MULTI-CORE PROCESSOR FOR PORTABLE DEVICE WITH IMAGE SENSOR AND MULTI-POINT FOCUS IMAGE CAPTURE

• US 20130010132A1
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Application Number:
  US13/621,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20130010132A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.2
• 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 multi-core processor is used in a portable device with image sensor with adjustable focal length for sensing a scene. The multi-core processor has multiple processing units incorporated onto a single chip and an image sensor interface on the chip. The image sensor interface is configured to provide the processing units with image data from the image sensor, and the processing units are configured to divide the image data into selected regions of the scene and simultaneously derive an image sharpness metric for each of the regions. This metric is used to determine an optimal focal length for each of the selected regions when the image sharpness metric for that region of the scene is above a threshold. Using this data, the portable device captures an image of the scene at each of the optimal focal lengths.

Claims

1. A multi-core processor for a portable device with image sensor with adjustable focal length for sensing a scene, the multi-core processor comprising:

multiple processing units incorporated onto a single chip;

an image sensor interface on the chip;

wherein,

the image sensor interface is configured to provide the processing units with image data from the image sensor, and the processing units are configured to divide the image data into selected regions of the scene and simultaneously derive an image sharpness metric for each of the regions, to determine an optimal focal length for each of the selected regions when the image sharpness metric for that region of the scene is above a threshold, such that the portable device captures an image of the scene at each of the optimal focal lengths.

2. The multi-core processor according to claim 1 wherein the processing units divide the scene into three regions arranged horizontally adjacent one another.

3. The multi-core processor according to claim 1 further configured to detect faces using hue and local feature analysis.

4. The multi-core processor according to claim 1 further comprising a display interface on the chip wherein the portable device has a color display for viewing an image captured by the image sensor and the display interface is configured to transmitting processed data from the processing units to the color display.

5. The multi-core processor according to claim 4 wherein each of the processing units have at least one address generator for the processed data.

6. The multi-core processor according to claim 5 wherein each of the processing units has RAM (random access memory) for microcode written to the RAM for operative control of that processing unit.

7. The multi-core processor according to claim 6 further comprising a central processing unit for providing a processing core to write microcode to the RAM in each of the processing units.

8. The portable device according to claim 7 further comprising a keyboard interface for user input of instructions to the central processor unit such that the central processor rewrites the microcode in the RAM within each of the processing units.

9. The multi-core processor according to claim 8 further comprises a crossbar switch for interconnecting each of the processing units.

10. The multi-core processor according to claim 9 comprising four of the processing units wherein the multi-core processor further comprises an input FIFO (first in, first out) and an output FIFO, the input FIFO being configured for receiving data from the first and second image sensor interfaces and inputting the data to the four processing units, and the output FIFO being configured for receiving the processed data to be read by other components.

11. The multi-core processor according to claim 10 further comprising a data bus connecting the central processing unit to the input FIFO and the output FIFO.

12. The multi-core processor according to claim 11 further comprising a data cache to store the processed data until required by the central processing unit.

13. The multi-core processor according to claim 12 wherein the portable device has an inkjet printhead and the multi-core processor being configured to perform one or more processing tasks selected from:

rotating the data from the image sensor interface for printing by the printhead;

colour converting the data from the image sensor interface for printing by the printhead; and

,

dithering the data from the image sensor interface for printing by the printhead.

14. The multi-core processor according to claim 13 further comprising a scanner interface on the chip wherein the portable device has a scanner for scanning encoded data printed on a substrate in a machine readable form, the scanner interface being configured for receiving image processing data from the scanner and inputting the image processing data to the processing units.

15. The multi-core processor according to claim 14 wherein the scanner interface is connected to the input FIFO and the four processing units operate in accordance with image processing instructions in the encoded data scanned by the scanner.

16. The multi-core processor according to claim 15 further comprising an authentication chip interface wherein the portable device has a print media roll holding a roll of media substrate on which the printhead prints, the print media roll being removable and replaceable, and the authentication chip interface is configured for interrogating an authentication chip in the media roll for authentication information.

17. The multi-core processor according to claim 16 further comprising a USB interface wherein the portable device has a USB port for communication with an external device for inputting processing instructions to the central processor unit.

18. The multi-core processor according to claim 1 wherein the processing units are configured to operate using a 1.5V power supply.