APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING IMAGE SENSORS

• US 20100118169A1
• Filed: 06/19/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: O2 Micro International Limited (O2 Micro Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: O2 Micro International Limited (O2 Micro Incorporated)
• Inventors: CHEN, Rui, PENG, Xinsheng, ZHAO, Hongxiao, YU, Xiaoguang
• Granted Patent: US 8,466,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/294
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for controlling an image sensor includes loading an image file having data sets associated with multiple image sensors respectively, identifying the image sensor if identification data included in one of the data sets matches to the image sensor, and configuring the image sensor according to configuration data included in the data set matching to the image sensor. The identification data indicates an identity of the image sensor. The configuration data indicates operation parameters of the image sensor.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling an image sensor, said method comprising:

loading an image file having a plurality of data sets associated with a plurality of image sensors respectively, wherein each of said data sets comprises identification data indicating an identity of one of said image sensors and configuration data indicating operation parameters of said one of said image sensors;

identifying said image sensor if said identification data matches to said image sensor; and

configuring said image sensor according to said configuration data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating said image file if none of said data sets comprises said identification data matching to said image sensor.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a communication protocol supported by said image sensor.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein said communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of a serial camera control bus (SCCB) protocol and an inter-integrated circuit (I²C) bus protocol.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said identifying step further comprises:

accessing a register in said image sensor according to an address value contained in said identification data;

acquiring a remote identification value of said image sensor from said register; and

identifying said image sensor if said remote identification value is matched to a local identification value contained in said identification data.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

issuing an image request by a user-mode program; and

accessing said data sets in said image file in response to said image request.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

invoking a kernel-mode interface driver to communicate with said image sensor.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein said kernel-mode interface driver comprises a universal serial bus (USB) driver.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said image sensor is selected from the group consisting of a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor and a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for controlling an image sensor, said computer-executable components comprising:

an image file for storing a plurality of data sets associated with a plurality of image sensors respectively, wherein each of said data sets comprises identification data indicating an identity of one of said image sensors and configuration data indicating operation parameters of said one of said image sensors;

an identification component for accessing said data sets to identify said image sensor if said identification data matches to said image sensor; and

a configuration component for configuring said image sensor according to said configuration data.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

an updating component for updating said image file if none of said data sets comprises said identification data matching to said image sensor.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

a determining component for determining a communication protocol supported by said image sensor.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein said identification component further comprises:

an acquiring component for acquiring a remote identification value of said image sensor according to an address value contained in said identification data; and

an identifying component for identifying said image sensor if said remote identification value is matched to a local identification value contained in said identification data.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

a user-mode program for issuing an image request, wherein said identification component accesses said data sets in response to said image request.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

a kernel-mode device driver invoked for communicating with said image sensor.

16. An apparatus for controlling a plurality of image sensors, said apparatus comprising:

a processor operable for executing a computer-executable component and for generating control commands;

a memory coupled to said processor and for storing said computer-executable component, wherein said computer-executable component comprises a universal camera driver operable for identifying said image sensors having a plurality of sensor types and for configuring operation parameters of said image sensors according to identified sensor types; and

a communication interface coupled to said processor and operable for transferring said control commands to said image sensors.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said memory stores an image file comprising a plurality of data sets associated with said image sensors respectively, wherein each of said data sets comprises identification data indicating a sensor type of a corresponding image sensor and comprises configuration data indicating said operation parameters of said corresponding said image sensor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said image file can be updated to include additional data sets associated with additional image sensors whose sensor types are unable to be identified by said universal camera driver.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said universal camera driver determines communication protocols supported by said image sensors respectively.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said image sensors comprise a CCD image sensor and a CMOS active pixel sensor.