WO2007052962A1

WO2007052962A1 - Camera control apparatus, image data displaying apparatus and method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2007052962A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/004533
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kyung-Chul Min
Original assignee: Mtekvision Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2005-11-02
Filing date: 2006-11-02
Publication date: 2007-05-10
Also published as: KR100715522B1

Abstract

Disclosed is a camera control apparatus combined between an image sensor and an LCD module included in a portable terminal having a camera function. The camera control apparatus comprises a dual port memory that has a preview region storing a preview image data; an LCD controller that reads the preview image data from the preview region; and an image controller that writes the preview image data in the preview region and outputs an LCD controller control signal controlling the LCD controller. The operation rate of the controller does not need to be doubled even though the size of the LCD module increases in double.

Description

[DESCRIPTION]

[Invention Title]

CAMERA CONTROL APPARATUS, IMAGE DATA DISPLAYING APPARATUS

AND METHOD THEREOF

[Technical Field]

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for displaying image

data, more particularly to, an apparatus and a method for displaying image data using a

one chip dual port memory and comprising an LCD module controller in a camera

control apparatus.

[Background Art]

A portable terminal refers to a small size electronic device that allows a user to

carry with him/her for mobile communication, game, etc. The portable terminal includes

a mobile communication terminal, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a PMP (portable

multimedia player), and so on.

The mobile communication terminal is a device designed to allow remotely

located mobile users to telecommunicate. With the advances in science technology, the

mobile communication terminal performs additional functions such as photographing, playing back multi-media data besides telecommunicating, sending and receiving a

short message and managing an address directory

When the portable terminal functions as a camera, it photographs an image

through a camera lens, processes the image data on the photographed image through an

image sensor, and displays such image data on an LCD module installed in the terminal.

Fig. 1 illustrates a configuration of a system displaying image data in a conventional

portable terminal

Referring to Fig.l, an image data display system includes an image sensor 110, a

micro controller unit (MCU) 120, a controller 130, a memory 140, and an LCD module.

The image sensor 110 processes images photographed by a lens installed in the portable

terminal in order to generate image data. Such image data is stored in the memory 140,

and is displayed in the LCD module 150. Meanwhile, the micro controller unit 120, an

essential main system of the portable terminal, transmits control instructions related to

the above image processing, according to which the controller 130 controls the storing

and displaying of the image data.

The memory 140 is formed separately from chips constituting the controller 130.

The image data of the image sensor 110 is stored in the memory 140 through the

controller 130 according to the commands of the micro controller unit 120. The image

data stored in the memory 140 is displayed on the LCD module 150 through the

controller 130. The memory 140, however, is a single port memory, so that both reading and

writing cannot be performed simultaneously. Accordingly, the controller 130 should

wait until the memory 140 does not perform another operation in order to write from the

image sensor 110 to the memory 140 or to read from the memory 140 to the LCD

module 150.

Also, since the controller 130 and the memory 140 are formed as separate chips,

the controller 130 and the memory 140 should have at least four control buses and data

buses respectively as external interfaces to perform the above operation. This requires a

plurality of interface pins inputting/outputting various signals in constituting the chips,

thereby increasing the volume of the total system of the portable terminal.

Fig.2 illustrates another configuration of a system processing image data in a

conventional portable terminal.

Referring to Fig.2, unlike the system as illustrated in Fig. 1, the memory 140 and

the controller 130 are formed on a single ship. Among the control buses and the data

buses shown in Fig.l, the buses connected to the memory 140, control bus 3 and

data_bus 3, are within the chips, thereby reducing the number of external pins and the

size of the controller chip.

As described above, in order to display the image data of the image sensor 110

on the LCD module 150, the image data first should be stored in the memory 140.

However, the memory 140 cannot perform both reading and writing simultaneously, taking long time to display the image.

Fig.3 illustrates a configuration of the LCD module 150 of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to Fig.3, the LCD module 150 includes an LVDS unit 10, a timing

controller 20, a power supply unit 30, a gate driver 40, a source driver 50, and a liquid

crystal panel 60.

The liquid crystal panel 60 have a plurality of gate lines and data lines crossing

each other, and thin film transistors disposed on areas where each gate line and data

line cross each other, to display image pictures. The source driver 50 supplies a supply

voltage to drive the data lines of the liquid crystal panel 60, the gate driver 40 supplies a

supply voltage to drive the gate lines of the liquid crystal panel 60.

The LVDS (low voltage differential signal) unit 10 compresses a number of data

signals provided from the controller 130, and provides them to the timing controller 20.

The timing controller 20 provides the data signals for red, green, and blue, respectively,

to the source driver 50, and controls the timing of the source driver 50 and the gate

driver 40. Although not shown in the accompanying drawings, a separate memory is

required to store the data provided from the controller 130.

When the liquid crystal panel 60 of the LCD module 150 is small in size, an

operation rate of the controller 130, that is, a clock is raised such that the writing in the

memory 140 and the reading from the memory 140 can be accelerated for smooth image

playback in the LCD module 150. The size of the liquid crystal panel 60 is becoming larger to 320^χ320 or more,

which was conventionally 128x160, or 120x160. Meanwhile, at least 30 frames should

be consecutively displayed per second in order to generate image stream without an

interruption. The increase in size of the liquid crystal panel 60 requires a larger capacity

of the memory 140 and a faster access speed to the memory 140.

Also, more pixels, constituting the liquid crystal panel 60, should be driven per

second. When the size of the liquid crystal panel 60 becomes twice while the capacity of

the memory 140 remains the same, both the speed of reading from the memory 140 and

the speed of writing in the memory 140 should be doubled. This demands the chips

constituting the controller 130 operate twice as fast, but the controller 130 actually

hasn't caught up with it.

Accordingly, under the state where a controller 130 operates in the same speed,

the frame rate of the preview image displayed in the liquid crystal panel 60 is lowered,

generating an image interruption and an image delay.

[Disclosure]

[Technical Problem]

Therefore, the present invention provides a camera control apparatus, an image

data display apparatus, and a method for reducing the number of external interfaces and

keeping the number of pins from increasing by forming a memory and a controller in one chip.

Also, the present invention provides a camera control apparatus, an image data

display apparatus, and a method using a dual port memory, by which an image

controller reads an image from an image sensor and writes the image in a memory

simultaneously as an LCD controller reads image data from the memory.

Also, the present invention provides a camera control apparatus, an image data

display apparatus, and a method using a dual port memory such that the operation rates

of an image controller and an LCD controller are not required to increase in double even

though the size of an LCD module becomes double.

Also, the present invention provides a camera control apparatus, an image data

display apparatus, and a method decreasing the size of an apparatus by integrating an

LVDS, a timing controller, and a memory into an LCD controller and a dual port

memory within a camera control chip.

[Technical Solution]

An aspect of the present invention features a camera control apparatus combined

between an image sensor and an LCD module included in a portable terminal having a

camera function-wherein the LCD module comprises a liquid crystal panel displaying a

picture according to a supply voltage, a driver supplying the supply voltage to the liquid

crystal panel, and a power supply unit supplying power to the driver. In an embodiment of the present invention, the camera control apparatus

comprises: a dual port memory that has a preview region having at least two partitioned

preview storage sections, from one of which the recorded preview image data can be

read simultaneously when the preview image data is written in another preview storage

section- wherein the preview image data has a data format that is representable in the

LCD module; an LCD controller that receives an LCD controller control signal, reads

the preview image data from the dual port memory in accordance with the LCD

controller control signal, generates a driver control signal controlling the driver, and

transmits the preview image data and the driver control signal to the LCD module; and

an image controller that reads image data from the image sensor, writes the image data

by converting into the preview image data, and outputs the LCD controller control

signal controlling the LCD controller.

The dual port memory has at least two access ports including first and second

ports such that reading and writing the preview image data are preformed at the same

time through the first and second access ports.

The image controller writes the preview image data by transmitting a record

control signal through the first access port.

The LCD controller reads the preview image data by transmitting a read control

signal generated from the LCD controller control signal through the second access port.

The LCD controller comprises an LVDS unit that compresses the preview image data, and a timing controller that generates the driver control signal from the LCD

controller control signal, and transmits the compressed preview image data and the

driver control signal to the driver of the LCD module.

The preview image data is composed of consecutive frames, the preview image

data recorded at any moment in one of the preview storage sections corresponds to a

later frame than the preview image data read from another preview storage section.

The image controller comprises a sealer that converts the image data to fit to the

size of the liquid crystal panel.

The dual port memory has an image storage section, and the image controller

writes the image data in the image storage section separately.

Another aspect of the present invention features an image data display apparatus

included in a portable terminal having a camera function.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the image data display apparatus

comprises an image sensor generating image data by converting an optical image

photographed through a camera into electrical signals; an LCD module comprising a

liquid crystal panel displaying a picture according to a supply voltage, a driver

supplying the supply voltage to the liquid crystal panel, and a power supply unit

supplying power to the driver; a dual port memory that has a preview region having at

least two partitioned preview storage sections, from one of which the recorded preview

image data can be read simultaneously when the preview image data is written in another preview storage section- wherein the preview image data has a data format that

is representable in the LCD module; an LCD controller that receives an LCD controller

control signal, reads the preview image data from the dual port memory in accordance

with the LCD controller control signal, generates a driver control signal controlling the

driver, and transmits the preview image data and the driver control signal to the LCD

module; and an image controller that reads image data from the image sensor, writes the

image data by converting into the preview image data, and outputs the LCD controller

control signal controlling the LCD controller.

The dual port memory has at least two access ports including first and second

time through the first and second access ports.

The image controller writes the preview image data by transmitting a record

control signal through the first access port.

The LCD controller reads the preview image data by transmitting a read control

The LCD controller comprises an LVDS unit that compresses the preview image

data, and a timing controller that generates the driver control signal from the LCD

driver control signal to the driver of the LCD module.

The preview image data is composed of consecutive frames, the preview image data recorded at any moment in one of the preview storage sections corresponds to a

size of the liquid crystal panel.

The dual port memory has an image storage section, and the image controller

writes the image data in the image storage section separately.

The dual port memory, the image controller, and the LCD controller are formed

in a single chip.

The LCD controller or the image controller is controlled by a micro controller

unit of the portable terminal .

Another aspect of the present invention features a image data display method for

displaying image data composed of consecutive frames generated by an image sensor

included in a portable terminal having a camera function in an LCD module-wherein the

LCD module comprises a liquid crystal panel displaying a picture according to a supply

voltage, a driver supplying the supply voltage to the liquid crystal panel, and a power

supply unit supplying power to the liquid crystal panel.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the image data display method

comprises generating first preview image data corresponding to a first frame; writing

the first preview image data in one storage sections of a dual port memory having at

least two partitioned storage sections; reading second preview image data previously recorded in another storage section of the dual port memory; and displaying the second

preview image data on the LCD module, and the step of writing the first preview image

data and the step of reading second preview image data are performed simultaneously.

The first preview image data corresponds to a later frame than the second

preview image data.

The first or second preview image data is converted from the image data

generated by the image to have a data format that is representable in the LCD module.

The step of generating first preview image data through the step of displaying

the second preview image data are repeated.

[ Description of Drawings ]

Fig.1 illustrates a configuration of an image data display system in a portable

terminal according to a prior art.

Fig.2 illustrates another configuration of an image data process system in a

portable terminal according to a prior art.

Fig.3 illustrates a configuration of the LCD module shown in Figs.l and 2.

Fig.4 illustrates configurations of a camera control apparatus included in a

portable terminal and an image data display apparatus including the camera control

apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig.5 illustrates a configuration of an LCD module according to an embodiment

of the present invention. Fig.6 illustrates a partitioned state of a storage region of a dual port memory.

Fig.7 is a flowchart illustrating an image data display method according to an

embodiment of the present invention.

[Mode for Invention]

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with

reference to the accompanying drawings.

The descriptions set forth below merely illustrate the principles of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art could devise various methods and apparatus thereof which realize the principles of the present invention and which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention, even though they may not be clearly explained or illustrated in the present specification. Also, it is to be appreciated that not only the principles, viewpoints, and embodiments of the present invention, but all detailed descriptions listing the particular embodiments are intended to include structural and functional equivalents.

Terms used in the description (for example, a first, a second, etc.) are merely used to distinguish equal or similar items in an ordinal manner.

Also, the terms used in the description are merely used to describe the following

embodiments, but not to limit the invention. Unless clearly used otherwise, expressions

in the singular number include a plural meaning. In this application, the terms

"included" and "stored" intend to express the existence of the characteristic, the numeral, the step, the operation, the element, the part, or the combination thereof, and

do not intend to exclude another characteristic, numeral, step, operation, element, part,

or any combination thereof, or any addition thereto.

Unless defined otherwise, the terms used herein including technological or

scientific terms have the same meaning that is generally understood by those ordinarily

skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. The terms used herein shall not be

interpreted not only based on the definition of any dictionary but also the meaning that

is used in the field to which the invention pertains. Also, unless clearly defined, the

terms used herein shall not be interpreted too ideally or formally.

The camera control apparatus, image data display apparatus, and method

introduced in the present invention can be widely employed in a digital processing

apparatus or system that can photograph or display image data (for example, a portable

communication terminal with a camera, a PDA, a PMP (portable multimedia player), a

digital camera, a digital television, and so on), but the description below will focus on a

portable terminal.

It is to be appreciated that the present invention can be applied to any portable

terminal so long as it is composed of a camera, an image sensor, and an LCD module.

Fig.4 illustrates a configuration of a camera control apparatus included in a

portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 illustrates

a configuration of an LCD module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.6 illustrates a partitioned state of a storage region in a dual port memory.

Referring to Fig.4, an image data display apparatus includes an image sensor

110, a micro controller unit 120, a camera control apparatus 300, and an LCD module

350. The camera control apparatus 300 including an image controller 310, an LCD

controller320, and a dual port memory 330 is embodied in a single chip. They can be

embodied by a package on package (POP) method, etc.

The image sensor 110 plays back external images by employing a reactive

characteristic of a semiconductor to light. The image sensor 110 is composed of arrays

of tiny photosensitive diodes, which are called pixels. The image sensor 110 senses the

brightness and wavelength of the lights emitted from an object, reads them as electric

values, and converts them to a processable level. In this view, the image sensor 110 is a

semiconductor element that converts optical images to electrical signals.

Hereinafter, the electrical signals, which are converted from external optical

images by the image sensor 110, will be referred to as image data. This image data is

transmitted to the image controller 310 according to control signals from the camera

control apparatus 300. Since this image data does not have a data format that is

representable in the LCD module 350, the image data may be converted into signals

having a RGB format, which are color signals, or signals having an YCbCr format,

which are chrominance signals. The image data that is converted into the RGB format

or the YCbCr format will be named preview image data. The above conversion is performed in the image controller 310 that will be described later. The LCD module 350

converts the preview image data into visual information, namely, an optical image to

display.

The LCD module 350 displays pictures to a user that are necessary for telephone

calls, sending and receiving short messages, managing address directories, etc.

Furthermore, the LCD module 350 in the present invention converts preview image data,

which is converted by the image controller 310 from images photographed through a

camera or from preview images ready to be photographed, into visual information to

display on a screen.

Existing LCD modules have included a controller and a memory separately.

The memory temporarily stores the preview image data that will be displayed on a

liquid crystal panel of the LCD module, and the controller displays the preview image

data, stored in the memory, on the liquid crystal panel.

However, the LCD module 350 of the present invention does not include the

controller and the memory, but displays the preview image data on the screen by using

the LCD controller320 and a dual port memory 330 included in the camera control

apparatus 300.

Referring to Fig.5, the LCD module 350 of the present invention includes a

power supply unit 30, a gate driver 40, a source driver 50, and a liquid crystal panel 60.

In the liquid crystal panel 60 are disposed more than two gate lines and data lines crossing each other. On the crossing area, thin film transistors are disposed to

display pictures.

The gate driver 40 supplies a driving voltage that drives the gate lines of the

liquid crystal panel 60, and the source driver 50 supplies a driving voltage that drives

the data lines of the liquid crystal panel 60.

The power supply unit 30 supplies DC power in order to operate the gate driver

40 and the source driver 50.

The source driver 50 supplies data voltages corresponding to R, G, and B data,

power for driving a digital circuit, power for driving each thin film transistor, and

control signals for controlling them.

The gate driver 40 and the source driver 50 supply a driving voltage for driving

the liquid crystal panel 60 according to driver control signals transmitted through

Control_Bus 5.

The micro controller unit (MCU) 120 is a main processor that is typically

included in a portable terminal, allows the portable terminal to perform basic functions

such as telephone calls, sending and receiving short messages, and managing address

directories, etc.

The micro control unit 120 of the present invention functions as a main system

that controls the camera control apparatus 300 by processing image data or preview

image data in addition to performing the above basic functions. The micro control unit 120 controls the flow of signals and image data to the image sensor 10, the LCD

controller320, the dual port memory 330, and the LCD module 350 by the image

controller 310 of the camera control apparatus 300.

The camera control apparatus 300 may include the image controller 310, the

LCD controller 320, and the dual port memory 330.

The image controller 310 reads image data produced in the image sensor 110.

The image controller 310 transmits a control signal through a second control bus

(Control_Bus 2), in accordance with a control signal transmitted from the micro

controller unit 120 through a first control bus (Control Bus 1), and reads the image data

produced in the image sensor 110 through a second data bus (Data_Bus 2) in

accordance with the control signal from the image controller 310.

Since the data format of such image data is not representable in the LCD module

350, the data format may be converted, by the image controller 310, into another data

format that is representable in the LCD module 350 when the image data is written in

the dual port memory 330. Accordingly, the image data stored in the dual port memory

330 may be preview image data having a RGB format, which is a color signal, or

preview image data having an YCbCr format, which is a chrominance signal.

The image controller 310 access the dual port memory through a third control

bus, Control_Bus 3, and a third data bus, Data Bus 3, and records the preview image

data in a particular section according to record control signals. Here, the record control signal includes information such as address information accessible to the dual port

memory 330, record enable signals, etc.

The image controller 310 generates LCD controller control signals that control

the LCD controller320, and output the signals to the LCD controller320. According to

the LCD controller control signal, the LCD controller320 reads the preview image data

recorded in the dual port memory 330, and generates driver control signals that controls

the drivers 40, 50 of the LCD module 350

Here, the LCD controller control signal includes a specific address where the

preview image data is stored, an access command commanding the LCD controller320

to access the dual port memory 330, a display command commanding to transmit first

image data to the LCD module 350 and to display the first image on the screen.

The image controller 310 may also include a sealer that changes the size of the

preview image data based on the size of the liquid crystal panel 60 of the LCD module

350. For example, if the liquid crystal panel 60 of the LCD module 350 has one quarter

as many pixels as the preview image data has, the sealer can leave only one pixel per

every four pixels. The scaling can surely be performed in other methods.

The LCD controller 320 receives the LCD controller control signal from the

image controller 310 through a sixth control bus (Control Bus 6). In accordance with a

read control signal generated by using the LCD controller control signal, the LCD

controller320 reads the preview image data stored in a particular section of the dual port memory 330 through a fourth control bus (Control Bus 4) and a fourth data bus

(Data Bus 4).

Furthermore, in accordance with the LCD controller control signals, the LCD

controller 320 produces driver control signals that control the drivers 40, 50 of the LCD

module 350. The preview image data and the driver control signal are delivered through

a fifth data bus and a fifth control bus, respectively, to the LCD module 350.

The LCD controller 320 may include an LVDS unit and a timing controller. The

LVDS unit compresses the inputted multiple pieces of preview image data to provide to

the timing controller. The timing controller delivers the compressed preview image data

to the source driver, and controls a timing to supply the source driver 50 and the gate

driver 40 with a driving voltage. Through this, the preview image data can be

represented in the liquid crystal panel 60 of the LCD module 350.

Since the dual port memory 330 is combined with the controllers, the dual port

memory 330 should have at least as many access ports as the number of the controllers

sharing the dual port memory 330. Here, the controller includes the image controller

310 and the LCD controller 320, and may further include the micro control unit 120.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, when the dual port memory 330 is combined with

both the image controller 310 and the LCD controller 320, two access ports 410, 420 are

required.

The two access ports are divided into a firs port 410 and a second port 420, such that the first port 410 is connected to the image controller 310 and the second port 420

is connected to the LCD controller 320.

The second port 420 is connected to the LCD controller 320 through the fourth

control bus and the fourth data bus. The record control signal delivered through the third

control bus or the read control signal delivered through the fourth control bus may

include clock, write enable, read enable, chip select, data address, etc.

A storage region of the dual port memory 330 can be partitioned into a number

of sections in correspondence with the number of the controllers, enabling each

controller to access its respective section at the same time to write or read.

For example, when the two controllers, namely, the image controller 310 and the

LCD controller 320 are combined to the dual port memory 330, the storage region of

the dual port memory 330 is portioned into at least two sections (a first preview storage

section 440, a second preview storage section 450) to be assigned to the image

controller 310 and the LCD controller320, respectively.

Accordingly, when the image controller 310 accesses the first preview storage

section 440 to write down preview image data, the LCD controller 320 can

simultaneously access the second preview storage section 450 to read previously

recorded preview image data.

The image controller 310 and the LCD controller 320 can access either the first

preview storage section 440 or the second preview storage section 450. However, the image controller 310 and the LCD controller320 cannot access the same preview

storage section 440 or 450 at the same time. Each preview storage section 440, 450 are

separably accessible unless it is assigned exclusively to a particular controller and is

accessed by two or more controllers at the same time.

This is to maintain temporal continuity of data continuously by setting any

controller to operate after a particular controller finishes operation. The storage region

of the dual port memory 330 can be portioned into three sections or more even though

the dual port memory 330 is combined with two controllers.

The image controller 310 can control the access of the LCD controller 320 to the

dual port memory 330 by using the LCD controller control signal. Accordingly, the

image controller 310 perceives the preview storage section to which it is accessing, and

transmits the LCD controller control signal inducing the LCD controller320 to access

another preview storage section and to read the previously recorded preview image data.

The dual port memory 330 may further include an image storage section 460

besides the preview storage sections 440, 450. The preview storage section 440, 450

stores the preview image data of which data format and size, if necessary, are converted

in order to display the optical image on the LCD module 350 as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, in the image storage section 460 are stored optical images captured

by the image sensor 110 in a file format such as JPEG, RAW, TIFF, etc. through a

predetermined operation (for example, releasing a shutter). The same optical image can be stored in both the preview storage section 440, 450 and the image storage section

460 as the preview image data and usual image data, respectively. Otherwise, the optical

images can be selected by a user through a predetermined operation to be stored in the

image storage section 460.

The description below takes an example where continuous image data composed

of a number of frames is displayed in the LCD module 350 almost at the same time the

image sensor 110 captures the image data. The image controller 310 stores the preview

image data related to a first frame in the first preview storage section 440.

Subsequently, when the image controller 310 stores the preview image data

related to a second frame in the second preview storage section 450, the LCD controller

320 simultaneously access the first preview storage section 440 in accordance with the

control of the image controller 310 and reads the preview image data related to the first

frame that are previously stored to display on the screen.

Then, when the image controller 310 stores the preview image data related to a

third frame in the first preview storage section 440, the LCD controller 320

simultaneously accesses the second preview storage section 450, and reads the preview

image data related to the second frame to display on the screen.

By repeating these processes, the writing and reading in the dual port memory

330 can be simultaneously performed, so that twice as much data per unit time can be

transmitted, compared that when a single port memory is used without doubling the operation rate of the image controller 310.

The size of each section in the dual port memory 330 (the first preview storage

section 440, the second preview storage section 450, and the image storage section 460)

can be predetermined as a default, can be decided by the image controller 310, or can be

changed by the image controller 310 when necessary (for example, when the amount of

data exceeds the size of the record section).

The image controller 310 can set and manage addresses of the partitioned

sections of the dual port memory 330. In this case, information on the partitioned

storage section of the dual port memory 330 can be identified by each controller while

the portable terminal is booted.

In case that the dual port memory 330 is a SDRAM, the storage region can be

portioned by bank. The SDRAM includes RAS address, CAS address, and bank address,

and is typically composed of 4 banks.

The storage region of the dual port memory 330 may ideally be partitioned by

block. For example, two banks can be assigned to the image storage section 460, and

the other two banks are assigned to the first preview storage section 440 and the second

preview storage section 450, respectively.

As described above, since the first preview storage section 440 and the second

preview storage section 450 is accessed by only one controller 310, 320 at the same

time, the image controller 310 should manage information on whether or not each preview storage section 440, 450 is accessed.

The dual port memory 330 can have a memory control unit 430, and the memory

control unit 430 controls a share memory to operate in accordance with a control signal

transmitted from other controllers or an address decoding signal.

The image controller 310 transmits control signals to the image sensor 110, the

LCD controller320, and the dual port memory 330 in order to process the image data,

and controls data flow according thereto.

The image controller 310 directly controls the image sensor 110, the dual port

memory 330, and the LCD controller320 in accordance with the control signal inputted

through the Control Bus 1, and a result or data thereof is delivered through the

Data Bus 1. Here, the control signal includes a process command, a control command,

etc, and the result or data thereof includes state information, an ack signal, a process

completion response, confirmation information on operation state/set state in other

processors, etc.

The image controller 310 delivers a control signal to the image sensor 110 through the

second control bus (Control Bus 2). The control signal converts an optical image

photographed through a camera (not shown) to electrical signals, and allows the data

format converted preview image data to be delivered from the image sensor 110 to the

image controller 310 through the second data bus.

The image controller 310 delivers a record control signal to the dual port memory 330 through the third control bus (Control_Bus 3). The record control signal

includes storage location in the dual port memory 330, and storage address. The record

control signal allows the preview image data received from the image controller 310 to

be stored in a predetermined location or in a predetermined address of the dual port

memory 330. The preview image data is delivered from the image controller 310 to the

dual port memory 330 through the third data bus.

The image controller 310 transmits the LCD controller control signal through a

sixth control bus (Control_Bus 6), thereby controlling an access timing to the dual port

memory 30, an access address, and an output to the LCD module 350 of the LCD

controller 320.

The camera control apparatus 300 according to the present invention forms one

chip such that the first control bus (Control_Bus 1) and the first data bus (Data Bus 1),

the second control bus (Control Bus 2) and the second data bus (Data Bus 2), and the

fifth control bus (Control Bus 5) and the fifth data bus (Data_Bus 5) function as

external interfaces, thereby reducing the number of the pins.

Hereinafter, a method for displaying image data continuously without

interruption in an image data display apparatus having a camera control apparatus will

be described in detail. The terms in Figs. 4 through 6 will be used as the same as in the

following Fig.7.

Fig.7 is a flow chart showing an image data display method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig.7, at step S705a, the image

sensor 110 generates first image data composed of electrical signals that are converted

from an optical image photographed by the camera.

At step S710a, the image sensor 110 receives a control signal from the image

controller 310, and transmits the first image data to the image controller 310.

At step S715a, the image controller 310 generates a first preview image data that

is converted from the first image data to have a data format that is representable in the

LCD module 350. At step S720a, the image controller 310 searches the preview

storage section 440 or 450 of the dual port memory 330 where the first preview image

data can be stored, and transmits the first preview image data together with a record

control signal (including information such as a recordable specific address, a record

enable signal) to the dual port memory 330.

Here, the specific address is a data access address in the dual port memory 330

that is predetermined or changeable by the image controller 310. If all of the preview

storage sections are inaccessible, the image controller 310 can re-search accessibility

after a preset time, or can access the dual port memory 330 after receiving an access

authorization.

At step S725a, the image controller 310 transmits an LCD controller control

signal to the LCD controller320. Here, the LCD controller control signal includes a

specific address where the preview image data is stored, an access command commanding the LCD controller 320 to access the dual port memory 330, a display

command commanding to transmit first image data to the LCD module 350 and to

display the first image on the screen.

At step S730a, the LCD controller 320 accesses the first preview storage section

440 of the dual port memory 330 by using information contained in the LCD controller

control signal, and reads the first preview image data. Then, the LCD controller 320

generates the driver control signal by using the LVDS unit, the timing controller, etc.

such that the preview image data can be represented in the LCD module 350.

At step 735a, the LCD controller 320 transmits the read first preview image data

and the driver control signal to the LCD module 350.

At step 740a, the LCD module 350 displays the first preview image data on the

liquid crystal panel 60 in accordance with the driver control signal.

At step 705b, the image sensor 110 generates a second preview image data

composed of electrical signals that are converted from an optical image photographed

by the camera.

At step S710b, the image sensor 110 receives a control signal from the image

controller 310, and transmits the second image data to the image controller 310.

At step S715b, the image controller 310 generates a second preview image data

that is converted from the second image data to have a data format that is representable

in the LCD module 350. At step S720b, the image controller 310 searches the preview storage section

440 or 450 of the dual port memory 330 where the second preview image data can be

stored, and transmits the second preview image data together with a record control

signal (including information such as a record enable specific address, a record enable

signal) to the dual port memory 330. Since the first preview storage section 440 is

accessed by the LCD controller 320 for the moment, the second preview storage section

450 is accessible.

At step S725b, the image controller 310 transmits an LCD controller control

signal to the LCD controller 320. Here, the LCD controller control signal includes a

specific address where the second preview image data is stored, an access command

commanding the LCD controller320 to access the dual port memory 330, a display

command commanding to transmit the second preview image data to the LCD module

350 and to display on the screen.

At step S730b, the LCD controller 320 accesses the second preview storage

section 450 of the dual port memory 330 by using information contained in the LCD

controller control signal, and reads the second preview image data. Then, the LCD

controller 320 generates a driver control signal by using the LVDS unit, the timing

controller, etc.

At step 735b, the LCD controller 320 transmits the read second preview image

data and the driver control signal to the LCD module 350. At step 740b, the LCD module 350 displays the second preview image data on

the liquid crystal panel 60 in accordance with the driver control signal.

While the LCD controller 320 reads the first preview image data from the first

preview storage section 440, and allows the LCD module 350 to display, through steps

S730a and S740a, the image controller 310 simultaneously writes the second preview

image data in the second preview storage section 450 through step S720b.

This is due to the dual port memory 330 that enables each of the controllers 310

and 320 to simultaneously access each preview storage section 440 or 450 to read or

write.

Here, the order of the preview image data means the order of consecutive frames.

Although in the above description, the dual port memory 330 is assumed to be

partitioned into two preview storage sections 440, 450, it can also be partitioned into

three or more preview storage sections, allowing the image data to be read and written

in different sections at the same time like in the above description.

While the invention has been described with reference to the disclosed

embodiments, it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify

the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or its

equivalents as stated below in the claims.

Claims

[CLAIMS]

[Claim 1 ]

A camera control apparatus combined between an image sensor and an LCD

module included in a portable terminal having a camera function-wherein the LCD

module comprises a liquid crystal panel displaying a picture according to a supply

supply unit supplying power to the driver-, the camera control apparatus comprising:

a dual port memory that has a preview region having at least two partitioned

section-wherein the preview image data has a data format that is representable in the

LCD module;

an LCD controller that receives an LCD controller control signal, reads the

preview image data from the dual port memory in accordance with the LCD controller

control signal, generates a driver control signal controlling the driver, and transmits the

preview image data and the driver control signal to the LCD module; and

an image controller that reads image data from the image sensor, writes the

control signal controlling the LCD controller.

[Claim 2]

The camera control apparatus of Claim 1, wherein the dual port memory has at

least two access ports including first and second ports such that reading and writing the

preview image data are preformed at the same time through the first and second access

ports.

[Claim 3]

The camera control apparatus of Claim 2, wherein the image controller writes

the preview image data by transmitting a record control signal through the first access

port.

[Claim 4]

The camera control apparatus of Claim 3, wherein the LCD controller reads the

preview image data by transmitting a read control signal generated from the LCD

controller control signal through the second access port.

[Claim 5]

The camera control apparatus of Claim 1, wherein the LCD controller comprises

an LVDS unit that compresses the preview image data, and a timing controller that

generates the driver control signal from the LCD controller control signal, and transmits the compressed preview image data and the driver control signal to the driver of the

LCD module.

[Claim 6]

The camera control apparatus of Claim 1, wherein the preview image data is

composed of consecutive frames, the preview image data recorded at any moment in

one of the preview storage sections corresponds to a later frame than the preview image

data read from another preview storage section.

[Claim 7]

The camera control apparatus of Claim 1, wherein the image controller

comprises a sealer that converts the image data to fit to the size of the liquid crystal

panel.

[Claim 8]

The camera control apparatus of Claim 1 , wherein the dual port memory has an

image storage region, and the image controller writes the image data in the image

storage region separately.

[Claim 9] An image data display apparatus included in a portable terminal having a camera

function, the image data display apparatus comprising:

an image sensor generating image data by converting an optical image

photographed through a camera into electrical signals;

an LCD module comprising a liquid crystal panel displaying a picture according

to a supply voltage, a driver supplying the supply voltage to the liquid crystal panel, and

a power supply unit supplying power to the driver;

a dual port memory that has a preview region having at least two partitioned

LCD module-;

an LCD controller that receives an LCD controller control signal, reads the

preview image data and the driver control signal to the LCD module; and

an image controller that reads image data from the image sensor, writes the

control signal controlling the LCD controller.

[Claim 10]

The image data display apparatus of Claim 9, wherein the dual port memory has

at least two access ports including first and second ports such that reading and writing

the preview image data are preformed at the same time through the first and second

access ports.

[Claim 11 ]

The image data display apparatus of Claim 10, wherein the image controller

writes the preview image data by transmitting a record control signal through the first

access port.

[Claim 12]

The image data display apparatus of Claim 11, wherein the LCD controller reads

the preview image data by transmitting a read control signal generated from the LCD

controller control signal through the second access port.

[Claim 13]

The image data display apparatus of Claim 9, wherein the LCD controller

comprises an LVDS unit that compresses the preview image data, and a timing

controller that generates the driver control signal from the LCD controller control signal, and transmits the compressed preview image data and the driver control signal to the

driver of the LCD module.

[Claim 14]

The image data display apparatus of Claim 9, wherein the preview image data is

data read from another preview storage section.

[Claim 15]

The image data display apparatus of Claim 9, wherein the image controller

panel.

[Claim 16]

The image data display apparatus of Claim 9, wherein the dual port memory has

an image storage region, and the image controller writes the image data in the image

storage region separately.

[Claim 17] The image data display apparatus of Claim 9, wherein the dual port memory, the

image controller, and the LCD controller are formed in a single chip.

[Claim 18]

The image data display apparatus of Claim 9, wherein the LCD controller or the

image controller is controlled by a micro controller unit of the portable terminal.

[Claim 19]

A image data display method for displaying image data composed of

consecutive frames generated by an image sensor included in a portable terminal having

a camera function in an LCD module-wherein the LCD module comprises a liquid

crystal panel displaying a picture according to a supply voltage, a driver supplying the

supply voltage to the liquid crystal panel, and a power supply unit supplying power to

the liquid crystal panel-, the image data display method comprising:

generating first preview image data corresponding to a first frame;

writing the first preview image data in one storage sections of a dual port

memory having at least two partitioned storage sections;

reading second preview image data previously recorded in another storage

section of the dual port memory; and

displaying the second preview image data on the LCD module, and the step of writing the first preview image data and the step of reading second

preview image data are performed simultaneously.

[Claim 20]

The image data display method of Claim 19, wherein the first preview image

data corresponds to a later frame than the second preview image data.

[Claim 21 ]

The image data display method of Claim 19, wherein the first or second preview

image data is converted from the image data generated by the image to have a data

format that is representable in the LCD module.

[Claim 22]

The image data display method of Claim 19, wherein the step of generating first

preview image data through the step of displaying the second preview image data are

repeated.