Programmable Reformatter for Image Sensor Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital cameras face challenges in supporting various video output formats from image sensors due to averaging of pixel values, which leads to inconsistent and scrambled data, making it difficult for image pipelines to adapt to different sensor manufacturers' formats.
Innovation Solution
A programmable reformatting method and device that converts image sensor output into a standard raster-scan Bayer format, allowing for the use of a single image pipeline with image sensors from different manufacturers, using programmable parameters such as strides and bit patterns to reorder and write pixel data effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If pixel values are averaged in the sensor device to achieve video frame rate and reduce noise, then video frame rate is improved and noise is reduced, but the output data becomes scrambled and inconsistent across different sensor manufacturers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (the reformatter or pixel reordering circuit) between the image sensor and the image pipeline. This intermediary receives pixel data in various manufacturer-specific scrambled formats and systematically reorders them into a standardized Bayer pattern format, enabling the rest of the image pipeline to process data uniformly regardless of the source sensor's output format.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of pixel data organization from manufacturer-specific scrambled patterns to a standardized Bayer pattern. By programmatically reordering pixels based on their source coordinates and applying appropriate bit shifts and masking operations, the system transforms incompatible data formats into a universal format that maintains the benefits of sensor-level averaging while ensuring consistency across different sensor manufacturers.
2Productivity
If pixel values are averaged in the sensor device to reduce the number of pixels per frame, then the output rate is reduced to achievable levels, but the subsequent image pipeline processing becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary reformatting action at the earliest stage in the image pipeline, immediately after pixels are averaged in the sensor device. By reordering pixels into standard Bayer pattern format before they enter the main image pipeline, the system prepares the data in advance for standard processing operations, avoiding the need for complex format-specific processing later in the pipeline.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single image pipeline is used to support multiple sensor formats, then adaptability is improved, but the complexity of handling different formats increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal interface layer (the reformatter) that can handle multiple sensor formats through a single standardized mechanism. The reformatter uses programmable parameters such as pixel stride, line stride, and bit shift values to adapt to different sensor configurations without requiring separate processing paths for each format, thus achieving multi-format support through a unified universal solution.
Data Source
AI summary
A programmable data reformatter reorders output from an image sensor to yield various formats. The reformatting applies to reduced resolution output from large image sensors as in digital cameras operating in video mode, and converts an irregular video mode output to a standard format, such as Bayer pattern, for image processing.