Patent ID: 7656427
Filing Date: 2010-02-02
Classification: H02M

Abstract:
1. A method of using a powered bi-directional serial bus to convey, from an origin to a destination remotely located from the origin, a source amount of electrical power for conditioning at the destination to operate at a high repetition rate an illumination source of a camera capturing a series of images of a scene, and to convey, from the destination to the origin, image data representing the series of captured images of the scene, comprising: conveying on the serial bus from the origin to the remotely located destination a source amount of electrical power set at or below an overall electrical power capacity limit of the serial bus; providing a camera comprising an illumination source and an imager, the illumination source oriented to illuminate a scene and the imager oriented to capture images of the scene; conditioning the source amount of electrical power received at the destination to generate for application to the illumination source spaced-apart peak electrical power pulses that produce high intensity lighting pulses occurring at highly repetitive times of exposure and that define an average power, the peak electrical power pulses exceeding and the average power remaining below the overall electrical power capacity limit of the serial bus; causing the imager during the highly repetitive times of exposure to capture images of the scene; and in response to the capture of images, conveying on the serial bus for delivery, from the destination to the origin, data representing the captured images of the scene, thereby to achieve, with use of a limited electrical power capacity serial bus, supply of electrical power for high intensity camera lighting along with capture and transfer of image data.