Image Sensor Authentication Subsystem for Computational Load Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in efficiently authenticating large amounts of image data from imaging systems due to high computational demands, especially when specialized authentication and cryptographic circuitry is lacking in the host system, which can lead to processing overload when handling multiple image streams.
Innovation Solution
A data authentication subsystem is implemented within the imaging system to generate authentication data for a configurable region-of-interest within the image sensor pixel array, reducing the computational load by selectively processing a subset of image data and allowing dynamic reconfiguration based on the host system's capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If authentication operations are performed on large amounts of image data from the imaging system, then image data integrity is ensured, but processing capacity of the host system is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image data by selecting only a subset of pixels (e.g., every nth pixel or pixels from specific regions) for authentication operations, rather than processing all pixels. This segmentation reduces the computational load while maintaining adequate integrity verification through the use of multiple authentication values corresponding to different pixel subsets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing authentication operations on only a portion of the total image data. By selecting a representative subset of pixels for authentication, the system achieves sufficient verification without the excessive computational cost of processing the entire image dataset.
2Productivity
If specialized authentication and cryptographic circuitry is added to the host system, then authentication bandwidth is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the authentication function from the host system and implements it within the imaging system itself. By generating authentication values in the imaging system, the need for specialized authentication circuitry in the host system is eliminated, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining authentication capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces authentication values as an intermediary element that enables verification without requiring complex cryptographic operations in the host system. These authentication values serve as a simplified mediator that provides integrity verification through straightforward comparison operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sets of images from multiple image sensors are processed simultaneously, then comprehensive monitoring is achieved, but processing overload is exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation to handle multiple image streams by processing a subset of pixels from each sensor simultaneously. This approach enables comprehensive monitoring of multiple sources while keeping the processing load manageable through selective pixel authentication across all streams.
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include an imaging system coupled to a host subsystem. The imaging system may include an image sensor that provides image frames to the host subsystem. The image sensor may include a data authentication subsystem that appends corresponding authentication data to each of the image frames. Each set of authentication data may be generated based on a subset of the image frame data (e.g., corresponding to image data generated by pixels defined by a sparse region-of-interest within the pixel array). The host subsystem may securely provide region-of-interest parameters to the image sensor to update the sparse region-of-interest in an adaptive manner to account for factors such as computational load of the host subsystem and authentication coverage for the entire pixel array.