Camera Service Unified Graphics Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current graphics systems face challenges in efficiently accessing and compositing graphics content from diverse sources, including non-sensor image sources, which limits their ability to provide unified graphics content to applications and remote display devices.

Innovation Solution

A system that utilizes a camera service to access images generated by non-sensor image sources, such as composition managers, and sensor image sources, allowing for the selection of image sources and providing graphics content in a unified format through a camera-oriented interface, enabling features like screen captures and video streaming to remote displays.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a camera service interface is used to access graphics content from composition manager, then unified access to both sensor and non-sensor image sources is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional abstraction layer

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunified access to image sourcesVSAvoidsystem structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The camera service interface is designed to provide universal access to multiple types of image sources (sensor-based cameras and non-sensor composition manager) through a single unified API. Applications can select different image sources using the same interface methods, eliminating the need for separate access paths and improving system versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The camera service acts as an intermediary layer between applications and diverse image sources. It receives application requests, translates them into appropriate operations for the selected source type, and returns results in a unified format. This mediator approach manages complexity by centralizing the adaptation logic within the camera service itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If graphics content is composited in software, then flexibility in composition is improved, but processing speed deteriorates compared to hardware compositing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomposition flexibilityVSAvoidcompositing speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically selects between software and hardware compositing paths based on the application's needs and system capabilities. The camera service can route requests to appropriate processing paths, allowing the system to adapt between flexibility-oriented software compositing and speed-oriented hardware compositing depending on the situation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple image sources are supported, then system versatility is improved, but difficulty in managing and selecting sources increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage source varietyVSAvoidsource selection
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The camera service implements automatic source selection and management capabilities. When an application requests graphics content, the service can automatically identify available sources, determine the most appropriate source based on current system state, and complete the selection without requiring complex manual configuration from the application developer.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3442217B1Composition manager camera
Publication Date: 2021.07.07 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP3442217B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3442217B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A system and method may be provided to access images through a camera service, where the images are generated by a non-sensor image source, such as a composition manager. The system may include the camera service and the non-sensor image source. The non-sensor image source may generate a processed image from a source other than a sensor. The camera service may provide the processed image generated by the non-sensor image source to an image consuming application.