Asynchronous camera frame allocation

A method for performing asynchronous camera frame allocation in which camera frame requests are received from multiple image consuming components that compete for use of one or more shared cameras to obtain one or more digital images of a surrounding environment of a computer system that implements the method, wherein the method includes:

• receiving a first camera frame request from a first image consuming component that submits camera frame requests at a first predetermined frequency;
• receiving a second camera frame request from a second image consuming component that submits camera frame requests at a second predetermined frequency, wherein the second camera frame request is received before the first camera frame request is fully processed;
• delaying processing of the second camera frame request for a period of time during which at least the first camera frame request is satisfied by the one or more shared cameras providing one or more camera frames corresponding to the first camera frame request to the first image consuming component;
• issuing a notification to the second image consuming component that results in a phase shift of the second predetermined frequency by the second image consuming component, the phase shift being based at least partially on the period of time;
• and
• processing the second camera frame request after the first camera frame request is processed and in which the one or more shared cameras provide one or more camera frames corresponding to the second camera frame request to the second image consuming component.

A computer system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• one or more computer-readable hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the computer system to perform a method of asynchronous camera frame allocation in which camera frame requests are received from multiple image consuming components which include a head tracker and a hand tracker and which compete for use of one or more shared cameras to obtain one or more digital images of a surrounding environment of the computer system, wherein the method includes the computer system:
• receiving a first digital image request from the head tracker which submits digital image requests at a first predetermined frequency;
• receiving a second digital image request from the hand tracker which submits digital image requests at a second predetermined frequency, wherein the second digital image request is received before the first digital image request is fully processed;
• determining that a particular digital image, which will be obtained or which already has been obtained in response to a processing of the first digital image request, is also usable for processing the second digital image request;
• and
• simultaneously fulfilling both the first digital image request and the second digital image request by transmitting the particular digital image to both the head tracker and the hand tracker,
• whereby the computer system improves how camera processing is allocated by dynamically identifying when a same digital image is usable to process multiple digital image requests which are received from multiple different image consuming components.