Sticking determination device and sticking determination method

A sticking determination device configured to determine whether image data having pixel values of a plurality of pixels that form an image taken by a camera is stuck, the sticking determination device comprising:

• a CPU;
• a GPU;
• a memory;
• a bus that connects together the CPU, the GPU, and the memory;
• and
• an image acquiring unit configured to acquire the image data from the camera and save the image data to the memory, wherein
• upon saving a part or whole of the image data of one frame to the memory, the image acquiring unit transmits, to the CPU, a save completion notification indicative of completion of saving,
• upon receiving the save completion notification, the CPU transmits a read instruction to the GPU to read, from the memory, the pixel values of some of the plurality of pixels at positions in one horizontal line serving as sticking determination target positions,
• upon receiving the read instruction from the CPU, the GPU reads the pixel values of the some of the plurality of pixels from the memory and transmits the read pixel values to the CPU,
• the CPU is configured to perform a pixel value comparison process to determine whether the image data is stuck by comparing the pixel values of the some of the plurality of pixels in a current frame that is read from the memory with the pixel values of the some of the plurality of pixels in a previous frame, and
• the CPU is configured to use positions of some pixels of the plurality of pixels of the image data of each frame as the sticking determination target positions.

A method for a device to determine whether image data having pixel values of a plurality of pixels that form an image taken by a camera is stuck, the device including:

• a CPU;
• a GPU;
• a memory;
• a bus that connects together the CPU, the GPU, and the memory;
• and
• an image acquiring unit configured to acquire the image data and save the image data to the memory, wherein
• the image data of each frame is formed of a plurality of divided units, and
• the method comprises:
• upon saving a respective one of the plurality of divided units to the memory by the image acquiring unit, transmitting, to the CPU by the image acquiring unit, a save completion notification indicative of completion of saving the respective one of the plurality of divided units,
• upon receiving the save completion notification by the CPU, transmitting by the CPU a read instruction to the GPU to read, from the memory, the pixel values of some of the plurality of pixels at positions in one horizontal line serving as sticking determination target positions,
• upon receiving the read instruction from the CPU by the GPU, reading by the GPU the pixel values of the some of the plurality of pixels from the memory,
• transmitting the read pixel values to the CPU by the GPU, and
• performing a pixel value comparison process by the CPU to determine whether the image data is stuck by comparing the pixel values of the some of the plurality of pixels in a current frame that is read from the memory with the pixel values of the some of the plurality of pixels in a previous frame.

A method for a device to determine whether image data having pixel values of a plurality of pixels that form an image taken by a camera is stuck, the device including:

• a CPU;
• a GPU;
• a memory;
• a bus that connects together the CPU, the GPU, and the memory;
• and
• an image acquiring unit configured to acquire the image data and save the image data to the memory,
• the method comprising:
• upon saving a part or whole of the image data of one frame to the memory by the image acquiring unit, transmitting, to the CPU by the image acquiring unit, a save completion notification indicative of completion of saving,
• upon receiving the save completion notification by the CPU, transmitting by the CPU a read instruction to the GPU to read, from the memory, the pixel values of some of the plurality of pixels positions in one horizontal line serving as sticking determination target positions,
• upon receiving the read instruction from the CPU by the GPU, reading by the GPU the pixel values of the at least one pixel some of the plurality of pixels from the memory,
• transmitting the read pixel values to the CPU by the GPU,
• performing a pixel value comparison process by the CPU to determine whether the image data is stuck by comparing the pixel values of the some of the plurality of pixels in a current frame that is read from the memory with the pixel values of the some of the plurality of pixels in a previous frame, wherein
• positions of some pixels of the plurality of pixels of the image data of each frame are used as the sticking determination target positions.