Multi-path Image Processing Apparatus Merging Camera Frames
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing image resolution and number of cameras in surveillance systems pose design challenges for image signal processing chips, requiring larger memory and more powerful parallel processing, leading to increased hardware costs without an efficient image processing technology.
Innovation Solution
A multi-path image processing apparatus and method that includes an image merging circuit to generate redundant pixels for image frames of varying sizes, allowing for efficient merging and processing based on operation windows, and an image segmentation circuit to restore original frame sizes, enabling resource sharing and reducing hardware costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If image resolution and number of cameras are increased in surveillance systems, then image processing capability and coverage are improved, but memory size and logic circuit requirements increase, leading to higher hardware costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple image frames from different cameras into a single merged frame by concatenating pixel columns. This allows the image processing circuit to process multiple camera inputs simultaneously using shared resources, reducing the overall chip area required compared to having separate processing paths for each camera.
Solution Approach 2:
The image processing circuit is designed to handle merged frames from multiple cameras universally, rather than requiring dedicated processing circuits for each camera. The circuit performs image processing operations on the merged frame and then segments it back into individual processed frames, allowing one processing unit to serve multiple camera inputs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If more cameras are connected to the image signal processing chip, then surveillance coverage is improved, but parallel processing power requirements increase, leading to higher logic circuit size
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple image frames from different cameras are merged into a single frame structure by concatenating their pixel columns. This merging allows the system to handle multiple camera inputs through a unified processing path, reducing the need for multiple separate processing chains and thereby lowering logic circuit complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
After processing the merged frame, the image segmentation circuit divides the processed merged frame back into individual processed frames corresponding to each original camera input. This segmentation approach allows complex multi-camera processing to be achieved through a single processing pass followed by division, rather than requiring simultaneous parallel processing of multiple independent frames.
3Measurement precision
If higher image resolution is used, then image quality is improved, but memory size for temporary storage increases, leading to higher chip area cost
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple high-resolution frames into a single merged frame structure, the system processes all frames simultaneously in memory rather than requiring separate buffer memory for each frame. This reduces the total memory footprint compared to storing and processing multiple high-resolution frames independently.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a multi-path image processing apparatus. An image merging circuit is configured to receive image frames that at least one of the image frames has a largest row number, generate redundant pixel row for each of the image frames that has a row number smaller than the largest row number such that the row number of each of the image frames equals to the largest row number, generate redundant pixel columns for each of the image frames having the number thereof determined by a size of a largest operation window, and merge each two of the image frames through the redundant columns thereof to generate a merged image frame. An image processing circuit performs image processing procedure on the merged image frame to generate a processed merged image frame, wherein at least a part of the image processing procedure is operated according to the largest operation window. An image segmentation circuit segments the processed merged image frame to generate processed image frames.