Patent ID: 6366686
Filing Date: 2002-04-02
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
An image acquisition device for acquiring one or more video images from a video source, the image acquisition device comprising:an input for receiving video data from a video source; a buffer memory coupled to said input which stores said digital video data; and a memory controller coupled to the input and to the buffer memory, wherein the memory controller is operable to write digital video data to the buffer memory and read digital video data from the buffer memory; event logic coupled to the memory controller and coupled to receive one or more external or internal events, wherein said event logic comprises: one or more event selectors, wherein each of said event selectors includes a plurality of inputs and at least one output, wherein, for each event selector, at least one of said plurality of inputs is adapted to couple to an event source to receive an event signal from the event source, wherein each of said event selectors is operable to select one of said event signals and provide said selected event signal on said at least one output; one or more event mappers, wherein each of said one or more event mappers corresponds to at least one of said event selectors, wherein each of said event mappers includes an input which receives one of said selected event signals output from a corresponding one of said event selectors, wherein each of said event mappers is operable to provide said selected event signal to one or more destinations; wherein said destinations are operable to cause an action to be performed by the image acquisition device in response to receipt of said selected event signal; a timing/triggering circuit having a plurality of timers and/or counters, each timer and/or counter operable to function independently of the other timers and/or counters; wherein each one of said one or more event selectors is operable to be assigned to an output of one of the plurality of timers and/or counters, and wherein each one of said one or more event mappers is operable to be assigned to an input of one of the plurality of timers and/or counters, wherein the event logic is operable to generate and sequence separate internal or external events.