Camera Controller Load Reduction via Raw Data Offloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of pixels and frame rate in cameras leads to a significant load on the camera controller, necessitating a solution to reduce this load, achieve downsizing, and minimize power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The imaging system offloads processing tasks such as RGB conversion, color distortion correction, and gamma correction from the camera controller to a network server, using a network interface to transmit raw data from the imaging apparatus to the server for development processing, thereby reducing the computational burden on the camera's controller.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of pixels and frame rate are increased in the camera, then the image quality and output speed are improved, but the load on the controller increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the image processing functions (RGB conversion, color distortion correction, gamma correction) from the camera controller and relocates them to an external development unit. This extraction reduces the controller's computational load while maintaining the ability to handle high pixel counts and frame rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an optical cable as an intermediary communication channel between the camera and the development unit. This intermediary enables efficient data transmission of raw image data from the imaging element to the external processing unit, allowing the controller to focus on data acquisition rather than processing.
2Measurement precision
If the number of pixels is increased in the camera, then the image resolution is improved, but the load on the controller increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the computationally intensive image processing tasks from the camera controller and transfers them to an external development unit. This allows the controller to handle high-resolution data acquisition without being overwhelmed by processing demands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transmits raw data from the imaging element to the development unit via optical cable, creating a data copy that can be processed externally. This copying mechanism enables the controller to maintain high-resolution imaging capabilities while delegating processing to a separate system.
3Device complexity
If processing functions are performed by a development unit connected via optical cable, then the controller load is reduced, but the device size and power consumption may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the development unit to perform self-service processing of image data that would otherwise require the camera's controller to handle. By making the processing function independent and external, the camera system can operate with a simpler, lower-power controller while maintaining full processing capability through the external unit.
Data Source
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AI summary
This imaging apparatus includes: an imaging element for a color; a lens that forms an image of image light on an imaging surface of the imaging element; an A/D converter that converts an analog signal for each color, which is output by the imaging element, into a digital signal to generate raw data; a transmission processor that generates an IP packet storing the raw data generated by the A/D converter; and a network interface that transmits the generated IP packet to a server capable of performing development processing of the raw data, through a network.