into a color space for the display; and

a display interface for outputting color converted data to the display;

wherein color converting the data comprises executing image processing instructions for color converting the data stored in the memory, wherein the image processing correspond to a signal that is associated with a bit pattern based on pixels.

17. The hand-held device according to claim 16, wherein the processor further comprises an interface for receiving the signal that is associated with the bit pattern based on pixels.

18. The hand-held device according to claim 17, wherein the bit pattern based on pixels is decoded to generate the image processing instructions.

19. The hand-held device according to claims 16, wherein the image processing instructions are stored in the memory as a script.