Camera interfaces for electronic devices
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsZhibin Zhang, Willy Cheung
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Approaches are described for managing the processing of image data via an electronic device. In particular, various embodiments enable a component, or combination of components, such as one or more camera interface components or other such interface components, to be integrated into a computing device (e.g., a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wearable device, etc.) to manage the processing of image data captured by one or more cameras of the computing device. For example, one or more camera interface components, such as a camera interface circuit, can allow for coupling at least two cameras to a single input camera port of a processor component.
Claims20
A computing device, comprising:
- a first camera configured to capture first image data, the first camera including a first image data pin and a second image data pin;
- a second camera configured to capture second image data, the second camera including a third image data pin and a fourth image data pin;
- a camera interface circuit coupled to the first camera through a first camera interface module and coupled to the second camera through a second camera interface module;
- and
- a host processor coupled to the first camera, the second camera, the first camera interface module, and the second camera interface module, wherein the host processor is configured to:
- determine that the first camera is active,
- transmit a reset signal to the second camera to cause the second camera to enter a standby mode, wherein in the standby mode the second camera operates in a high impedance mode to electrically isolate the first camera from the second camera, and
- measure a voltage across a first resistor of the second camera interface module that is in series with a first capacitor of the second camera interface module to determine the first image data, wherein a second side of the first capacitor of the second camera interface module is coupled to the first image data pin of the first camera and a first side of the first resistor of the second camera interface module is coupled to the second image data pin of the first camera.
A computing device, comprising:
- a first camera configured to capture first image data;
- a second camera configured to capture second image data;
- a processor;
- and
- a sensor interface coupled to the first camera, the second camera, and the processor, the processor being configured to:
- determine that the first camera is active,
- transmit a reset signal to the second camera to cause the second camera to operate in a standby mode to electrically isolate the first camera from the second camera to prevent loss of at least a portion of the first image data, and
- determine the first image data by measuring voltage across at least one component of the sensor interface.
A method, comprising:
- determining that a first camera of a computing device is active;
- providing, from a host processor, a reset signal to a second camera of the computing device, the reset signal causing the second camera to operate in a standby mode to electrically isolate the first camera from the second camera to prevent loss of at least a portion of first image data captured by the first camera;
- and
- determining, by the host processor, the first image data captured by the first camera by measuring a voltage across at least one component of a sensor interface, the sensor interface operable to be connected to the first camera, the second camera, and the host processor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.