CSI-2 Lane-Level Error Detection for On-Board Cameras

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing CSI-2 standard is specialized for mobile devices and lacks the reliability required for on-board cameras, making it difficult to ensure continuous communication in the event of errors such as disconnections or bit errors, which can be fatal in autonomous driving applications.

Innovation Solution

A communication system that supports an extension mode in the CSI-2 standard, allowing for error recognition and immediate detection of lane errors by transmitting packet headers and footers independently in each lane, with error information communicated via CSI-2 short packets, enabling continuous communication without delay.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the existing CSI-2 standard is used for mobile devices, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates because error detection and continuous communication cannot be ensured in on-board camera applications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidpacket structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the packet transmission by transmitting packet headers and footers independently in each lane separately from the main data payload. This segmentation allows error detection at the lane level without requiring complex retransmission protocols, thereby improving reliability while maintaining manageable system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary error detection mechanism using CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) values transmitted with each packet. This intermediary layer provides error detection capability between the physical transmission medium and the higher-layer protocols, enabling reliable communication without fundamentally redesigning the entire CSI-2 packet structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If error detection mechanisms are added to ensure continuous communication, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional error recognition and recovery protocols

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontinuous communication capabilityVSAvoiderror handling protocol complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary error detection by transmitting CRC values alongside each packet before actual data processing occurs. This preliminary check allows immediate identification of corrupted packets, enabling the receiving device to discard erroneous data and request retransmission only when necessary, thereby ensuring continuous communication without complex real-time error correction protocols.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the error detection function into a separate, dedicated mechanism using CRC values and lane-level headers/footers. By separating error detection from the main data transmission protocol, the system achieves reliable error handling without embedding complex error correction logic throughout the entire communication stack, thus limiting the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Measurement precision

If packet headers and footers are transmitted independently in each lane, then error detection precision is improved, but loss of time occurs due to additional transmission overhead

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveerror detection precisionVSAvoidcommunication delay
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the lane identification function with the packet header and footer transmission by incorporating lane-specific identifiers into these structures. This merging allows the system to achieve lane-level error detection precision without requiring separate overhead signals for lane identification, thereby reducing communication delay while maintaining high error detection precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial error detection by transmitting headers and footers in each lane with full error detection capability, while the main data payload can be transmitted with less redundancy. This partial application of error detection to critical packet structures achieves sufficient error detection precision without applying full error correction overhead to all data, thus minimizing communication delay.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3926911B1Communication device, communication method, and program
Publication Date: 2025.09.03 SONY SEMICON SOLUTIONS CORP
  • EP3926911B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3926911B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3926911B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a communication apparatus and a communication method, and a program which make it possible to achieve higher reliability. When a packet is distributed to a plurality of lanes and transmitted, at least one of a packet header or a packet footer of the packet is transmitted independently in each of the lanes. The packet footer transmitted in each of the lanes is CRC calculated from a payload of the packet distributed to each of the lanes corresponding thereto, and the packet header transmitted in each of the lanes includes word count indicating the number of bytes of a payload of the packet distributed to each of the lanes corresponding thereto. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a communication system used for connecting an on-board camera.