Image Encoder Padding Distribution for Fixed Frame Rate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional imaging systems struggle to produce JPEG images with fixed sizes at constant frame rates due to insufficient vertical blanking periods, leading to dropped frames and deviations from the required frame rate.
Innovation Solution
An image encoder distributes padding data throughout the transmission of frames, including before restart markers and during vertical blanking periods, ensuring that the transmission of padding data does not extend beyond the allocated time, thereby maintaining a constant frame rate by varying the size of padding data blocks based on the amount of compressed data generated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If padding data is added during vertical blanking period to achieve fixed JPEG image size, then the JPEG image size reaches the required fixed size, but the transmission of padding data extends into subsequent frame causing frame drops and deviation from required frame rate
Solution Approach 1:
The padding data transmission is segmented into multiple parts: padding data inserted before restart markers within the current frame, and remaining padding data transmitted during the vertical blanking period. This segmentation ensures that padding transmission is completed within the current frame's time allocation, preventing extension into the subsequent frame and maintaining frame rate consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
Padding data is inserted before restart markers during the encoding process, before the frame transmission begins. This preliminary insertion of padding data reduces the amount of padding that needs to be transmitted during the vertical blanking period, ensuring that the total padding transmission is completed within the current frame's time budget and does not encroach on the next frame's time slot.
2Manufacturing precision
If padding data is transmitted during vertical blanking period to reach fixed output size, then the required fixed size is achieved, but there is not enough time for transmission of sufficient padding data within the vertical blanking period
Solution Approach 1:
The padding data transmission is divided into two segments: a first portion transmitted before restart markers during the active frame period, and a second portion transmitted during the vertical blanking period. This segmentation distributes the padding transmission burden across both periods, ensuring the fixed size requirement is met without exceeding the vertical blanking period's time capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
A portion of the padding data is inserted before restart markers during the encoding phase, before frame transmission begins. This preliminary action reduces the volume of padding data that must be transmitted during the vertical blanking period, ensuring that the time constraint of the vertical blanking period is not violated while still achieving the required fixed output size.
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging system may include an image sensor and an image encoder that encodes images from the image sensor with fixed output sizes and frame rates. The image encoder may encode images from the image sensor into an image format such as a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format. The image encoder may insert padding data between image blocks in the encoded data to compensate in real time for variations in the encoded size of an image. The amount of padding data inserted by the encoder may be calculated to ensure the encoded image has a file size close to, but not greater than, the required fixed output size. If needed, the encoder may add additional padding data after the image blocks are encoded in a blanking period before a subsequent image is encoded so that the final size of the encoded image is equal to the required output size.