Using an image sensor for always-on application within a mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12439153-B2
Application number	US-202418616975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2024
Priority date	Aug 18, 2020
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A mobile device includes an application processor and an image sensor. The application processor includes an imaging subsystem configured to process high resolution image data through a first interface and a sensor hub configured to process sensor data through a second interface. The image sensor operates in one of first and second modes. The image sensor is configured to capture the high resolution image data in response to a request from the imaging subsystem and the imaging subsystem is configured to access the high resolution image data using the first interface for performing a first operation, during the first mode. The image sensor is configured to capture low resolution image data and the sensor hub is configured to access the low resolution image data using the second bus for performing a second operation, during the second mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile device comprising:
a complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor configured to generate high resolution image data during a CMOS image sensor (CIS) mode in a normal power state of the mobile device and low resolution image data during an always-on (AON) mode in a low power state of the mobile device; and
an application processor including:
an imaging subsystem configured to receive the high resolution image data and process the high resolution image data during the normal power state; and
a low-power island subsystem configured to receive the low resolution image data from the CMOS image sensor and generate a status signal indicating exit from the low power state based on the low resolution image data.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the CMOS image sensor includes a register, and the application processor configured to set the register to indicate the CIS mode or the AON mode.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the CMOS image sensor is a front camera of the mobile device.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the low-power island subsystem is further configured to perform a face detection algorithm on the low resolution image data, and generate the status signal when face is detected by the face detection algorithm.

5. The mobile device of claim 4 , wherein the CMOS image sensor is further configured to generate a scene change detection signal based on the low resolution image data, and the low-power island subsystem performs the face detection algorithm on the low resolution image data in response to the scene change detection signal from the CMOS image sensor.

6. The mobile device of claim 5 , wherein the CMOS image sensor includes a memory retaining previous low resolution image data and the CMOS image sensor compares the previous low resolution image data with current low resolution image data to generate the scene change detection signal.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the low-power island subsystem is further configured to compare at least two of low resolution image data and generates the status signal when a similarity value between the at least two low resolution image data is less than a threshold value.

8. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the CMOS image sensor is further configured to generate a signal based on an ambient light using the low resolution image data, and the low-power island subsystem generates the status signal in response to the signal.

9. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the low-power island is further configured to analyze an amount of ambient light of the low resolution image data and generate the status signal when the amount of ambient light exceeds a certain threshold.

10. The mobile device of claim 1 , further comprises a non-image sensor configured to generate a sensor data, and wherein the low-power island subsystem is further configured to receive the sensor data from the non-image sensor.

11. The mobile device of claim 10 , wherein the non-image sensor is one of an ambient sensor, an inertial movement unit, and an accelerometer.

12. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the CMOS image sensor is synchronized with the low-power island subsystem during the AON mode.

13. A mobile device comprising:
a first complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor configured to generate a first high resolution image data during a CMOS image sensor (CIS) mode of a normal power state of the mobile device and low resolution image data during an AON mode of a low power state of the mobile device;
a second CMOS image sensor configured to generate a second high resolution image data during the CIS mode and do not operate during the AON mode; and
an application processor including:
an imaging subsystem configured to receive the first high resolution image data and the second high resolution image data and process the received first high resolution image data and the received second high resolution image data; and
a low-power island subsystem configured to receive the low resolution image data from the first CMOS image sensor and generate a status signal indicating exit from the low power state based on the low resolution image data.

14. The mobile device of claim 13 , wherein the first CMOS includes a register, and wherein the application processor is configured to set the register to indicate the CIS mode or the AON mode.

15. The mobile device of claim 13 , wherein the first CMOS image sensor periodically generates the low resolution image data during the AON mode.

16. The mobile device of claim 13 , wherein the first CMOS image sensor is synchronized with the low-power island subsystem during the AON mode.

17. The mobile device of claim 13 , wherein the first CMOS image sensor is a front camera of the mobile device and the second CMOS image sensor is a rear camera of the mobile device.

18. The mobile device of claim 13 , further comprises a non-image sensor configured to generate sensor data, and wherein the low-power island subsystem is further configured to receive the sensor data from the non-image sensor and generate the status signal based on the low resolution image data or the sensor data.

19. An application processor comprising:
an imaging subsystem, during a normal power state, configured to receive high resolution image data from a complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor and process the high resolution image data; and
a low-power island subsystem, during a low power state, configured to receive low resolution image data from the CMOS image sensor and generate a status signal indicating the application processor to exit from the low power state to the normal power state based on the low resolution image data.

20. The application processor of claim 19 , wherein the low-power island subsystem is further configured to receive a scene change detection signal from the CMOS image sensor during the low power state and generate the status signal based on the scene change detection signal.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Elizov Roee
• Yaffe Yoel

Classifications

• H04N23/651

  for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06T7/0012

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title

• G06T2207/30201

  Face · CPC title

• H04N23/667 Primary

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title