Image capture device with linked multi-core processor and orientation sensor

• US 8,953,061 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• 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:
  US13/621,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 878 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.99, 348/222.1, 348/207.1, 348/294, 348/302, 348/353, 348/580
• 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

An image capture device that has an image sensor for capturing a scene, a multi-core processor with plurality of linked, identical processing units and an image sensor interface, all incorporated onto a single chip. The device also has an orientation sensor for sensing the device orientation. The processing units are configured for receiving data from the image sensor interface and an output from the orientation sensor, to simultaneously process the data.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an orientation sensor for sensing an orientation of the device;

an image sensor for capturing image data of a scene, wherein the image data includes an image orientation based on the orientation of the device; and

a processor including;

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

an instruction input interface for receiving a signal associated with a bit pattern based on pixels, wherein the processor is configured to decode the signal into first image processing instructions; and

multiple processing units configured for receiving the image data from the image sensor interface and processing the image data, wherein processing the image data includes executing the first image processing instructions and executing second image processing instructions that are based on the image orientation;

a memory configured to store the first and second image processing instructions that are executed by the multiple processing units.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising user input buttons, wherein the processor further comprises a parallel interface configured for receiving signals from the user interface buttons and the orientation sensor in parallel.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is a quad-core processor with four processing units, the quad-core processor being configured to detect faces in the image data using hue and local feature analysis.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a display device for displaying the image data, wherein the processor has a display interface for transmitting processed data to the display device.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiple processing units includes at least one address generator.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein each of the multiple processing units further includes RAM (random access memory) for microcode written to the RAM for operative control of the processing unit in which the RAM is included.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor further comprises a crossbar switch for interconnecting each of the multiple processing units.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor further comprises a data cache to store processed data.

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

rotating the image data received from the image sensor interface;

color converting the image data received from the image sensor interface; and

,

dithering the image data received from the image sensor interface.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor further comprises an input FIFO (first in, first out), wherein the instruction input interface is connected to the input FIFO.

11. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a USB (universal serial bus) port for communication with an external device, wherein the processor further includes a USB interface for receiving data from the USB port.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the multiple processing units are configured to operate using 1.5V power supply.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first image processing instructions comprise a script.

14. A processor, comprising:

an image sensor interface coupled to an image sensor and configured for receiving image data of a scene sensed by the image sensor, wherein the image data includes orientation information;

an instruction input interface for receiving a signal associated with a bit pattern based on pixels, wherein the processor is configured to decode the signal into first image processing instructions;

multiple processing units configured for receiving the image data from the image sensor interface and processing the image data, wherein processing the image data includes executing the first image processing instructions and executing second image processing instructions that are based on the orientation information; and

a memory configured to store the first and second image processing instructions that are executed by the multiple processing units.

15. The processor according to claim 14, further comprising a parallel interface configured for receiving signals from user interface buttons and an orientation sensor in the device in parallel.

16. The processor according to claim 14, wherein the processor is a quad-core processor with four processing units, the quad-core processor being configured to detect faces in the image of the scene using hue and local feature analysis.

17. The processor according to claim 14, further comprising a display interface for transmitting processed data to a display device for displaying the image data.

18. The processor according to claim 14, further comprising a crossbar switch for interconnecting each of the multiple processing units.

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