NVIDIA Corporation
Sparse scanout for image sensors

Abstract:

To support sparse scanout of an image sensor, an image data protocol such as the MIPI CSI protocol is extended with support for pixel coordinates in long packets. The receiver uses these to compute where in memory these pixels should be stored or where on a display they should be displayed. Truly sparse scanout is supported for any arbitrarily shaped image areas including for example elliptical readout for fisheye lenses. These techniques save MIPI and serializer/deserializer bandwidth in automotive and other applications, allowing for more cameras per vehicle or other host. Such techniques can be implemented in a way that is compatible with prior MIPI standardized approaches.