Image Pickup Apparatus Cyclic Pixel String Synthesis for Latency Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increase in image data due to enhanced performance of video camera pickup elements leads to increased latency and costs in data mining processes, degrading the usability of systems that rely on image processing and compression, particularly in user interface applications.
Innovation Solution
An image processing technology that includes an image pickup apparatus with an image data production unit, an image synthesis unit, and an image sending unit to efficiently produce and transmit data, cyclically connecting pixel strings to form a virtual synthetic image, allowing for targeted data extraction and transmission, reducing latency from image pickup to display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high-performance image pickup elements are used to improve image quality, then image resolution and quality are improved, but the amount of image data increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image data is segmented into multiple kinds of images (e.g., luminance image, color difference images at different resolutions) and processed differently. High-resolution data is maintained only where needed (luminance) while lower-resolution data is used for other components, reducing total data量 while preserving perceived image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the image data are assigned different quality levels. The luminance component, which has greater impact on perceived quality, is maintained at high resolution, while color difference components are processed at lower resolutions. This local differentiation reduces overall data量 without significantly compromising image quality.
2Measurement precision
If high-performance image pickup elements are used to improve image quality, then image resolution is improved, but processing latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processing pipeline is segmented into parallel streams for different image components. Luminance data processing and color difference data processing occur simultaneously rather than sequentially, reducing total processing time while maintaining high resolution where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Full high-resolution processing is applied only to the luminance component which has the greatest impact on perceived quality, while partial processing at lower resolution is applied to color difference components. This selective approach reduces processing latency without significantly compromising overall image quality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If complete image data is transmitted to host terminal for processing, then processing flexibility is improved, but transmission data量 and memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Image data is segmented into multiple kinds (luminance, color difference) and transmitted separately with different data rates. The host terminal receives processed segments rather than complete high-resolution data, reducing transmission bandwidth requirements while maintaining processing flexibility for each segment type.
Solution Approach 2:
The image pickup apparatus performs preliminary processing to produce multiple kinds of images with different resolutions and characteristics before transmission. This preliminary segmentation and processing reduces the data量 that needs to be transmitted while preserving the flexibility needed for various processing applications at the host terminal.
Data Source
AI summary
An image pickup apparatus includes: an image data production unit configured to produce data of a plurality of kinds of images from a picked up image and successively output the data; an image synthesis unit configured to cyclically connect the data of the plurality of kinds of images for each pixel string within a range set in advance for each of the kinds of the images and output the connected data as a stream to produce a virtual synthetic image; and an image sending unit configured to accept, from a host terminal, a data transmission request that designates a rectangular region in the virtual synthetic image, extract and connect data from the stream and transmit the connected data as a new stream to the host terminal.