Method and apparatus for reducing device and system power consumption levels
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited
InventorsEd Duncan, Andrew Maginnis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of managing power consumption in a device, such as a video image processing device for processing data from one or more pixels, includes forming a frame of an image. The method further includes determining one or more regions of interest in the image, identifying one or more pixels located in the one or more regions of interest, and processing the one or more identified pixels in a predetermined manner. Power for at least part of the device is switched off if no pixels are identified in a region of interest within a predetermined period of time.
Claims22
A method for managing power consumption in a video image processing device that processes video data of an image, the video image processing device comprising a region monitor, and a plurality of processing blocks, with each processing block corresponding to are ion of interest for processing a particular function of the video data, the method comprising:
- receiving the video data at the region monitor to determine a location of the video data relative to a video field of the image;
- determining if the location of the video data is in at least one region of interest in the image, with the at least one region of interest having a particular function associated therewith;
- identifying if there is at least one pixel in the video data if the location of the video data is in the at least one region of interest;
- processing at least one identified pixel in the video data in the at least one region of interest, the processing comprising selecting the processing block corresponding to the particular function associated with the at least one region of interest;
- and
- switching off power within a period of time for the plurality of processing blocks that do not correspond to the particular function associated with the at least one region of interest.
A power consumption controller for an image processing device processing video data of an image, the power consumption controller comprising:
- a first detector for determining a location of the video data relative to a video field of the image;
- a second detector for determining if the location of the video data is in at least one region of interest in the image, with the at least one region of interest having a particular function associated therewith, and for identifying if there is at least one pixel in the video data if the location of the video data is in the at least one region of interest;
- processing circuitry comprising a plurality of processing blocks for processing at least one identified pixel in the video data in the at least one region of interest, the processing comprising selecting the processing block corresponding to the particular function associated with the at least one region of interest;
- and
- a power manager for switching off power within a period of time for said plurality of processing blocks that do not correspond to the particular function associated with the at least one region of interest.
A power consumption controller for an image processing device, comprising;
- a first detector for determining a location of video data relative to a video field of a received image;
- a second detector for determining if the location of the video data is in at least one region of interest in the image, with the at least one region of interest having a particular function associated therewith, and for identifying if there is at least one pixel in the video data if the location of the video data is in the at least one region of interest;
- processing circuitry comprising a plurality of processing blocks for processing at least one identified pixel in the video data in the at least one region of interest, the processing comprising selecting the processing block corresponding to the particular function associated with the at least one region of interest;
- and
- a power manager for switching off power within a period of time for said plurality of processing blocks that do not correspond to the particular function associated with the at least one region of interest.
An image processing device, comprising:
- an image sensor array for providing at least one pixel forming an image;
- and
- a power consumption controller comprising
- a first detector for determining a location of video data relative to a video field of the image,
- a second detector for determining if the location of the video data is in at least one region of interest in the image, with the at least one region of interest having a particular function associated therewith, and for identifying if there is at least one pixel in the video data if the location of the video data is in the at least one region of interest,
- processing circuitry comprising a plurality of processing blocks for processing at least one identified pixel in the at least one region of interest, the processing comprising selecting the processing block corresponding to the particular function associated with the at least one region of interest, and
- a power manager for switching off power within a period of time for said plurality of processing blocks that do not correspond to the particular function associated with the at least one region of interest.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.