Patent ID: 7576798
Filing Date: 2009-08-18
Classification: G03B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A mobile terminal comprising: a flash coupled to a mobile terminal housing and configured to provide light from the mobile terminal to illuminate a subject; an image sensor circuit, coupled to the flash, comprising a plurality of first image sensing elements configured to provide image data representative of the subject; a flash sensing circuit, coupled to the image sensor circuit, configured to measure the light provided by the flash using a second image sensing element in image sensor circuit; a processor circuit, coupled to the image sensor circuit, and configured to coordinate operation of the image sensor circuit to provide the image data representative of the subject; and an image data/flash data switching circuit, coupled between the image sensor circuit and the flash sensing circuit, and configured to switch the second image sensing element to the flash sensing circuit as flash data until a flash threshold level is met and then to switch the second image sensing element to the processor circuit as image data.