Image Transmission Lock-Signal Masking for Noise Immunity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image transmission systems face issues with noise immunity in lock signals, leading to unnecessary cessation of data transfer due to noise interference in lock signals, which are not differential and have low noise immunity.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a lock-signal masking unit in the image transmitting apparatus that masks lock signals until they remain in a certain state for a preset time or undergo a specific pattern, preventing erroneous signal changes and ensuring stable data transfer.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the lock signal is directly input to the transmission circuit without masking, then the response speed is fast, but the noise immunity is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise immunityVSAvoidsignal response time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The lock-signal masking unit performs preliminary filtering of the lock signal before it reaches the transmission circuit. By anticipating and preventing noise-induced false transitions through masking logic, the system prepares the signal in advance, avoiding the need for retraining sequences while maintaining noise immunity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The lock-signal masking unit acts as an intermediary between the reception circuit and transmission circuit. It mediates the lock signal by filtering out noise-induced false transitions while preserving legitimate state changes, thus protecting the transmission circuit without significantly delaying valid signal transitions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the lock signal is masked with a preset time threshold, then the noise immunity is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise immunityVSAvoidsignal processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The lock-signal masking unit changes the temporal parameter of the lock signal by introducing a preset time threshold. This parameter change filters out short-duration noise transitions while preserving legitimate lock state changes, improving noise immunity through a simple temporal filtering mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If the lock signal threshold is set to be highly sensitive, then the communication establishment detection is accurate, but the susceptibility to noise increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication establishment detection accuracyVSAvoidnoise susceptibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The masking unit performs preliminary filtering before the signal reaches the transmission circuit, preventing noise-induced false detections while maintaining accurate detection of legitimate communication establishment events through the preset time threshold mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4700591A1Image transmitting apparatus, image transmission/reception system, program, and method
Publication Date: 2026.02.25 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP
  • EP4700591A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4700591A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4700591A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An image transmitting apparatus includes: a transmission circuit that, in response to an input lock signal switching from a first logic state to a second logic state, transmits, to an image receiving apparatus, transmission data, the transmission data being data in which a clock signal is superimposed on image data, the first logic state indicating that communication has not been established, the second logic state indicating that communication has been established; and a lock-signal masking unit that receives the lock signal from the image receiving apparatus, and that, even when the received lock signal enters the second logic state and then varies to the first logic state, only in the case where the first logic state continues for a preset time or longer, outputs a lock signal of the first logic state to the transmission circuit.