Systems and methods for synchronizing and controlling multiple image sensors
AssigneeAptina Imaging Corporation
InventorsNeal Crook, Elaine W. Jin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An Electronic device may include a master camera module, a slave camera module, and host subsystems. The master camera module may control some of the operations of the slave camera module. The master camera module may transmit data to the slave camera module. The master camera module may interrupt data transmission to the slave camera module, when a delay-sensitive event occurs, to transmit information corresponding to the delay-sensitive event. The slave camera module may respond to the event information with a predetermined fixed delay relative to the occurrence of the event at the master camera module.
Claims18
A method of controlling, in an electronic device, a first camera module that includes a first image sensor and a second camera module that includes a second image sensor, the method comprising:
- with the first camera module, transmitting a plurality of data packets including at least one image capture parameter to the second camera module;
- in response to assertion of a start of exposure signal during a currently transmitting data packet, counting a number of transmission clock cycles until complete transmission of the currently transmitting data packet;
- with the first camera module, interrupting transmission of the plurality of data packets by transmitting a control packet identifying the start of exposure signal and the counted number of transmission clock cycles to the second camera module;
- with the second camera module, receiving the control packet;
- and
- with the second camera module, capturing an image with the second image sensor at a delayed time based on the counted number of transmission clock cycles from the control packet.
A method of controlling first and second camera modules in an electronic device, the method comprising:
- with the first camera module, calculating an image capture parameter with circuitry in the first camera module;
- with the first camera module, transmitting a data packet including the image capture parameter to the second camera module;
- in response to a real-time event occurring during transmission of the data packet, identifying an amount of time between the real-time event and completion of the transmission of the data packet;
- with the first camera module, transmitting to the second camera module a control packet that identifies the real-time event and the amount of time between the real-time event and completion of the transmission of the data packet;
- with the first camera module, capturing at least one image using the image capture parameter calculated by the circuitry in the first camera module and based on the amount of time between the real-time event and completion of the transmission of the data packet;
- and
- with the second camera module, capturing at least one image using the image capture parameter calculated by the circuitry in the first camera module and based on the amount of time between the real-time event and completion of the transmission of the data packet.
An electronic device, comprising:
- first and second camera modules, wherein at least the first camera module comprises circuitry that calculates an image capture parameter and wherein the first and second camera modules are each configured to capture at least one image using the image capture parameter calculated by the circuitry in the first camera module, wherein the first camera module transmits a data packet identifying the image capture parameter, wherein, in response to a real-time event during transmission of the data packet, the first camera module counts a number of transmission clock cycles until the data packet is completely transmitted to the second camera module, and wherein the first camera module sends a control packet that identifies the real-time event and the number of transmission clock cycles to the second camera module.
A method comprising:
- interconnecting a plurality of devices in a daisy-chain topology, wherein the plurality of devices comprises a master and at least one slave;
- using the daisy-chain connection, during an initialization phase, to assign at least one unique address to each device in the daisy-chain;
- using the daisy-chain connection, after initialization, as a path to pass data from the master to the at least one slave in the daisy-chain;
- in response to a real-time event occurring during a data transmission, counting a number of transmission clock cycles until an occurrence of a pre-defined boundary in the data transmission;
- and
- subsequent to the occurrence of the pre-defined boundary in the data transmission, transmitting from the master to the at least one slave, with the real-time event, a value that indicates an amount of delay between the first time and the occurrence of the pre-defined boundary in the data transmission.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.