Semiconductor Image Processing Bus Bandwidth Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor devices face challenges in efficiently correcting image distortions from vehicle-mounted cameras, particularly when using low-cost, wide-angle lenses with high distortion, which requires significant processing resources and increases product costs.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device architecture that performs affine-conversion for distortion correction, separating magnification and reduction processing between input and output units, reducing the processing burden on the shared bus and minimizing the need for high-performance hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If magnification processing is performed in the image input unit, then image quality is maintained, but the processing burden on the shared bus increases and product costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the affine-conversion processing into two separate stages: reduction processing in the image input unit and magnification processing in the image output unit. This segmentation allows each unit to perform only its designated function, reducing the processing burden on the shared bus while maintaining overall image quality through coordinated operation of both units.
2Productivity
If high-performance hardware is used for distortion correction, then image processing capability is improved, but product costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the distortion correction function into reduction processing (performed by the image input unit) and magnification processing (performed by the image output unit). This allows the use of standard, lower-cost hardware components that perform only their specific function, rather than requiring expensive high-performance hardware to handle the entire processing chain.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared bus acts as an intermediary that transfers reduced image data from the image input unit to the image output unit. By using the shared bus for data transfer rather than requiring direct high-bandwidth connections, the patent reduces hardware costs while maintaining processing efficiency.
3Quantity of substance
If reduction processing is performed at the input unit and magnification at the output unit, then bus bandwidth requirements are minimized, but system coordination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image input unit performs reduction processing as a preliminary action before data is transferred through the shared bus. This preliminary reduction minimizes the amount of data that needs to be transmitted, reducing bus bandwidth requirements. The magnification processing in the output unit then restores the image to its final required size.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device 1 includes an image input unit 11 and an image output unit 12. The image input unit 11 receives first image data from a camera 91 and outputs second image data to a memory unit 93 through a shared bus 130. The image output unit 12 receives the second image data stored in the memory unit 93 through the shared bus 130 and outputs third image data to a monitor 92. The third image data is generated by performing an affine-conversion on the first image data. Magnification processing in the affine-conversion is not performed in the image input unit 11. In this way, it is possible to provide an excellent semiconductor device suitable for image processing or the like.