An image transmission system and method for separating data and control based on physically separated channels

Abstract

The application discloses an image transmission system and method based on physical separation channels to realize data and control separation, and relates to the technical field of data transmission; the method comprises the following steps: a host processing unit identifies and respectively establishes a high-speed data plane connection with a high-speed data channel module and an independent control plane connection with a control channel module through a USB hub module; the host processing unit issues a control instruction to an image acquisition module through the independent control plane connection, and receives response and state information returned by the image acquisition module; when the control instruction is an acquisition instruction, the image acquisition module acquires image data, and encapsulates the image data through a data processing and caching module; the encapsulated image data is transmitted to the host processing unit in a streaming mode through the high-speed data plane connection; the host processing unit checks the received image data, and maintains a receiving state mapping table to record the receiving result.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of data transmission technology, and in particular to an image transmission system and method based on a physically separated channel to achieve separation of data and control. Background Technology

[0002] In applications such as industrial inspection and scientific imaging, high-speed, high-reliability image data transmission via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface is a widespread requirement. Currently, the mainstream technical solution in this field relies on a single USB physical channel architecture. Under this architecture, the image acquisition device and the host are connected via a single USB link, and the high throughput of image data from the device and critical control commands are transmitted in time-division multiplexing over the same physical link through logically different endpoints.

[0003] However, this architecture based on a single physical channel has inherent bottlenecks. As image sensor resolution and frame rate continue to increase, image data streams consistently occupy the majority of bandwidth, leading to significant delays and uncertainties in the transmission of control commands with extremely high real-time requirements. This restricts the overall system's response performance and control accuracy. The USB protocol itself does not guarantee 100% reliable data delivery and lacks an effective application-layer closed-loop fault tolerance mechanism, making the single physical channel architecture prone to data loss or sacrificing transmission efficiency for reliability under high loads. Therefore, the main challenge of existing technologies lies in the competition for physical bandwidth between high-speed data stream transmission and low-latency control command response, and the trade-off between transmission efficiency and transmission reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides an image transmission system and method based on a physically separated channel to achieve separation of data and control.

[0005] The technical solution provided in this application is described below:

[0006] The first aspect of this application provides an image transmission system based on a physically separated channel to achieve separation of data and control, the system comprising: a host processing unit and an image acquisition device; The image acquisition device includes: an image acquisition module, a data processing and caching module, a USB hub module, a high-speed data channel module, and a control channel module; The data processing and caching module is connected to the image acquisition module; The USB hub module is connected to the host processing unit; The high-speed data channel module is connected to the data processing and caching module and the USB hub module, respectively. The control channel module is connected to the data processing and caching module and the USB hub module, respectively. The image acquisition module is used to acquire raw image data; the data processing and caching module is used to receive and encapsulate the raw image data and manage the image data cache; the high-speed data channel module is used to establish a high-speed data plane connection between the image acquisition module and the host processing unit; the control channel module is used to establish an independent control plane connection between the image acquisition module and the host processing unit.

[0007] Optionally, the uplink port of the USB hub module serves as a unified USB interface for the image acquisition device and is connected to the host processing unit; the downlink port of the USB hub module is extended to include at least a first independent port and a second independent port. The high-speed data channel module is connected to the first physical channel of the first independent port and the data processing and caching module, respectively. The control channel module is connected to the second physical channel of the second independent port and the data processing unit, respectively. The first physical channel and the second physical channel are isolated from each other at the physical transport layer.

[0008] A second aspect of this application provides an image transmission method based on a physically separated channel to separate data and control, applicable to the system described in any one of the first aspects of this application, the method comprising: The host processing unit identifies the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module through the USB hub module, and establishes the high-speed data plane connection and the independent control plane connection respectively. The host processing unit sends control commands to the image acquisition module through the independent control plane and receives the response and status information returned by the image acquisition module. When the control command is a data acquisition command, the image acquisition module acquires image data and encapsulates the image data through the data processing and caching module; The encapsulated image data is streamed to the host processing unit via the high-speed data plane connection. The host processing unit verifies each frame of image data received each time and maintains a reception status mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result.

[0009] Optionally, the step of the host processing unit identifying the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module through the USB hub module, and establishing the high-speed data plane connection and the independent control plane connection respectively, includes: The host processing unit identifies the USB hub module as a USB hub device by enumerating the USB hub module. After the enumeration, the host processing unit identifies the first functional device presented by the high-speed data channel module and the second functional device presented by the control channel module connected to the downstream port of the USB hub module. The application program of the host processing unit broadcasts a channel query command to the image acquisition device through the USB hub module. The high-speed data channel module and the control channel module of the image acquisition device respectively respond to the channel query command and return their respective device identification information; If the host processing unit successfully receives response information from the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module within a preset time, it determines that the dual-channel establishment is successful and loads the corresponding driver to enable the high-speed data plane connection and the independent control plane connection.

[0010] Optionally, after the step of the host processing unit verifying each received frame of image data and maintaining a reception status mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result, the method further includes: When the image data transmission of the current frame is completed, the host processing unit traverses the receive state mapping table and collects the pre-allocated addressing identifiers of data packets that indicate the absence of image data in the current frame from the receive state mapping table. The pre-allocated addressing identifiers of all the missing data packets in the current frame are merged into specific addressing identifier information and a retransmission request instruction including the specific addressing identifier information is generated. The retransmission request command is sent to the image acquisition module via the independent control plane connection; The image acquisition module retrieves the corresponding specific data packet from the cache managed by the data processing and caching module based on the specific addressing identifier information in the retransmission request instruction. All the specific data packets are retransmitted to the host processing unit at once through the high-speed data plane connection.

[0011] Optionally, after the step of streaming the encapsulated image data to the host processing unit via the high-speed data plane connection, the method further includes: The image acquisition module is connected through the independent control plane and periodically reports its internal operating status parameters to the host processing unit. The host processing unit monitors its own resource status and receives operating status parameters from the image acquisition module. Based on the monitored resource status, traffic control is adjusted according to a preset strategy; The independent control plane connection issues flow control commands to dynamically adjust the data throughput rate of the high-speed data plane connection.

[0012] Optionally, the step of adjusting traffic control based on the monitored resource status according to a preset strategy includes: The host processing unit monitors the occupancy rate of its internal image data receiving buffer and determines whether it exceeds a first preset threshold. If yes, a pause transmission command is sent to the image acquisition module via the independent control plane connection; otherwise, image data reception continues. After receiving the pause transmission command, the image acquisition module pauses the transmission of subsequent image data through the high-speed data plane connection after completing the transmission of the current frame image data; When the host processing unit monitors that the image data receiving buffer occupancy rate begins to fall below the second preset threshold, it sends a resume transmission command to the image acquisition module through the independent control plane connection; otherwise, it continues to suspend the reception of a new frame of image data.

[0013] Optionally, the step of the host processing unit sending control commands to the image acquisition module via the independent control plane and receiving the response and status information returned by the image acquisition module includes: The host processing unit sends control commands to the image acquisition module through the independent control plane connection; After receiving the control command, the image acquisition module returns a command reception confirmation response to the host processing unit through the independent control plane connection; If the host processing unit does not receive the instruction reception confirmation response within a preset time, the control instruction retransmission mechanism is triggered.

[0014] Optionally, the step of the host processing unit verifying each received frame of image data and maintaining a reception status mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result includes: The host processing unit continuously receives multiple data packets that make up the current frame image data from the high-speed data plane, and parses the frame header of each data packet to obtain the frame number, line number and packet number addressing identification information contained therein; The host processing unit performs cyclic redundancy check on each received data packet to verify whether a bit error has occurred in the data payload of the data packet during transmission, until the current frame image data has been sent. During the verification process, the host processing unit synchronously maintains a reception status mapping table corresponding to the current frame image data. The reception status mapping table is a one-bit graph, where each bit is associated with the data packet. If the data packet passes the data integrity check, the corresponding bit in the bitmap is marked as successfully received. If the request fails, the data packet is discarded and the corresponding bit in the bitmap is marked as pending re-acceptance.

[0015] Optionally, after the step of the host processing unit issuing control commands to the image acquisition module via the independent control plane connection, the method further includes: When the image acquisition device is already in the image acquisition and data transmission working state, if it receives an acquisition command from the host processing unit again through the independent control plane connection, the data processing and caching module of the image acquisition device directly ignores the acquisition command and maintains the current image acquisition and data transmission process. The data processing and caching module synchronously sends a busy status prompt message to the host processing unit through the independent control plane connection.

[0016] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, this application has the following beneficial effects: The physical dual-channel architecture built through the USB hub module fundamentally isolates the interference between data flow and control flow. This not only ensures the absolute priority and real-time response of control commands but also provides the physical basis for implementing a seamless, packet identifier-based, precise retransmission mechanism on the data channel. Utilizing an independent control channel as a neural network, a two-way closed loop is constructed, consisting of proactive device-side status reporting and host-side backpressure feedback adjustment. The image acquisition device periodically reports its internal status, enabling the host to globally perceive the system's operating status. The host, based on its own processing capabilities, issues flow control commands through the same channel, allowing the data sender to proactively adapt to the receiver's processing capabilities. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1This application provides an embodiment of an image transmission method that separates data and control based on a physically separated channel; Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of the host processing unit provided in this application identifying the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module through a USB hub module, and establishing high-speed data plane connections and independent control plane connections respectively; Figure 3 The following is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a host processing unit provided in this application, which verifies each received frame of image data and maintains a reception status mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result. Figure 4 An embodiment provided in this application is that the encapsulated image data is streamed to the host processing unit via a high-speed data plane connection; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of adjusting traffic control based on a preset strategy according to the monitored resource status, as provided in this application. Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment provided in this application shows a host processing unit that sends control commands to an image acquisition module via an independent control plane connection and receives the response and status information returned by the image acquisition module. Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an embodiment provided in this application shows a host processing unit that verifies each received frame of image data and maintains a receiving status mapping table associated with the corresponding frame of image data to record the receiving result. Figure 8 A schematic diagram of an embodiment provided in this application after the step of the host processing unit issuing control commands to the image acquisition module via an independent control plane connection; Figure 9 This application provides a schematic diagram of an image transmission system that separates data and control based on a physical separation channel. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Please see Figure 9 This application first provides a schematic diagram of an image transmission system that separates data and control based on a physically separated channel. The structure includes: The host processing unit and image acquisition equipment; The image acquisition device includes: an image acquisition module, a data processing and caching module, a USB hub module, a high-speed data channel module, and a control channel module; The data processing and caching module is connected to the image acquisition module; The USB hub module is connected to the host processing unit; The high-speed data channel module is connected to the data processing and caching module and the USB hub module, respectively. The control channel module is connected to the data processing and caching module and the USB hub module, respectively. The image acquisition module is used to acquire raw image data; the data processing and caching module is used to receive, encapsulate, and process the raw image data, and manage the image data cache; the high-speed data channel module is used to establish a high-speed data plane connection between the image acquisition module and the host processing unit; and the control channel module is used to establish an independent control plane connection between the image acquisition module and the host processing unit.

[0020] Once the image acquisition device is connected to the host processing unit via a USB cable, the host processing unit begins the enumeration process. Because the device integrates a USB hub module, the host recognizes the USB hub module as a USB Hub and further enumerates two independent functional devices connected downstream of it. One is the high-speed image acquisition device represented by the high-speed data channel module, and the other is the control device represented by the control channel module.

[0021] The host processing unit loads the corresponding drivers and establishes a high-speed data plane connection and an independent control plane connection, which are physically isolated from each other. The upper-layer application of the host processing unit sends control commands to the image acquisition device through the independent control plane connection. These control commands are transmitted from the control channel module to the data processing and caching module, which parses the commands and controls the image acquisition module to perform corresponding operations. The image acquisition module begins capturing optical images and converting them into raw image data, then sends the acquired raw image data to the data processing and caching module. The data processing and caching module encapsulates the raw data into a specific data frame format according to a predefined application layer protocol.

[0022] The predefined application layer protocol is a high-speed streaming protocol specifically designed for the transmission and control of high-speed image data, residing in the application layer of the TCP / IP protocol stack. The header contains the following fields: synchronization flag, protocol version, frame type, frame sequence number, timestamp, payload length, and checksum. The synchronization flag allows the receiver to quickly locate frame boundaries in the data stream, and the combination of the frame sequence number and timestamp provides precise granular support for subsequent out-of-order reordering, packet loss localization, and flow control.

[0023] Each complete image data frame consists of three parts: a protocol header, a payload header, and an image data segment. The payload header describes the attribute information of the image data carried in the current data segment, including image identifier, intra-frame offset, total image size, image width, and image height. Following the payload header, the image data segment stores the original image data block after cropping or fragmentation; its actual length is equal to the value of the payload length field in the protocol header minus the bytes occupied by the payload header.

[0024] The encapsulated image data is temporarily stored in the internal cache pool of the data processing and caching module. Subsequently, the data processing and caching module continuously sends the data to the host processing unit via a streaming transmission method through the established high-speed data plane connection, using the high-speed data channel module. At the receiving end, the host processing unit verifies the data packets received through the high-speed data plane connection and maintains a reception status mapping table, recording the success or failure status of each data packet in real time.

[0025] In this embodiment, a USB hub module is used to physically separate the high-speed data plane connection and the control plane connection, enabling the separate transmission of control commands and image data. This solves the control command delay problem caused by bandwidth contention in traditional single-channel architectures. The independent control channel transmits retransmission requests generated based on the receive status mapping table, achieving precise retransmission only for lost or erroneous data packets. This forms an efficient closed-loop fault-tolerance mechanism, ensuring data integrity while reducing bandwidth overhead from retransmissions. The independent control channel also handles bidirectional transmission of device status reporting and host flow control commands, allowing the data transmission rate to dynamically adapt to the host's processing capabilities, preventing data loss, and significantly enhancing the stability and reliability of data transmission under high load.

[0026] In an optional embodiment, the uplink port of the USB hub module serves as a unified USB interface for the image acquisition device and is connected to the host processing unit.

[0027] Optionally, the downstream port of the USB hub module may be extended to include at least a first independent port and a second independent port; The high-speed data channel module is connected to the first physical channel of the first independent port and the data processing and caching module, respectively. The control channel module is connected to the second physical channel of the second independent port and the data processing unit, respectively; The first physical channel and the second physical channel are isolated from each other at the physical transport layer.

[0028] The uplink port of the USB hub module serves as the unified USB interface for the image acquisition device, connecting to the host processing unit via a standard USB cable. The downlink port of the USB hub module extends to at least a first independent port and a second independent port. The high-speed data channel module connects to the first physical channel corresponding to the first independent port and the data processing and buffering module, respectively. The control channel module connects to the second physical channel corresponding to the second independent port and the data processing and buffering module, respectively. The first and second physical channels are isolated from each other at the physical transport layer through independent signal paths within the USB hub module, ensuring that data and control flows do not interfere with each other on the physical medium. When the image acquisition device is connected to the host and powered on, the operating system of the host processing unit first enumerates the uplink port of the USB hub module and identifies a USB Hub device. During operation, the upper-layer application of the host processing unit sends control commands to the image acquisition device through an independent control plane connection. This command data stream is transmitted to the data processing and buffering module via the control channel module. The data processing and buffering module parses the commands and controls the image acquisition module to perform corresponding operations. The raw image data acquired by the image acquisition module is sent to the data processing and caching module. Since control commands and image data are transmitted through two physically isolated channels, even if the image data stream continuously fills the bandwidth of the first physical channel, control commands can still be transmitted without delay through the second physical channel. When errors occur in data transmission on the high-speed data plane connection, the host processing unit can promptly send retransmission requests to the device through an independent control plane connection completely unaffected by data flow congestion, thus achieving error control.

[0029] In this embodiment, by explicitly extending the downlink port of the USB hub module into a first independent port and a second independent port, and connecting them to the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module respectively, the first physical channel and the second physical channel achieve hard isolation at the physical transmission layer. This ensures that the high-throughput image data stream and the low-latency control command stream do not interfere with each other at the physical medium level, avoiding the bandwidth contention problem in traditional single-channel architectures. Based on the physical isolation, control commands achieve deterministic transmission with extremely low latency through the second physical channel, improving the real-time performance and response speed of data transmission. At the same time, image data can be transmitted non-blockingly at full speed through the first physical channel, maximizing the utilization of bandwidth resources.

[0030] Please see Figure 1 The second aspect of this application provides an image transmission method based on a physically separated channel to achieve separation of data and control, applicable to any system of the first aspect of this application, the method comprising: S101, The host processing unit identifies the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module through the USB hub module, and establishes high-speed data plane connection and independent control plane connection respectively. When the image acquisition device is connected to the host and powered on, the operating system in the host processing unit first enumerates the USB hub module, recognizing it as a USB hub device. Subsequently, the host processing unit continues to enumerate the devices connected to the downstream ports of the USB hub module, identifying a first functional device represented by the high-speed data channel module and a second functional device represented by the control channel module. The host processing unit loads the corresponding drivers for these two logically independent devices, thereby establishing a high-speed data plane connection for communication with the first functional device and an independent control plane connection for communication with the second functional device. These two connections are isolated from each other both physically and logically.

[0031] S102. The host processing unit sends control commands to the image acquisition module through an independent control plane connection and receives the response and status information returned by the image acquisition module. The host processing unit sends control commands to the image acquisition device via an independent control plane connection and receives the device's response and status information. The host processing unit's application program sends formatted control commands through the established independent control plane connection, which are then transmitted to the data processing and caching module via the control channel module. After successfully receiving and verifying the command, the data processing and caching module first returns an acknowledgment response to the host via the same independent control plane connection to ensure the command's accuracy. Subsequently, the data processing and caching module parses and executes the command, controlling the image acquisition module to perform corresponding operations. During command execution, the data processing and caching module proactively reports the current command execution status and device status parameters to the host via the independent control plane connection.

[0032] S103. When the control command is a data acquisition command, the image acquisition module acquires image data and encapsulates the image data through the data processing and caching module. When the control command is an image acquisition command, the image acquisition module acquires image data and encapsulates it through the data processing and caching module. Upon receiving the acquisition trigger signal, the image acquisition module begins exposure and converts the light signal into a raw image data stream, which is then sent to the data processing and caching module in real time. The data processing and caching module divides a frame of image data into multiple data packets and adds frame header information and frame tail checksums to each data packet. The frame header information includes at least addressing identifiers such as the frame number, line number, and packet number to uniquely identify the data packet. The encapsulated data packets are temporarily stored in an internal cache pool managed by the data processing and caching module.

[0033] S104. The encapsulated image data is streamed to the host processing unit via a high-speed data plane connection. The data processing and caching module reads pre-encapsulated data packets sequentially from its internal cache pool and submits them to the high-speed data channel module via an interface. The high-speed data channel module, following the corresponding USB protocol, continuously transmits the data packets to the host processing unit in a high-bandwidth, streaming manner through the established high-speed data plane connection. The application program in the host processing unit continuously receives data packets from this data plane connection.

[0034] S105. The host processing unit verifies each frame of image data received each time and maintains a reception status mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result.

[0035] For each data packet received from the high-speed data plane connection, the application in the host processing unit immediately performs verification. Verification methods include: logical validity verification based on the address identifier in the frame header, and data integrity verification based on the checksum in the frame trailer. Simultaneously, the host maintains a receive state mapping table in memory corresponding to the currently received image frames. Each bit in this receive state mapping table is associated with a data packet uniquely identified by a specific frame number, line number, and packet number. Whenever a data packet passes verification and is successfully received, the host marks the corresponding bit in the receive state mapping table as successfully received; if the data packet verification fails or is lost, the corresponding bit remains in a pending or failed state. This receive state mapping table provides a precise basis for any subsequent selective retransmissions that may be triggered.

[0036] In this embodiment, a physically isolated dual-channel architecture is used. First, independent high-speed data plane connections and independent control plane connections are established, completely separating the high-throughput image data stream from the critical control command stream at the communication foundation level. This solves the control command delay problem caused by bandwidth contention in traditional single-channel solutions. Then, reliable command interaction and state synchronization are performed using the independent control plane, and image data streaming is performed using the high-speed data plane. This allows the issuance of control commands, state monitoring, and large-volume data transmission to be executed efficiently and in parallel. A data packet encapsulation method containing precise addressing identifiers is combined with a mechanism that dynamically maintains a receive state mapping table based on the verification result of each data packet. When a transmission error occurs, this receive state mapping table allows the host to accurately locate lost or corrupted data packets, ensuring data integrity through efficient selective retransmission via the control plane and avoiding the huge bandwidth overhead and latency caused by retransmitting entire frames.

[0037] Please see Figure 2In an optional embodiment, this application provides an embodiment in which a host processing unit identifies a high-speed data channel module and a control channel module through a USB hub module, and establishes a high-speed data plane connection and an independent control plane connection respectively. This embodiment includes: S201. The host processing unit enumerates the USB hub modules and identifies the USB hub modules as USB hub devices. S202. After enumeration, the host processing unit identifies the first functional device presented by the high-speed data channel module and the second functional device presented by the control channel module connected to the downstream port of the USB hub module. S203, The application program of the host processing unit broadcasts a channel query command to the image acquisition device through the USB hub module; S204. The high-speed data channel module and control channel module of the image acquisition device respond to the channel query command respectively and return their respective device identification information; S205. If the host processing unit successfully receives response information from the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module within a preset time, it determines that the dual-channel establishment is successful and loads the corresponding driver to enable the high-speed data plane connection and the independent control plane connection.

[0038] When the image acquisition device is connected to the host, the host operating system first enumerates the USB hub module as a hub device via the standard USB bus, and then identifies the first functional device (presented by the high-speed data channel module) and the second functional device (presented by the control channel module) connected to the downlink port. The upper-layer application performs an active verification, broadcasting a channel query command to the device through the identified hub. Upon receiving the command, the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module on the device side return response information containing their device identifiers through their respective independent physical paths. The host application only determines that the dual-channel establishment is successful and ultimately enables the high-speed data plane connection and the independent control plane connection if it successfully receives correct responses from both channels simultaneously within a preset time. If either channel's response times out or fails, error handling will be triggered.

[0039] In this embodiment, the standard USB enumeration process of the host operating system automatically identifies two independent functional devices separated from the USB hub module hardware. This establishes a dual-channel physical isolation architecture at the driver level, avoiding the inherent problem of bandwidth contention between data flow and control flow in traditional single-channel solutions. The upper-layer application actively broadcasts query commands and performs a two-way handshake verification. It must receive correct responses from both channels simultaneously within a preset time to determine that the connection is successfully established. This method not only effectively detects and eliminates "half-connected" states caused by hardware failures but also uses a timeout mechanism to determine the connection result, preventing the application from becoming unresponsive due to waiting for an unresponsive channel.

[0040] Please see Figure 3 In an optional embodiment, this application provides an embodiment following the step of a host processing unit verifying each received frame of image data and maintaining a reception state mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result. This embodiment includes: S301. When the image data transmission of the current frame is completed, the host processing unit traverses the receive status mapping table and collects the pre-allocated addressing identifiers of data packets that indicate the absence of image data in the current frame from the receive status mapping table. The pre-allocated addressing identifiers of all missing data packets in the current frame are merged into specific addressing identifier information and a retransmission request instruction including the specific addressing identifier information is generated. S302, Send the retransmission request command to the image acquisition module via an independent control plane connection; S303. The image acquisition module retrieves the corresponding specific data packet from the cache managed by the data processing and caching module based on the specific addressing identifier information in the retransmission request instruction. S304. All specific data packets are retransmitted to the host processing unit in one go via a high-speed data plane connection.

[0041] When the host processing unit determines, based on the received data packet header information, that all data packets for the current frame of image data have been transmitted, it immediately traverses and analyzes the receive status mapping table maintained for the current frame. This analysis aims to identify all data packets marked as failed to receive or not successfully received. The application program in the host processing unit collects and aggregates the unique addressing identifiers (addressing identifiers) of all missing data packets, generating a compact retransmission request instruction. This instruction is then sent to the data processing and buffering module via a completely independent control plane connection, separate from the high-speed data plane connection. Due to the physical isolation of the control channel and its small data size, the retransmission request can be delivered quickly without being affected by potential congestion on the data channel. Upon receiving the instruction, the control channel module at the image acquisition device transmits it to the data processing and buffering module. The data processing and buffering module parses the instruction and extracts the addressing identifiers of all data packets requiring retransmission. Subsequently, based on the identifiers, the data processing and buffering module accurately calculates and locates the memory address of the corresponding specific data packet from its internal buffer pool and retrieves these specific data packets. Finally, the data processing and caching module retransmits the retrieved specific data packets to the host processing unit via the high-speed data channel module and the high-speed data plane connection. After successfully receiving these retransmitted packets, the host processing unit updates the corresponding bit flags in the receive status mapping table.

[0042] In this embodiment, after performing the conventional data reception and verification steps, a retransmission process consisting of reception status mapping table analysis, retransmission instruction generation and sending, specific data packet retrieval and retransmission is added. After each frame of image data transmission is completed, data packets lost or erroneous during transmission can be automatically identified. Using a control channel independent of the data channel, retransmission instructions are issued only for these specific data packets. This achieves the goal of minimizing bandwidth overhead and time delay caused by retransmission operations while ensuring data integrity and reliable delivery, and avoids the resource waste caused by whole-frame retransmission in traditional methods.

[0043] Please see Figure 4 In an optional embodiment, this application provides an embodiment following the streaming of encapsulated image data to a host processing unit via a high-speed data plane connection, the embodiment including: S401, the image acquisition module is connected through an independent control plane and periodically reports internal operating status parameters to the host processing unit; S402. The host processing unit monitors its own resource status and receives operating status parameters from the image acquisition module. S403. Based on the monitored resource status, adjust traffic control according to preset policies; S404: Flow control commands are issued through an independent control plane connection to dynamically adjust the data throughput rate of the high-speed data plane connection.

[0044] While image data is continuously streaming through a high-speed data plane connection, the data processing and caching modules of the image acquisition device periodically report their internal operating status parameters to the host processing unit via an independent control plane connection. These status parameters may include, but are not limited to, the operating status of the image acquisition module, the remaining space in the internal cache pool of the data processing and caching module, the device operating temperature, and the current image frame rate. These status reports are then encapsulated and sent to the host processing unit via the control channel. The host processing unit also continuously monitors its own resource status, including but not limited to: CPU load rate, memory usage, and, most critically, the occupancy rate of the application receive buffer used to temporarily store received image data. Upon receiving the status reports from the image acquisition device, the host processing unit integrates and analyzes them with its own monitored resource status to construct a global status view. Based on this global status view, the host processing unit makes decisions based on a preset flow control strategy. Two thresholds are set based on the receive buffer occupancy rate: high and low. For example, an occupancy rate exceeding 80% of the total capacity is set as a high threshold, and below 30% as a low threshold. When the host detects that the receive buffer occupancy rate exceeds a high threshold, it indicates that its data processing speed may not be able to keep up with the data receiving speed, posing a risk of data overflow. This addresses the information asymmetry problem in the traditional one-way transmission mode, enabling the device to perceive the host's processing load, and the host to monitor the device's operational status.

[0045] In this embodiment, by introducing a bidirectional status monitoring and closed-loop feedback mechanism based on an independent control plane connection during image data streaming, the image acquisition device can periodically report its internal operating status to the host processing unit, while the host processing unit can also monitor its own resource load in real time, such as buffer capacity, operating temperature, and acquisition progress. This allows the host to grasp the device's workload and health status in real time. The host integrates and analyzes the received device status with its own monitored resource status, forming a global status view covering both the data sender and receiver. This enables prediction and coordination based on real-time and comprehensive information. For example, it can anticipate the risk of device buffer overflow or insufficient host processing capacity, providing a basis for subsequent precise flow control, dynamic adjustment of transmission rate, and optimization of resource scheduling. The host processing unit makes intelligent decisions based on preset flow control strategies and issues flow adjustment commands in a timely manner through an independent control channel, dynamically controlling the transmission behavior of the data sender. This ensures that the data stream generation rate adapts to the host processing unit's processing capacity in real time, transforming passive post-event packet loss recovery into proactive, pre-event congestion avoidance.

[0046] Please see Figure 5 In an optional embodiment, this application provides an embodiment for adjusting traffic control based on monitored resource status and a preset policy, the embodiment including: S501, The host processing unit monitors the occupancy rate of its internal image data receiving buffer and determines whether it exceeds the first preset threshold. S502. If yes, then send a pause transmission command to the image acquisition module via the independent control plane connection; if no, then continue receiving image data. S503. After receiving the pause transmission command, the image acquisition module pauses the transmission of subsequent image data through the high-speed data plane connection after completing the transmission of the current frame image data. S504. When the occupancy rate of the image data receiving buffer monitored by the host processing unit begins to fall below the second preset threshold, a resumption transmission command is sent to the image acquisition module through the independent control plane connection; otherwise, the reception of a new frame of image data is suspended.

[0047] While receiving image data streams, the host processing unit continuously monitors the occupancy rate of the image data receiving buffer and compares it in real time with preset first and second thresholds. The host processing unit determines in real time whether the occupancy rate exceeds the first preset threshold. If it does not exceed the first preset threshold, the system maintains its current state, and the host continues to receive image data normally. If the occupancy rate exceeds the first preset threshold, it indicates that the host processing capacity is about to be saturated, posing a risk of data overflow. The host processing unit will immediately send a pause transmission command to the image acquisition device via an independent control plane connection. Upon receiving this command, the device does not immediately cut off the data stream but executes "complete frame protection logic," continuing to complete the transmission of the currently transmitted complete frame of image data. After ensuring the integrity of a single frame, it pauses the transmission of subsequent new frames. In the paused state, the host processing unit continues to monitor the occupancy rate and determines whether it has begun to fall below the second preset threshold. If it has not begun to fall below the second preset threshold, the host continues to pause receiving new frame image data, waiting for the buffer to be further released. If the occupancy rate drops below the second preset threshold due to data consumption, the host determines that its processing capacity has been restored and the buffer space is sufficient. The host processing unit then sends a recovery transmission command again through the independent control plane connection, and the device restarts image acquisition and data transmission accordingly.

[0048] In this embodiment, the host can proactively send pause or resume commands via an independent control channel before data overflow occurs, based on the real-time occupancy rate of its own receive buffer, thus preventing data loss. The "integrity frame protection" logic executed by the device in response to the pause command ensures that the flow control process does not interrupt the integrity of any single frame image.

[0049] Please see Figure 6 In an optional embodiment, this application provides an example in which a host processing unit sends control commands to an image acquisition module via an independent control plane connection and receives responses and status information returned by the image acquisition module, including: S601, The host processing unit sends control commands to the image acquisition module through an independent control plane connection; S602. After receiving the control command, the image acquisition module returns a command reception confirmation response to the host processing unit through an independent control plane connection. S603. If the host processing unit does not receive an instruction reception confirmation response within a preset time, the control instruction retransmission mechanism is triggered.

[0050] When the host processing unit needs to send control commands, it first sends the encapsulated control commands to the image acquisition device via a physically isolated independent control plane connection. Upon receiving the command, the device immediately sends a command reception acknowledgment response back to the host via the same independent control plane connection before executing the operation indicated by the command, confirming that the command has been successfully delivered and correctly parsed. After sending the command, the host starts a timeout timer. If an acknowledgment response is successfully received within a preset time, the command transmission is considered successful, and the process proceeds to subsequent state synchronization. If no response is received within the preset time or an error response is received, the host considers the transmission a failure and automatically triggers a retransmission mechanism for the control command until an acknowledgment is received or the maximum number of retries is reached.

[0051] In this embodiment, a command reception confirmation response provides the host with explicit feedback on whether each control command has successfully reached the device, transforming the control flow from a traditional, unpredictable mode to a reliable mode where status is monitorable and results are verifiable. The built-in timeout and retransmission mechanisms enable the host to automatically detect and recover from command loss caused by transient interference, bus congestion, etc., enhancing fault tolerance. This solves the problems of device unresponsiveness and asynchrony between host and device states caused by command loss.

[0052] Please see Figure 7 In an optional embodiment, this application provides an embodiment in which a host processing unit verifies each received frame of image data and maintains a reception status mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result. This embodiment includes: S701, The host processing unit continuously receives multiple data packets that make up the current frame image data from the high-speed data plane, and parses the frame header of each data packet to obtain the frame number, line number and packet number addressing identification information contained therein; S702, The host processing unit performs cyclic redundancy check on each received data packet to verify whether a bit error has occurred in the data payload of the data packet during transmission, until the current frame image data has been sent. S703. During the verification process, the host processing unit synchronously maintains a reception status mapping table corresponding to the current frame image data. The reception status mapping table is a one-bit map, where each bit is associated with a data packet. S704. If the data packet passes the data integrity check, mark the corresponding bit in the bitmap as successfully received. S705. If the request fails, discard the data packet and mark the corresponding bit in the bitmap as pending re-acceptance.

[0053] The host processing unit continuously receives all data packets constituting the current frame image from the high-speed data plane. For each arriving data packet, it parses the frame header to extract the frame number, line number, and packet number triplet addressing information (addressing identifier) ​​used for precise location. The host processing unit performs cyclic redundancy check (CRC) on the data payload of each data packet to verify whether any bit errors occurred during transmission. The host processing unit dynamically creates and maintains a receive state mapping table in memory that strictly corresponds to the frame image. The receive state mapping table uses a bitmap data structure, and each bit in the receive state mapping table uniquely corresponds to a specific data packet in this frame image determined by the aforementioned addressing information. During the verification process, if a data packet passes the CRC check, the corresponding bit in the bitmap is marked as "1," indicating a successful reception. If the verification fails, the corrupted data packet is actively discarded, and the corresponding bit in the bitmap is marked as "0," indicating a pending re-reception state, until the frame transmission is complete. Finally, a complete bitmap recording the reception status of each data packet in the current frame is obtained.

[0054] In this embodiment, by performing independent cyclic redundancy check on each data packet, bit-level errors occurring during transmission can be located, avoiding the problem of the entire image being corrupted due to the corruption of one frame, as is common in traditional frame-level check. By using a bitmap as a receive status mapping table, the receive status of each data packet in a frame is recorded, ensuring the efficiency of data querying and updating. Each bit marked "to be retransmitted" in the bitmap directly corresponds to a specific missing or corrupted data packet, determined by the frame number, line number, and packet number. This allows the host processing unit to request the retransmission of all erroneous data packets at once, thereby avoiding bandwidth waste and time delay caused by retransmission.

[0055] Please see Figure 8 In an optional embodiment, this application provides an embodiment following the step of the host processing unit issuing control commands to the image acquisition module via an independent control plane connection, the embodiment including: S801. When the image acquisition device is already in the image acquisition and data transmission working state, if it receives an acquisition command from the host processing unit again through the independent control plane connection, the data processing and caching module of the image acquisition device directly ignores the acquisition command and maintains the current image acquisition and data transmission process. The data processing and caching module synchronously sends a busy status prompt message to the host processing unit through the independent control plane connection.

[0056] During image acquisition and data transmission via a high-speed data plane connection, the image acquisition device's internal state machine continuously monitors and confirms its active working state. When already in an active state, if the control channel module receives another acquisition command from the host processing unit via an independent control plane connection, the image acquisition device triggers a state interlock. Upon triggering, the image acquisition device's data processing and caching modules execute a standardized response loop: they directly ignore the newly received acquisition command, performing no start or reset operations; they maintain all current image acquisition, data processing, and high-speed data transmission processes, ensuring the workflow is not interrupted or disrupted; and simultaneously, through the same independent control plane connection, they proactively return a clear busy status message to the host processing unit.

[0057] In this embodiment, at the physical level, an independent control plane connection ensures that the transmission of control commands and status feedback is not interfered with by high-speed data streams. At the logical processing level, the state machine of the image acquisition device continuously monitors and accurately determines its own working state. When it receives a repeated acquisition command from the host through the independent control plane while in working state, a standardized closed-loop response is triggered. The conflicting command is directly ignored, maintaining the stability of all current acquisition and transmission processes, and simultaneously actively feeding back a clear busy status message to the host through the same independent control channel. This solves the problems of device status confusion, work sequence interruption, and system coordination failure that may be caused by host-side command conflicts in high-speed image transmission systems.

[0058] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0059] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0060] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0061] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. An image transmission system based on physical separation channels to achieve separation of data and control, characterized in that, The system includes: a host processing unit and an image acquisition device; The image acquisition device includes: an image acquisition module, a data processing and caching module, a USB hub module, a high-speed data channel module, and a control channel module; The data processing and caching module is connected to the image acquisition module; The USB hub module is connected to the host processing unit; The high-speed data channel module is connected to the data processing and caching module and the USB hub module, respectively. The control channel module is connected to the data processing and caching module and the USB hub module, respectively. The image acquisition module is used to acquire raw image data; the data processing and caching module is used to receive and encapsulate the raw image data and manage the image data cache; the high-speed data channel module is used to establish a high-speed data plane connection between the image acquisition module and the host processing unit; the control channel module is used to establish an independent control plane connection between the image acquisition module and the host processing unit.

2. The image transmission system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The uplink port of the USB hub module serves as the unified USB interface for the image acquisition device and is connected to the host processing unit; the downlink port of the USB hub module is extended to include at least a first independent port and a second independent port. The high-speed data channel module is connected to the first physical channel of the first independent port and the data processing and caching module, respectively. The control channel module is connected to the second physical channel of the second independent port and the data processing unit, respectively. The first physical channel and the second physical channel are isolated from each other at the physical transport layer.

3. An image transmission method based on physical separation channels to achieve separation of data and control, applied to the system described in any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The method includes: The host processing unit identifies the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module through the USB hub module, and establishes the high-speed data plane connection and the independent control plane connection respectively. The host processing unit sends control commands to the image acquisition module through the independent control plane and receives the response and status information returned by the image acquisition module. When the control command is a data acquisition command, the image acquisition module acquires image data and encapsulates the image data through the data processing and caching module; The encapsulated image data is streamed to the host processing unit via the high-speed data plane connection. The host processing unit verifies each frame of image data received each time and maintains a reception status mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result.

4. The image transmission method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The host processing unit identifies the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module through the USB hub module, and establishes the high-speed data plane connection and the independent control plane connection accordingly, including: The host processing unit identifies the USB hub module as a USB hub device by enumerating the USB hub module. After the enumeration, the host processing unit identifies the first functional device presented by the high-speed data channel module and the second functional device presented by the control channel module connected to the downstream port of the USB hub module. The application program of the host processing unit broadcasts a channel query command to the image acquisition device through the USB hub module. The high-speed data channel module and the control channel module of the image acquisition device respectively respond to the channel query command and return their respective device identification information; If the host processing unit successfully receives response information from the high-speed data channel module and the control channel module within a preset time, it determines that the dual-channel establishment is successful and loads the corresponding driver to enable the high-speed data plane connection and the independent control plane connection.

5. The image transmission method according to claim 3, characterized in that, After the host processing unit verifies each received frame of image data and maintains a reception status mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result, the method further includes: When the image data transmission of the current frame is completed, the host processing unit traverses the receive state mapping table and collects the pre-allocated addressing identifiers of data packets that indicate the absence of image data in the current frame from the receive state mapping table. The pre-allocated addressing identifiers of all the missing data packets in the current frame are merged into specific addressing identifier information and a retransmission request instruction including the specific addressing identifier information is generated. The retransmission request command is sent to the image acquisition module via the independent control plane connection; The image acquisition module retrieves the corresponding specific data packet from the cache managed by the data processing and caching module based on the specific addressing identifier information in the retransmission request instruction. All the specific data packets are retransmitted to the host processing unit at once through the high-speed data plane connection.

6. The image transmission method according to claim 3, characterized in that, After the step of streaming the encapsulated image data to the host processing unit via the high-speed data plane connection, the method further includes: The image acquisition module is connected through the independent control plane and periodically reports its internal operating status parameters to the host processing unit. The host processing unit monitors its own resource status and receives operating status parameters from the image acquisition module. Based on the monitored resource status, traffic control is adjusted according to a preset strategy; The independent control plane connection issues flow control commands to dynamically adjust the data throughput rate of the high-speed data plane connection.

7. The image transmission method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of adjusting traffic control based on the monitored resource status and a preset strategy includes: The host processing unit monitors the occupancy rate of its internal image data receiving buffer and determines whether it exceeds a first preset threshold. If yes, a pause transmission command is sent to the image acquisition module via the independent control plane connection; otherwise, image data reception continues. After receiving the pause transmission command, the image acquisition module pauses the transmission of subsequent image data through the high-speed data plane connection after completing the transmission of the current frame image data; When the host processing unit monitors that the image data receiving buffer occupancy rate begins to fall below the second preset threshold, it sends a resume transmission command to the image acquisition module through the independent control plane connection; otherwise, it continues to suspend the reception of a new frame of image data.

8. The image transmission method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The steps of the host processing unit sending control commands to the image acquisition module through the independent control plane and receiving the response and status information returned by the image acquisition module include: The host processing unit sends control commands to the image acquisition module through the independent control plane connection; After receiving the control command, the image acquisition module returns a command reception confirmation response to the host processing unit through the independent control plane connection; If the host processing unit does not receive the instruction reception confirmation response within a preset time, the control instruction retransmission mechanism is triggered.

9. The image transmission method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The steps of the host processing unit verifying each received frame of image data and maintaining a reception status mapping table associated with the image data of the corresponding frame to record the reception result include: The host processing unit continuously receives multiple data packets that make up the current frame image data from the high-speed data plane, and parses the frame header of each data packet to obtain the frame number, line number and packet number addressing identification information contained therein; The host processing unit performs cyclic redundancy check on each received data packet to verify whether a bit error has occurred in the data payload of the data packet during transmission, until the current frame image data has been sent. During the verification process, the host processing unit synchronously maintains a reception status mapping table corresponding to the current frame image data. The reception status mapping table is a one-bit graph, where each bit is associated with the data packet. If the data packet passes the data integrity check, the corresponding bit in the bitmap is marked as successfully received. If the request fails, the data packet is discarded and the corresponding bit in the bitmap is marked as pending re-acceptance.

10. The image transmission method according to claim 3, characterized in that, After the step of the host processing unit sending control commands to the image acquisition module via the independent control plane connection, the method further includes: When the image acquisition device is already in the image acquisition and data transmission working state, if it receives an acquisition command from the host processing unit again through the independent control plane connection, the data processing and caching module of the image acquisition device directly ignores the acquisition command and maintains the current image acquisition and data transmission process. The data processing and caching module synchronously sends a busy status prompt message to the host processing unit through the independent control plane connection.

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