Camera and device for abnormal checking and online upgrading of camera firmware

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of cameras, in particular to a camera and a device for abnormal checking and online upgrading of firmware of the camera, in the utility model, when the camera does not output an image, an image acquisition processing chip does not read a program from a memory by controlling a GPIO (General Purpose Input / Output) port of a serializer to output a low level; reading a second communication interface address of the image acquisition processing chip at the moment, and then controlling a GPIO (General Purpose Input / Output) port of the serializer to output a high level, so that the image acquisition processing chip reads a program from the memory; comparing whether second communication interface addresses of the image acquisition processing chips under different levels are consistent or not to judge whether images not output by the camera are hardware errors or not; according to the utility model, the fault analysis of software and hardware can be preliminarily carried out without carrying out single-chip burn-in on NOR FLASH when the camera does not make a picture, and meanwhile, if a software problem is judged, online upgrading can be directly carried out, so that the production takt of a camera product is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of cameras, in particular to a camera and a device for abnormality inspection and online upgrade of camera firmware. Background Art

[0002] Generally, the online upgrade of the camera adopts coaxial connection. The deserializer on the controller side connects the integrated circuit bus (Inter-Integrated Circuit, abbreviated as I2C) of the serializer through the coaxial connection, and then connects the I2C of the image acquisition processing chip, and controls the serial peripheral interface (Serial Peripheral Interface, abbreviated as SPI) of the image acquisition processing chip to upgrade the firmware to NOR FLASH. However, when the internal firmware of NOR FLASH is abnormal, causing the program of the image acquisition processing chip to run away, the deserializer on the controller side will not be able to connect to the image acquisition processing chip, and the I2C address of the image acquisition processing chip will not be found. The image acquisition processing chip works abnormally and the camera does not produce images. In this case, it is often necessary to call out the abnormal camera separately, and then burn its NOR FLASH into a single chip. Whether the burning is successful and the output after burning is normal, it can be judged whether it is a hardware problem or a software problem; among them, if the burning is successful and the output is normal, it means that it is a software problem; otherwise, it is a hardware problem or a process problem, and the process is more complicated and inefficient.

[0003] In view of this, overcoming the defects of the prior art is an urgent problem to be solved in the field of this technology. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is how to solve the problem that the software and hardware inspection process is relatively complicated and inefficient when the existing camera is abnormal.

[0005] The utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, a camera is provided, comprising: an image acquisition processing chip, a memory, a serializer, and a current limiting unit;

[0007] One end of the current limiting unit is connected to the general-purpose input / output (GPIO) port of the serializer, and the other end of the current limiting unit is connected to the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip and the clock port of the memory respectively;

[0008] The first communication interface of the image acquisition processing chip is connected to the first communication interface of the memory; the second communication interface of the image acquisition processing chip is connected to the second communication interface of the serializer;

[0009] The GPIO port of the serializer is used to output a low level or a high level to the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip and the clock port of the memory respectively; the image acquisition processing chip is used to close the program loading path of the memory according to the low level, and the image acquisition processing chip is also used to open the program loading path of the memory according to the high level;

[0010] The second communication interface address of the image acquisition processing chip at a low level and a high level is read respectively, and whether the camera has a hardware error is determined by comparing whether the second communication interface addresses at different levels are consistent.

[0011] Preferably, when there is no hardware error in the camera and the image acquisition processing chip reads that the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip is at a high level, the image acquisition processing chip will automatically load the program from the memory.

[0012] Preferably, the current limiting unit is a resistor.

[0013] Preferably, the resistance range of the resistor is:

[0014]

[0015] Wherein, R1 is the resistance value of the resistor, and DOVDD is the input voltage inside the serializer.

[0016] Preferably, the serializer includes a first MOS transistor and a second MOS transistor;

[0017] The source of the first MOS tube is connected to the input voltage inside the serializer, the drain of the first MOS tube is connected to the source of the second MOS tube, the drain of the second MOS tube is grounded, and the drain of the first MOS tube and the source of the second MOS tube are both connected to the GPIO port of the serializer;

[0018] The gates of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor are both used to receive a control signal from inside the serializer.

[0019] Preferably, the first communication interface is an SPI interface; and the second communication interface is an I2C interface.

[0020] Preferably, the model of the image acquisition and processing chip includes: ISX031, OX03J10 or OX03F10.

[0021] Preferably, the models of the serializer include: MAX96717, MAX96717F or MAX9295A.

[0022] In a second aspect, a device for abnormality detection and online upgrade of camera firmware is provided, the device comprising: the camera and control unit as described in the first aspect;

[0023] The coaxial signal output end of the control unit is connected to the data end of the serializer. When there is no hardware error in the camera, the control unit is used to burn the program into the memory.

[0024] Preferably, the control unit includes a controller and a deserializer; the controller is connected to the deserializer, and the coaxial signal output end of the deserializer is connected to the data end of the serializer.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the utility model are:

[0026] In the utility model, a current limiting unit is connected in series to the GPIO port of the serializer, and the current limiting unit is respectively connected to the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip and the clock port of the memory. When the camera does not produce an image, the GPIO port of the serializer is controlled to output a low level so that the image acquisition processing chip does not read the program from the memory, and the second communication interface address of the image acquisition processing chip at this time is read, and then the GPIO port of the serializer is controlled to output a high level so that the image acquisition processing chip reads the program from the memory, and the second communication interface address of the image acquisition processing chip under different levels is compared to determine whether the camera does not produce an image due to a hardware error; if there is no hardware problem in the camera, when the GPIO port of the serializer outputs a high level, the image acquisition processing chip and the memory work normally, and at this time, the image acquisition processing chip is connected through an external control unit, and the program is re-burned to the memory through the first communication interface on the image acquisition processing chip to realize the online upgrade function. The utility model can realize that when the camera does not produce an image, there is no need to burn the NOR FLASH into a single chip, and the fault analysis of the software and hardware can be preliminarily performed. At the same time, if it is determined to be a software problem, it can be directly upgraded online, which improves the production rhythm of the camera product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the first structure of a camera provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0029] Figure 2This is a second structural schematic diagram of a camera provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a third structural schematic diagram of a camera provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a fourth structural schematic diagram of a camera provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a device for abnormality detection and online upgrade of camera firmware provided by an embodiment of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the utility model more clear, the utility model is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described here are only used to explain the utility model and are not used to limit the utility model.

[0034] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the term "including" is to be interpreted as open inclusion, that is, "including, but not limited to". In the description of the specification, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "examples", "specific examples" or "some examples" and the like are intended to indicate that specific features, structures, materials or characteristics associated with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. The schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. In addition, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be included in any one or more embodiments or examples in any appropriate manner, that is, although they may be carried in the embodiments or examples of the above terms due to reasons such as the order and position of appearance, it is not limited to that they can be carried in combination by one embodiment or example.

[0035] In the description of the present utility model, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and shall not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more. In addition, for example, the description may also use the method of adding "A" and "B" at the end to describe the same type of nouns as two independent individuals. In this case, the corresponding features defined as "A" and "B" are only used to distinguish the same type of individuals for description purposes, and shall not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features.

[0036] When describing some embodiments, the expressions "coupling", "coupling" and "connection" and their derivatives may be used. For example, when describing some embodiments, the term "connection" may be used to indicate that two or more components are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. For another example, when describing some embodiments, the term "coupling" may be used to indicate that two or more components are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, the terms "connection" or "coupling" may also refer to two or more components that are not in direct contact with each other, but still cooperate or interact with each other, such as "optical path coupling", "wireless connection", etc. The embodiments disclosed here are not necessarily limited to the contents of the present utility model.

[0037] In addition, the technical features involved in each embodiment of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0038] Embodiment 1:

[0039] It is worth noting that before the introduction of this embodiment, all descriptions of the control layer are dependent on the characteristics of the module or chip itself, which are all existing technologies and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0040] This embodiment provides a camera, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes: an image acquisition processing chip, a memory, a serializer and a current limiting unit; one end of the current limiting unit is connected to the GPIO port of the serializer, and the other end of the current limiting unit is respectively connected to the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip and the clock port of the memory; the first communication interface of the image acquisition processing chip is connected to the first communication interface of the memory; the second communication interface of the image acquisition processing chip is connected to the second communication interface of the serializer;

[0041] The GPIO port of the serializer is used to output a low level or a high level to the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip and the clock port of the memory respectively; the image acquisition processing chip is used to close the program loading path of the memory according to the low level, and the image acquisition processing chip is also used to open the program loading path of the memory according to the high level; the second communication interface address of the image acquisition processing chip at the low level and the high level are read respectively, and by comparing whether the second communication interface addresses at different levels are consistent, it is determined whether there is a hardware error in the camera (if the addresses are consistent, there is a hardware error; if the addresses are inconsistent, there is no hardware error).

[0042] The image acquisition and processing chip is a chip based on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS).

[0043] The image acquisition processing chip is the core of the entire camera. The image acquisition processing chip is responsible for acquiring image data and processing it, such as scaling, cropping, and format conversion. The image acquisition processing chip usually contains all the hardware required to process image data, such as a digital signal processor, a memory interface, and an image sensor interface. In one embodiment, the model of the image acquisition processing chip includes: ISX031, OX03J10, or OX03F10. For a more specific introduction to the image acquisition processing chip, refer to the specifications of different models of chips, and no further explanation will be given in this embodiment.

[0044] The memory is used to store the firmware program and image data of the camera. In a traditional camera system, the operation of the camera is usually controlled by the program in the memory. In one embodiment, the memory can be NORFLASH.

[0045] The serializer is used to realize serial communication between the components of the camera. Serial communication transmits information by sending data bit by bit, and is usually used to connect multiple devices. In one embodiment, the model of the serializer includes: MAX96717, MAX96717F or MAX9295A. For a more specific introduction to the serializer, refer to the respective specifications of different models of serializers, and no further explanation is given in this embodiment.

[0046] The current limiting unit is used to limit the current and protect the circuit from overload. One end of the current limiting unit is connected to the GPIO port of the serializer, and the other end is connected to the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip and the clock port of the memory respectively. The GPIO port of the serializer is used to output a low level (e.g., 0V) and a high level (e.g., 3.3V), and the low level is used to pull down the clock pin between the image acquisition processing chip and the memory so that the image acquisition processing chip does not get the program from the memory. The image acquisition processing chip uses the internal program to determine whether there is a hardware error in the camera. If the camera detects a hardware error, it may take some measures, such as outputting an error code, disabling certain functions, or stopping working completely to prevent damage to more complex system components. This hardware detection method is used to ensure the reliability and stability of the camera system.

[0047] The first communication interface of the image acquisition processing chip is connected to the first communication interface of the memory, so that the image acquisition processing chip and the memory can exchange data and instructions. The second communication interface of the image acquisition processing chip is connected to the second communication interface of the serializer, allowing the image acquisition processing chip to communicate with the serializer to send and receive data. In one embodiment, Figure 2As shown, the first communication interface is an SPI interface; the second communication interface is an I2C interface. No further explanation is given about the SPI interface and the I2C interface in this embodiment.

[0048] In one embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the data end (OUT+) of the serializer is used to connect to the control unit; when there is no hardware error in the camera and the image acquisition processing chip reads that the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip is at a high level, the image acquisition processing chip will automatically load the program from the memory.

[0049] The image acquisition processing chip is used to open the first communication interface between the image acquisition processing chip and the memory according to the high level to open the program loading path of the memory; the control unit is used to reset the image acquisition processing chip, the image acquisition processing chip is used to read the state of the high level, and determine whether to load the program from the memory chip according to the state of the high level. After determining that it can be loaded, the image acquisition processing chip is used to load the program from the memory chip, so that the control unit re-burns the program to the memory.

[0050] In this embodiment, the above method is used to first determine whether the failure of the camera to produce an image is due to a hardware problem. If the judgment result is a hardware problem, the hardware of the entire camera needs to be checked to eliminate the problem; if the judgment result is not a hardware problem, then it is a software problem. By controlling the GPIO port of the serializer to send a high level (for example, 3.3V), the image acquisition processing chip and the memory begin to communicate, and the control unit connected to the camera sends corresponding instructions to the image acquisition processing chip through the serializer, and burns the updated program into the memory through the SPI interface of the image acquisition processing chip to complete the online upgrade of the camera program, thereby improving the production rhythm of camera products and the efficiency of fault detection.

[0051] In one embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, the current limiting unit is a resistor R. When the current limiting unit is a resistor R, the resistance range of the resistor R is:

[0052]

[0053] Wherein, R1 is the resistance value of the resistor R, and DOVDD is the input voltage inside the serializer.

[0054] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 4The serializer includes a first MOS tube and a second MOS tube; the source of the first MOS tube is connected to the input voltage inside the serializer, the drain of the first MOS tube is connected to the source of the second MOS tube, the drain of the second MOS tube is grounded, the drain of the first MOS tube and the source of the second MOS tube are both connected to the GPIO port of the serializer; the gates of the first MOS tube and the second MOS tube are both used to receive control signals from inside the serializer.

[0055] The first MOS tube and the second MOS tube form a push-pull, wherein the signal received by the gates of the two MOS tubes is the control signal inside the serializer control unit, when the level received by the gates is low, the output end (i.e., the drain of the first MOS tube and the source of the second MOS tube) outputs a low level; when the level received by the gates is high, the output end (i.e., the drain of the first MOS tube and the source of the second MOS tube) outputs a high level. The control signal inside the serializer is triggered by receiving a trigger signal sent by an external control unit.

[0056] In this embodiment, the GPIO port of the serializer is connected in series with a current limiting unit, and the current limiting unit is respectively connected to the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip and the clock port of the memory. When the camera does not produce an image, the GPIO port of the serializer is controlled to output a low level so that the image acquisition processing chip does not read the program from the memory, and the second communication interface address of the image acquisition processing chip at this time is read, and then the GPIO port of the serializer is controlled to output a high level so that the image acquisition processing chip reads the program from the memory, and the second communication interface address of the image acquisition processing chip under different levels is compared to determine whether the camera does not produce an image due to a hardware error; if the camera does not have a hardware problem, when the GPIO port of the serializer outputs a high level, the image acquisition processing chip and the memory work normally, and at this time, the image acquisition processing chip is connected through an external control unit, and the program is re-burned to the memory through the first communication interface on the image acquisition processing chip to realize the online upgrade function. The utility model can realize that when the camera does not produce an image, there is no need to burn the NOR FLASH into a single chip, and the software and hardware fault analysis can be preliminarily performed. At the same time, if it is determined to be a software problem, it can be directly upgraded online, which improves the production rhythm of the camera product.

[0057] Embodiment 2:

[0058] In the first embodiment, a camera is proposed. In the present embodiment, a device for abnormality detection and online upgrade of camera firmware is proposed. Figure 5As shown, the device includes: a camera and a control unit as described in Example 1; the coaxial signal output end of the control unit is connected to the data end of the serializer, and when there is no hardware error in the camera, the control unit is used to burn the program into the memory.

[0059] Wherein, the control unit includes a controller and a deserializer; the controller is connected to the deserializer, and the coaxial signal output end of the deserializer is connected to the data end of the serializer.

[0060] Reference Figure 5 The working principle of the device for abnormality detection and online upgrade of camera firmware proposed in this embodiment is as follows:

[0061] (1) The GPIO port of the serializer outputs a low level, and the image acquisition processing chip is connected to the I2C interface between the memory according to the low level, and the program loading path of the image acquisition processing chip from the memory is closed by the low level, that is, the controller sends an instruction to set the GPIO port at point A of the serializer low, the SCKM pin at point B of the image acquisition processing chip end is pulled low, and the SCK pin at point C of the NOR FLASH is pulled low. At this time, the NOR FLASH has no clock signal, so that the image acquisition processing chip no longer reads the program from the NOR FLASH end. At this time, the control unit reads the I2C address of the image acquisition processing chip again.

[0062] (2) Then control the GPIO port of the serializer to output a high level, and the image acquisition processing chip opens the SPI interface between the image acquisition processing chip and the memory according to the high level, and simultaneously starts the program loading path of the memory, and the control unit reads the I2C address of the image acquisition processing chip.

[0063] (3) By comparing whether the I2C addresses of the image acquisition and processing chip at two different levels are consistent, it is determined whether the camera has a hardware error (if the I2C addresses are consistent, there is a hardware error; if the I2C addresses are inconsistent, there is no hardware error).

[0064] (4) When there is no hardware error in the camera, the control unit resets the image acquisition processing chip, and the image acquisition processing chip reads the level of the clock port. If the level is high, the image acquisition processing chip automatically loads the program from the storage chip. That is, at this time, the control unit controls the GPIO port at point A of the serializer to send a high level, and configures the clock signal to the NOR FLASH, so that the NOR FLASH restarts working. The control unit at point D can connect the I2C interface of the image acquisition processing chip through a coaxial signal, and re-burn the program to the NOR FLASH through the SPI interface of the image acquisition processing chip, thereby realizing the online upgrade function.

[0065] For the specific structure of the camera, please refer to Example 1, which will not be repeated in this embodiment.

[0066] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A camera, characterized in that: include: Image acquisition processing chip, memory, serializer and current limiting unit; One end of the current limiting unit is connected to the GPIO port of the serializer, and the other end of the current limiting unit is respectively connected to the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip and the clock port of the memory; The first communication interface of the image acquisition processing chip is connected to the first communication interface of the memory; the second communication interface of the image acquisition processing chip is connected to the second communication interface of the serializer; The GPIO port of the serializer is used to output a low level or a high level to the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip and the clock port of the memory respectively; the image acquisition processing chip is used to close the program loading path of the memory according to the low level, and the image acquisition processing chip is also used to open the program loading path of the memory according to the high level; The second communication interface address of the image acquisition processing chip at a low level and a high level is read respectively, and whether the camera has a hardware error is determined by comparing whether the second communication interface addresses at different levels are consistent.

2. The camera according to claim 1, characterized in that: When there is no hardware error in the camera and the image acquisition processing chip reads that the clock port of the image acquisition processing chip is at a high level, the image acquisition processing chip will automatically load the program from the memory.

3. The camera according to claim 1, characterized in that: The current limiting unit is a resistor.

4. The camera according to claim 3, characterized in that: The resistance range of the resistor is: Wherein, R1 is the resistance value of the resistor, and DOVDD is the input voltage inside the serializer.

5. The camera according to claim 1, characterized in that: The serializer includes a first MOS tube and a second MOS tube; The source of the first MOS tube is connected to the input voltage inside the serializer, the drain of the first MOS tube is connected to the source of the second MOS tube, the drain of the second MOS tube is grounded, and the drain of the first MOS tube and the source of the second MOS tube are both connected to the GPIO port of the serializer; The gates of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor are both used to receive a control signal from inside the serializer.

6. The camera according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first communication interface is an SPI interface; the second communication interface is an I2C interface.

7. The camera according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The models of the image acquisition and processing chip include: ISX031, OX03J10 or OX03F10.

8. The camera according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The serializer models include: MAX96717, MAX96717F or MAX9295A.

9. A device for abnormality detection and online upgrade of camera firmware, characterized in that: The device comprises: a camera and a control unit as described in any one of claims 1 to 8; The coaxial signal output end of the control unit is connected to the data end of the serializer. When there is no hardware error in the camera, the control unit is used to burn the program into the memory.

10. The device for detecting abnormality and online upgrading of camera firmware according to claim 9, characterized in that: The control unit includes a controller and a deserializer; the controller is connected to the deserializer, and the coaxial signal output end of the deserializer is connected to the data end of the serializer.

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