Image sensors with variable resolution image format
AssigneeSemiconductor Components Industries, LLC
InventorAnthony Richard Huggett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system is provided that is configured to encode an image in accordance with a variable resolution image format. The variable resolution image format allows the specification of a number of windows in terms of their location and resolution. The image can be decomposed into a minimum number of square superpixels such that all specified windows are at the assigned resolution or better. By encoding one image where only critical portions are at the high resolution while less critical portions are at intermediate or lower resolutions, the number of bits that need to be transmitted from the system to a remote host subsystem can be dramatically reduced.
Claims25
An imaging system comprising:
- an image sensor configured to capture an image;
- and
- an encoding circuit configured to:
- receive unbinned pixel data generated based on the image from the image sensor;
- and
- encode the unbinned pixel data in accordance with a variable resolution image format that specifies a number of windows in the image, a resolution for each of the windows, and edges for each of the windows, wherein different portions of the image are populated by square superpixels of different sizes, wherein the size of the square superpixels within each window is less than or equal to the resolution of that window, and wherein each square superpixel has only one data value that is output from the encoding circuit.
A method of operating an imaging system, comprising:
- using an image sensor to capture an image;
- using an encoder to receive unbinned pixel data generated based on the image captured by the image sensor;
- using the encoder to encode the unbinned pixel data by binning the unbinned pixel data into superpixels, wherein a first group of the superpixels corresponds to a first window of a first resolution, wherein a second group of the superpixels corresponds to a second window of a second resolution different than the first resolution, and wherein a third group of the superpixels outside the first and second windows has a third resolution that is less than the first and second resolutions;
- and
- transmitting a variable resolution image represented by the superpixels to an external system.
An apparatus comprising:
- a downsampling logic circuit configured to receive a source image and to generate a plurality of superpixel values by recursively binning pixels into lower resolution regions of the source image;
- memory circuits configured to store horizontally binned values that are used to generate the plurality of superpixel values;
- and
- a binning level selection circuit configured to construct a variable resolution image based on at least the superpixel values, wherein the variable resolution image is transmitted in its entirety to an external device in the form of an output stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.