Image Thinning Processor for Reducing Power Consumption
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current imaging devices face inefficiencies in processing and storing image data, leading to increased power consumption and computation load due to the handling of full-size image data, which is not optimized for storage and processing.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device that includes a thinning processor, a clock signal generator, and a read controller, which perform a thinning process on image data based on a set image size, generating thinned image data and a second clock signal with a lower frequency, reducing the data amount and processing load, and storing the thinned data in memory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If full-size image data is processed and stored, then image quality is maintained, but power consumption and computation load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary effective data from the full image data by performing a thinning process that removes redundant blank periods and unnecessary data portions. This extraction approach maintains the essential image quality information while eliminating data that contributes to power consumption without adding value to the final image output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the data volume parameter by applying a thinning process that reduces the amount of image data processed and stored. By transforming the data from full-size to thinned format, the system maintains adequate image quality while significantly reducing the computational burden and power consumption associated with handling complete image datasets.
2Measurement precision
If full-size image data is processed and stored, then image quality is maintained, but computation load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thinning processor extracts only the essential effective data from full-size image data by removing redundant portions and blank periods. This extraction reduces the computation load on subsequent processing units while preserving the critical information needed for maintaining image quality in the final output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the data volume parameter through thinning, converting full-size image data into a reduced format that is more efficient for storage and processing. This parameter change decreases the computational complexity of subsequent image processing operations while maintaining the quality attributes necessary for the final image product.
3Use of energy by moving object
If thinned image data is processed, then power consumption is reduced, but data amount decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The thinning process selectively extracts and removes redundant data portions and blank periods from the image data stream. This extraction reduces the total data amount that needs to be processed and stored, thereby lowering power consumption, while carefully preserving the effective data necessary for maintaining acceptable image quality.
4Productivity
If data transfer is optimized by removing blank periods, then processing efficiency is improved, but data structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thinning processor performs preliminary action by removing blank periods and redundant data portions before the image data enters the main processing pipeline. This preliminary data preparation improves subsequent processing efficiency by reducing the volume of data that needs to be handled, while the thinning processor itself manages the structural reorganization complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A clock signal generator that generates a second clock signal and clock information from a transfer first clock signal and based on a thinning rate, the number of horizontal pre-blank data pieces, the number of effective horizontal pixels, and the number of horizontal post-blank data pieces stored in a register. A thinning processor retrieves image data in accordance with the first clock signal and a horizontal synchronization signal. The thinning processor performs a thinning process on the image data to generate thinned image data and stores the thinned image data in a memory. A read controller sequentially reads the thinned image data from the memory in accordance with the second clock signal having a frequency lower than the first clock signal.