Patent Description:
Cameras are widely used. Under some circumstances, such as using a long power line or a low-voltage power adapter, a voltage of a camera may decrease when a load is enabled. The camera may restart, which may affect using the camera by a user. Existing methods for preventing the camera from restarting usually determine whether to enable a load by comparing a voltage of the camera with a voltage threshold. However, the existing methods do not consider partial pressures of components inside the camera (e.g., an impedance of the power line, etc.). When enabling a load, the camera always still restart and cannot work stability.

<CIT> <NUM> discloses a power control manager including a processor to compute available power from a power source and a comparator to compare the available power to an amount of power to concurrently operate a plurality of sub-systems of an electronic device at full or a predetermined power. The processor generates one or more control signals in response to a decision signal output from the comparator. The control signals may indicate that a maximum power setting is to be set for a first sub-system and a reduced non-zero power setting is to be set for a second sub-system of the plurality of sub-systems. The sub-systems may include a camera flash.

It is desirable to provide imaging systems and methods for preventing a camera from restarting.

An aspect of the present invention provides an imaging system as defined in claim <NUM>.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an imaging method according to claim <NUM> is provided.

The invention also provides a non-transitory readable medium as defined in claim <NUM>.

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the present disclosure, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the claims.

It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and/or "including" when used in this disclosure, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as the methods of operations and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, may become more apparent upon consideration of the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing(s), all of which form part of this specification. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing(s) is for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

The flowcharts used in the present disclosure illustrate operations that systems implement according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It is to be expressly understood, the operations of the flowcharts may be implemented not in order. Conversely, the operations may be implemented in inverted order, or simultaneously. Moreover, one or more other operations may be added to the flowcharts. One or more operations may be removed from the flowcharts.

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to imaging systems and methods, especially for adaptively preventing a camera from restarting. To this end, the imaging systems and methods may adaptively determine whether to enable a load (e.g., a fill flash of the camera, etc.) by considering a supply voltage of a circuit in which the camera is, an impedance of a power line, a power of the load, etc. The imaging systems and methods may determine whether the camera restarts when enabling the load. Further, the imaging systems and methods may adjust parameters of the load (e.g., a luminance of the fill flash) to make the load function well under the current circumstance. In addition, the imaging systems and methods may determine whether there is a voltage leap to prevent the camera from restarting. In this way, the imaging systems and methods may adaptively prevent the camera from restarting, and the load of the camera may be adjusted in real-time and rapidly.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of an exemplary imaging system <NUM> according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The imaging system <NUM> may include a server <NUM>, a network <NUM>, a camera <NUM>, and a storage <NUM>.

The server <NUM> may be configured to process information and/or data relating to the camera <NUM>. For example, the server <NUM> may determine whether an operation condition of a first load of the camera <NUM> is satisfied. As another example, the server <NUM> may determine a step length for adjusting the first load. As still another example, the server <NUM> may determine whether an operation condition of a second load of the camera <NUM> is satisfied. In some embodiments, the server <NUM> may be a single server or a server group. The server group may be centralized, or distributed (e.g., the server <NUM> may be a distributed system). In some embodiments, the server <NUM> may be local or remote. For example, the server <NUM> may access information and/or data stored in the camera <NUM>, and/or the storage <NUM> via the network <NUM>. As another example, the server <NUM> may connect the camera <NUM>, and/or the storage <NUM> to access stored information and/or data. In some embodiments, the server <NUM> may be implemented on a cloud platform. Merely by way of example, the cloud platform may be a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, a distributed cloud, an inter-cloud, a multi-cloud, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the server <NUM> may be implemented on a computing device <NUM> having one or more components illustrated in <FIG> in the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the server <NUM> may be an encoder.

In some embodiments, the server <NUM> may include a processing engine <NUM>. The processing engine <NUM> may process information and/or data relating to the camera <NUM>. For example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine whether an operation condition of a first load of the camera <NUM> is satisfied. As another example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a step length for adjusting the first load. As still another example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine whether an operation condition of a second load of the camera <NUM> is satisfied. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may include one or more processing engines (e.g., single-core processing engine(s) or multi-core processor(s)). Merely by way of example, the processing engine <NUM> may be one or more hardware processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application-specific instruction-set processor (ASIP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a physics processing unit (PPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a controller, a microcontroller unit, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC), a microprocessor, or the like, or any combination thereof.

The network <NUM> may facilitate the exchange of information and/or data. In some embodiments, one or more components of the imaging system <NUM> (e.g., the server <NUM>, the camera <NUM>, and the storage <NUM>) may transmit information and/or data to other component(s) in the imaging system <NUM> via the network <NUM>. For example, the server <NUM> may obtain information relating to a circuit in which the camera <NUM> is via the network <NUM>. As another example, the server <NUM> may send instructions (e.g., enabling a load) to the camera <NUM> via the network <NUM>. In some embodiments, the network <NUM> may be any type of wired or wireless network, or combination thereof. Merely by way of example, the network <NUM> may be a cable network, a wireline network, an optical fiber network, a telecommunications network, an intranet, an Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a public telephone switched network (PSTN), a Bluetooth network, a ZigBee network, a near field communication (NFC) network, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the network <NUM> may include one or more network access points. For example, the network <NUM> may include wired or wireless network access points such as base stations and/or internet exchange points <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , through which one or more components of the imaging system <NUM> may be connected to the network <NUM> to exchange data and/or information between them.

The camera <NUM> may be any electronic device that is capable of capturing images or videos. For example, the camera <NUM> may include an image sensor, a video recorder, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the camera <NUM> may include any suitable types of camera, such as a fixed camera, a fixed dome camera, a covert camera, a Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera, a thermal camera, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the camera <NUM> may further include at least one network port. The at least one network port may be configured to send information to and/or receive information from one or more components in the imaging system <NUM> (e.g., the server <NUM>, the storage <NUM>) via the network <NUM>. In some embodiments, the camera <NUM> may be implemented on a computing device <NUM> having one or more components illustrated in <FIG>, or a mobile device <NUM> having one or more components illustrated in <FIG> in the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the camera <NUM> may include a plurality of load for different functions. For example, the plurality of load may include a fill flash for providing light for the camera <NUM>, a load for changing a focal length of the camera <NUM>, a load for focusing of the camera <NUM>, or the like, or any combination thereof.

The storage <NUM> may store data and/or instructions. For example, the storage <NUM> may store predetermined rules for determining whether an operation condition of a load of the camera <NUM> is satisfied. As another example, the storage <NUM> may store a mapping relation between a duty ratio of the load and a consumed power of the load. As still another example, the storage <NUM> may store data and/or instructions that the server <NUM> may execute or use to perform exemplary methods described in the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the storage <NUM> may be a mass storage, a removable storage, a volatile read-and-write memory, a read-only memory (ROM), or the like, or any combination thereof. Exemplary mass storage may include a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a solid-state drive, etc. Exemplary removable storage may include a flash drive, a floppy disk, an optical disk, a memory card, a zip disk, a magnetic tape, etc. Exemplary volatile read-and-write memory may include a random-access memory (RAM). Exemplary RAM may include a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a double date rate synchronous dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and a zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM), etc. Exemplary ROM may include a mask ROM (MROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), and a digital versatile disk ROM, etc. In some embodiments, the storage <NUM> may be implemented on a cloud platform. Merely by way of example, the cloud platform may be a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, a distributed cloud, an inter-cloud, a multi-cloud, or the like, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the storage <NUM> may include at least one network port to communicate with other devices in the imaging system <NUM>. For example, the storage <NUM> may be connected to the network <NUM> to communicate with one or more components of the imaging system <NUM> (e.g., the server <NUM>, the camera <NUM>) via the at least one network port. One or more components in the imaging system <NUM> may access the data or instructions stored in the storage <NUM> via the network <NUM>. In some embodiments, the storage <NUM> may be directly connected to or communicate with one or more components in the imaging system <NUM> (e.g., the server <NUM>, the camera <NUM>). In some embodiments, the storage <NUM> may be part of the server <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and software components of a computing device <NUM> on which the server <NUM>, and/or the camera <NUM> may be implemented according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the processing engine <NUM> or an encoder may be implemented on the computing device <NUM> and configured to perform functions of the processing engine <NUM> disclosed in this disclosure.

The computing device <NUM> may be used to implement the imaging system <NUM> for the present disclosure. The computing device <NUM> may be used to implement any component of the imaging system <NUM> that performs one or more functions disclosed in the present disclosure. For example, the processing engine <NUM> may be implemented on the computing device <NUM>, via its hardware, software program, firmware, or a combination thereof. Although only one such computer is shown, for convenience, the computer functions relating to the camera <NUM> as described herein may be implemented in a distributed fashion on a number of similar platforms, to distribute the processing load.

The computing device <NUM>, for example, may include COM ports <NUM> connected to and from a network connected thereto to facilitate data communications. The COM port <NUM> may be any network port or data exchange port to facilitate data communications. The computing device <NUM> may also include a processor (e.g., the processor <NUM>), in the form of one or more processors (e.g., logic circuits), for executing program instructions. For example, the processor may include interface circuits and processing circuits therein. The interface circuits may be configured to receive electronic signals from a bus <NUM>, wherein the electronic signals encode structured data and/or instructions for the processing circuits to process. The processing circuits may conduct logic calculations, and then determine a conclusion, a result, and/or an instruction encoded as electronic signals. The processing circuits may also generate electronic signals including the conclusion or the result and a triggering code. In some embodiments, the trigger code may be in a format recognizable by an operation system (or an application installed therein) of an electronic device (e.g., the camera <NUM>) in the imaging system <NUM>. For example, the trigger code may be an instruction, a code, a mark, a symbol, or the like, or any combination thereof, that can activate certain functions and/or operations of a mobile phone or let the mobile phone execute a predetermined program(s). In some embodiments, the trigger code may be configured to rend the operation system (or the application) of the electronic device to generate a presentation of the conclusion or the result (e.g., whether to enable a load of the camera <NUM>, an alarm) on an interface of the electronic device. Then the interface circuits may send out the electronic signals from the processing circuits via the bus <NUM>.

The exemplary computing device may include the internal communication bus <NUM>, program storage and data storage of different forms including, for example, a disk <NUM>, and a read-only memory (ROM) <NUM>, or a random access memory (RAM) <NUM>, for various data files to be processed and/or transmitted by the computing device. The exemplary computing device may also include program instructions stored in the ROM <NUM>, RAM <NUM>, and/or other types of non-transitory storage medium to be executed by the processor <NUM>. The methods and/or processes of the present disclosure may be implemented as the program instructions. The exemplary computing device may also include operating systems stored in the ROM <NUM>, RAM <NUM>, and/or other types of non-transitory storage medium to be executed by the processor <NUM>. The program instructions may be compatible with the operating systems for providing the online to offline service. The computing device <NUM> also includes an I/O component <NUM>, supporting input/output between the computer and other components. The computing device <NUM> may also receive programming and data via network communications.

Merely for illustration, only one processor is illustrated in <FIG>. Multiple processors are also contemplated; thus, operations and/or method steps performed by one processor as described in the present disclosure may also be jointly or separately performed by the multiple processors. For example, if in the present disclosure the processor of the computing device <NUM> executes both step A and step B, it should be understood that step A and step B may also be performed by two different processors jointly or separately in the computing device <NUM> (e.g., the first processor executes step A and the second processor executes step B, or the first and second processors jointly execute steps A and B).

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and/or software components of an exemplary mobile device <NUM> on which the server <NUM> or the camera <NUM> may be implemented according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the mobile device <NUM> may include a communication platform <NUM>, a display <NUM>, a graphics processing unit (GPU) <NUM>, a central processing unit (CPU) <NUM>, an I/O <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, and a storage <NUM>. The CPU may include interface circuits and processing circuits similar to the processor <NUM>. In some embodiments, any other suitable component, including but not limited to a system bus or a controller (not shown), may also be included in the mobile device <NUM>. In some embodiments, a mobile operating system <NUM> (e.g., iOS™, Android™, Windows Phone™, etc.) and one or more applications <NUM> may be loaded into the memory <NUM> from the storage <NUM> in order to be executed by the CPU <NUM>. The applications <NUM> may include a browser or any other suitable mobile apps for receiving and rendering information relating to the camera <NUM>. User interactions with the information stream may be achieved via the I/O devices <NUM> and provided to the processing engine <NUM> and/or other components of the imaging system <NUM> via the network <NUM>.

To implement various modules, units, and their functionalities described in the present disclosure, computer hardware platforms may be used as the hardware platform(s) for one or more of the elements described herein (e.g., the imaging system <NUM>, and/or other components of the imaging system <NUM> described with respect to <FIG>). The hardware elements, operating systems and programming languages of such computers are conventional in nature, and it is presumed that those skilled in the art are adequately familiar therewith to adapt those technologies to select the best facial image of the target human face as described herein. A computer with user interface elements may be used to implement a personal computer (PC) or other type of work station or terminal device, although a computer may also act as a server if appropriately programmed. It is believed that those skilled in the art are familiar with the structure, programming and general operation of such computer equipment and as a result the drawings should be self-explanatory.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processing engine <NUM> according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the processing engine <NUM> may include a determining module <NUM> and a judging module <NUM>.

The determining module <NUM> may be configured to determine a first remaining power. In some embodiments, the first remaining power may be a maximum power that other loads except for the camera <NUM> itself may achieve. For example, the determining module <NUM> may determine the first remaining power based on a maximum power of a camera <NUM> and a working power of the camera <NUM>.

The judging module <NUM> may be configured to determine whether to enable a load of the camera <NUM>. For example, the judging module <NUM> may determine whether an operation condition of a first load is satisfied. As another example, the judging module <NUM> may determine whether an operation condition of a second load is satisfied. As still another example, the judging module <NUM> may enable and/or disable the first load and/or the second load. As still another example, the judging module <NUM> may send an alarm.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process <NUM> for determining whether to enable a first load according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The process <NUM> may be executed by the imaging system <NUM>. For example, the process <NUM> may be implemented as a set of instructions (e.g., an application) stored in the storage ROM <NUM> or the RAM <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may execute the set of instructions, and when executing the instructions, it may be configured to perform the process <NUM>. The operations of the illustrated process presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, the process <NUM> may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally, the order in which the operations of the process as illustrated in <FIG> and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the determining module <NUM>) may determine a first remaining power based on a maximum power of a camera <NUM> and a working power of the camera <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the first remaining power may be a maximum power that other loads except for the camera <NUM> itself may achieve. For example, the first remaining power may be a maximum power that that a circuit in which the camera <NUM> is can support when only one function for capturing images or videos is enabled. In some embodiments, the maximum power of a camera <NUM> may be a maximum power that the camera <NUM> may output without restarting. In some embodiments, the working power of the camera <NUM> may be a minimum working power that the camera <NUM> consumes when only one function for capturing images or videos is enabled. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine the first remaining power by subtracting the maximum power by the working power of the camera <NUM>. In some embodiments, the maximum power and the working power of the camera <NUM> may be determined based on a circuit of the camera <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary circuit of the camera <NUM> according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, a power adapter <NUM> may power the camera <NUM> via a power line <NUM>. The camera <NUM> may include a sampling resistance <NUM>, a power conversion module <NUM>, a processing module <NUM>, and a fill flash driving module <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the sampling resistance <NUM> may connect with the power line <NUM> and an input end of the power conversion module <NUM> in series. The sampling resistance <NUM> may receive a voltage Vi and output a voltage Vin to power the power conversion module <NUM> and the fill flash driving module <NUM>. A resistance value of the sampling resistance <NUM> may be Rs.

In some embodiments, the power conversion module <NUM> may be input the voltage Vin and output a converted voltage to the processing module <NUM> by converting the voltage Vin using a Direct Current Direct Current Converter (DCDC) and a Low Dropout Regulator (LDO) chip. In some embodiments, the voltage Vin may be variable and a minimum value of the voltage Vin may be VMin. VMin may be a voltage protection point that supports the camera <NUM> to operate normally.

In some embodiments, an input end of the processing module <NUM> may connect to an output end of the power conversion module <NUM> to ensure programs inside the processing module <NUM> operates normally. Two sampling channels may connect to two ends of the sampling resistance <NUM> to sample voltages Vi and Vin at the two end of the sampling resistance <NUM>, respectively. The power conversion module <NUM> may output a Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) pin to the fill flash driving module <NUM>. A current of the fill flash may be proportional to a duty ratio of a PWM signal.

In some embodiments, an input end of the fill flash driving module <NUM> may connect to the output voltage Vin from the sampling resistance <NUM>. The fill flash driving module <NUM> may receive PMW signals output from the processing module <NUM>, and output driving current to a fill flash to lighten the fill flash.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the camera <NUM> may be powered and be an original state that only one function for capturing images or videos is enabled. The processing engine <NUM> may obtain two voltages Vi_0 and Vin_0 at two ends of the sampling resistance <NUM> under the original state, respectively. The resistance value Rs of the sampling resistance <NUM> may be known. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a current I<NUM> of the camera <NUM> according to Equation (<NUM>) and the working power P<NUM> of the camera <NUM> according to Equation (<NUM>): <MAT> <MAT> wherein Vi_0 and Vin_0 denotes voltage values at the two ends of the sampling resistance <NUM>, respectively, and Rs denotes the resistance value of the sampling resistance <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may obtain two voltages Vi <NUM> and Vin_1 at two ends of the sampling resistance <NUM> when using a minimum PWM duty ratio PMWMin (PWM<NUM>) to enable the fill flash, respectively. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a current I<NUM> of the camera <NUM> and the working power P<NUM> of the camera <NUM> according to similar algorithms with Equations (<NUM>) and (<NUM>).

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a voltage value Vpow of the power adapter <NUM> and an impedance value Rline of the power line <NUM> according to Equations (<NUM>) and (<NUM>): <MAT> <MAT>.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a maximum current Imax that the camera <NUM> can tolerate without restarting according to Equation (<NUM>), and the maximum power Pmax of the camera <NUM> according to Equation (<NUM>): <MAT> <MAT>.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine the first remaining power Pfree based on the working power P<NUM> and the maximum power Pmax of the camera <NUM> according to Equation (<NUM>): <MAT>.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine whether an operation condition of a first load is satisfied.

In some embodiments, the first load may be a load for different functions of the camera <NUM>. For example, the first load may include a fill flash for providing light for the camera <NUM>, a load for changing a focal length of the camera <NUM>, a load for focusing of the camera <NUM>, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, different first loads may require different operation conditions. In some embodiments, the operation condition of the first load may be used to determine whether the camera <NUM> may restart when enabling the first load. The operation condition of the first load may be predetermined and stored in a storage device (e.g., the storage <NUM>, the ROM <NUM>, the RAM <NUM>, the disk <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, etc.) of the imaging system <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine whether the operation condition of the first load is satisfied based on the first remaining power. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine the maximum duty ratio that the first load may use in the circuit of the camera <NUM> based on the first remaining power. The processing engine <NUM> may compare the maximum duty ratio with a predetermined duty ratio threshold. The predetermined duty ratio threshold may be a minimum duty ratio that the first load needs when enabling the first load steadily. For example, if the maximum duty ratio that the first load may use in the circuit of the camera <NUM> exceeds the duty ratio threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the operation condition of the first load is satisfied. Exemplary processes for determining whether the operation condition of the first load (e.g., a fill flash) is satisfied may be found elsewhere (e.g., <FIG> and the descriptions thereof) in the present disclosure.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the operation condition of the first load is satisfied, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may enable the first load.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the first load may be enabled under the current circumstance without restarting the camera <NUM>. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may enable the first load directly. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may send an enabling instruction to the camera <NUM> (e.g., the processing module <NUM>) to enable the first load. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may enable the first load using the minimum duty ratio (i.e., the predetermined duty ratio threshold) that the first load needs when enabling the first load steadily. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may further adjust parameters of the first load to make images and/or videos captured by the camera <NUM> have optimal performances under the current circumstance.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the operation condition of the first load is not satisfied, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may send an alarm and disable the first load.

In some embodiments, the alarm may remind an operator or user of the camera <NUM> that the camera <NUM> is working with a low voltage. For example, the alarm may be displayed on a user interface of the camera <NUM>. As another example, the alarm may be sound played to the operator or user of the camera <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine whether a second load may be enabled after enabling the first load. For example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine whether an operation condition of the second load is satisfied based on the first remaining power. In some embodiments, the operation condition of the second load may be predetermined and stored in a storage device (e.g., the storage <NUM>, the ROM <NUM>, the RAM <NUM>, the disk <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, etc.) of the imaging system <NUM>. In some embodiments, the process for determining whether to enable the second load may be found elsewhere (e.g., <FIG> and the descriptions thereof) in the present disclosure.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process <NUM> for determining whether to enable a fill flash according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The process <NUM> may be executed by the imaging system <NUM>. For example, the process <NUM> may be implemented as a set of instructions (e.g., an application) stored in the storage ROM <NUM> or the RAM <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may execute the set of instructions, and when executing the instructions, it may be configured to perform the process <NUM>. The operations of the illustrated process presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, the process <NUM> may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally, the order in which the operations of the process as illustrated in <FIG> and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may obtain a mapping relation between a duty ratio of the fill flash and a consumed power of the fill flash.

In some embodiments, the mapping relation may reflect different consumed powers of the fill flash when the fill flash is driven by PWM signals with different duty ratios. In some embodiments, the duty ratio of the fill flash and the consumed power of the fill flash may bear a one-to-one relationship. In some embodiments, the mapping relation may be in a form of a curve chart, a table, an equation, an algorithm, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the mapping relation may be predetermined and stored in a storage device (e.g., the storage <NUM>, the ROM <NUM>, the RAM <NUM>, the disk <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, etc.) of the imaging system <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the mapping relation may be determined based on a plurality of experimental data obtained from a circuit of the camera <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the processing module <NUM> may output a PWM signal with a duty ratio of PWM<NUM> by adding a step length s from the PWM duty ratio of PWM<NUM>. The processing engine <NUM> may obtain two voltages Vi_2 and Vin_2 at two ends of the sampling resistance <NUM> when using the duty ratio of PWM<NUM>, respectively. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a current I<NUM> of the camera <NUM> and a current power P<NUM> of the camera <NUM> according to similar algorithms with Equations (<NUM>) and (<NUM>). In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may obtain two voltages Vi_n and Vin_n at two ends of the sampling resistance <NUM> when using the duty ratio of PWMn, respectively. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a current In of the camera <NUM> and a current power Pn of the camera <NUM> according to similar algorithms with Equations (<NUM>) and (<NUM>). The duty ratio of PWMn may be obtained by adding a step length (n-<NUM>)s, wherein n>=<NUM>.

In some embodiments, a consumed power of the fill flash Pled may be determined according to Equation (<NUM>): <MAT>.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may establish the mapping relation between the duty ratio of the fill flash and the consumed power of the fill flash based on the consumed powers of the fill flash Pled under different PWM duty ratio PWMn. For example, the power line <NUM> is <NUM> meters and the fill flash is a dual-LED flash with a rated current of <NUM> mA. Parameters obtained or determined from the circuit as shown in <FIG> may be illustrated as TAB.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may establish the mapping relation between the PWM duty ratio and the consumed power of the fill flash according to TAB. For example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a fitting formula Pled = f(PWM) based on the consumed power of the fill flash under different PWM duty ratio. As another example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a fitting curve as shown in <FIG> based on the consumed power of the fill flash under different PWM duty ratio. <FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary mapping relation between a PWM duty ratio of a fill flash and a consumed power of the fill flash according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine a maximum duty ratio of the fill flash based on the mapping relation and the first remaining power.

In some embodiments, the maximum duty ratio of the fill flash may be a maximum duty ratio that the fill flash may use under the current circumstance. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may input the first remaining power that represents the maximum power that the fill flash may use in the current circumstance into the fitting formula Pled = f(PWM) to obtain the maximum duty ratio of the fill flash. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may look up the power value of the first remaining power in <FIG>, and determine a duty ratio under the power value of the first remaining power as the maximum duty ratio of the fill flash.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine whether the maximum duty ratio exceeds a duty ratio threshold.

In some embodiments, the duty ratio threshold may be a minimum duty ratio that the fill flash needs when enabling the fill flash steadily. In some embodiments, the duty ratio threshold may be predetermined and stored in a storage device (e.g., the storage <NUM>, the ROM <NUM>, the RAM <NUM>, the disk <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, etc.) of the imaging system <NUM>.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the maximum duty ratio exceeds the duty ratio threshold, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine that the operation condition of the first load is satisfied.

In some embodiments, in response to the determination that the maximum duty ratio exceeds the duty ratio threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the fill flash may be enabled without restarting the camera <NUM>.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may enable the fill flash using the duty ratio threshold.

In some embodiments, to prevent the fill flash from flickering, the processing engine <NUM> may enable the fill flash using the minimum duty ratio that the fill flash needs when enabling the fill flash steadily (i.e., the duty ratio threshold).

Referring back to <NUM>, in response to a determination that the maximum duty ratio is less than the duty ratio threshold, in <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may disable the fill flash and send an alarm.

In some embodiments, in response to a determination that the maximum duty ratio is less than the duty ratio threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the operation condition of the fill flash is not satisfied. If the fill flash is enabled, the camera <NUM> may be restarted. The processing engine <NUM> may not enable the fill flash and may send an alarm to remind the operator or the user of the camera <NUM> that the voltage of the camera is low.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process <NUM> for determining a target duty ratio of a fill flash according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The process <NUM> may be executed by the imaging system <NUM>. For example, the process <NUM> may be implemented as a set of instructions (e.g., an application) stored in the storage ROM <NUM> or the RAM <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may execute the set of instructions, and when executing the instructions, it may be configured to perform the process <NUM>. The operations of the illustrated process presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, the process <NUM> may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally, the order in which the operations of the process as illustrated in <FIG> and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In some embodiments, after enabling the fill flash using the minimum duty ratio that the fill flash needs when enabling the fill flash steadily (i.e., the duty ratio threshold), the processing engine <NUM> may proceed with the process <NUM> to adjust the fill flash to achieve an optimal luminance of a scene that the camera <NUM> monitors. In some embodiments, during an operation of the fill flash and the camera <NUM>, the voltage of the camera may be variable. The processing engine <NUM> may proceed with the process <NUM> to adjust the fill flash in real-time.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may obtain an adjusting parameter based on a real-time voltage of the camera <NUM> and a real-time duty ratio of the fill flash.

In some embodiments, the adjusting parameter may reflect a real-time operating environment of the camera <NUM> and the fill flash. The adjusting parameter may be used to determine whether the fill flash is an optimal working condition under the current circumstance. In some embodiments, the adjusting parameter may be determined based on the real-time voltage Vin of the camera <NUM> to the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash according to a predetermined algorithm. For example, the adjusting parameter may be a ratio of the real-time voltage Vin of the camera <NUM> to the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine a target duty ratio of the fill flash based on the adjusting parameter.

In some embodiments, using the target duty ratio, the fill flash may provide an optimal luminance of the scene that the camera <NUM> monitors under the current circumstance. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine the target duty ratio based on the adjusting parameter. For example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine a step length that the current PWM duty ratio may increase or decrease under the current circumstance of the adjusting parameter. The processing engine <NUM> may add the step length to the real-time duty ratio of the fill flash or subtract the step length from the real-time duty ratio of the fill flash to obtain the target duty ratio of the fill flash. As another example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the fill flash does not need to be adjusted. The processing engine <NUM> may assign the real-time duty ratio of the fill flash as the target duty ratio. In some embodiments, the process for determining the step length for adjusting the fill flash may be found elsewhere (e.g., <FIG> and the descriptions thereof) in the present disclosure.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determining a step length for adjusting a fill flash according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The process <NUM> may be executed by the imaging system <NUM>. For example, the process <NUM> may be implemented as a set of instructions (e.g., an application) stored in the storage ROM <NUM> or the RAM <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may execute the set of instructions, and when executing the instructions, it may be configured to perform the process <NUM>. The operations of the illustrated process presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, the process <NUM> may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally, the order in which the operations of the process as illustrated in <FIG> and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine whether the adjusting parameter satisfies an adjusting condition.

In some embodiments, the adjusting condition may be used to determine whether the fill flash provides the optimal luminance for the camera <NUM> under the current circumstance. In some embodiments, the adjusting condition may be predetermined and stored in a storage device (e.g., the storage <NUM>, the ROM <NUM>, the RAM <NUM>, the disk <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, etc.) of the imaging system <NUM>. For example, the adjusting condition may include determining whether the adjusting parameter exceeds a first threshold and/or a second threshold.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine whether the adjusting parameter exceeds the first threshold. For example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine whether the ratio of the real-time voltage Vin of the camera <NUM> to the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash, Vin/ PWMcru, exceeds the first threshold PWMdown-thr. If the ratio Vin/ PWMcru is less than the first threshold PWMdown-thr, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the real-time voltage Vin of the fill flash may be less than the voltage protection point Vmin that supports the camera <NUM> to operate normally, which may lead to the restart of the camera <NUM>. The processing engine <NUM> may decrease the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash to increase the real-time voltage Vin of the camera <NUM> to prevent the camera <NUM> from restarting. As another example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine whether the ratio of the real-time voltage Vin of the camera <NUM> to the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash, Vin/ PWMcru, exceeds the second threshold PWMup-thr. If the ratio Vin/ PWMcru exceeds the second threshold PWMup-thr, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the real-time voltage Vin of the fill flash may be great enough to increase the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash to increase the luminance that the fill flash provides. The processing engine <NUM> may increase the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash to achieve an optimal luminance effect. As still another example, if the ratio Vin/ PWMcru exceeds the first threshold PWMdown-thr and is less than the second threshold PWMup-thr, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the real-time voltage Vin of the camera <NUM> and the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash may be under steady states. The processing engine <NUM> may not adjust the luminance that the fill flash provides.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the adjusting parameter satisfies the adjusting condition, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine a step length based on the maximum duty ratio of the fill flash and the real-time voltage of the camera.

In some embodiments, the step length may be proportional to the maximum duty ratio of the fill flash and the real-time voltage of the camera. For example, the processing engine <NUM> may determine the step length according to Equation (<NUM>): <MAT> wherein PWMstep denotes the step length, Vdiff denotes a difference between the real-time voltage Vin of the camera <NUM> and the voltage protection point Vmin, PWMinitMax denotes a maximum duty ratio that the fill flash may use when enabling the fill flash, and A and B denote predetermined coefficients.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may adjust the fill flash based on the step length.

In some embodiments, if the processing engine <NUM> determines to decrease the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash, the processing engine <NUM> may subtract the step length from the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash. In some embodiments, if the processing engine <NUM> determines to increase the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash, the processing engine <NUM> may add the step length to the real-time duty ratio PWMcru of the fill flash.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the adjusting parameter does not satisfy the adjusting condition, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may remain the fill flash.

In some embodiments, if the ratio Vin/ PWMcru exceeds the first threshold PWMdown-thr and is less than the second threshold PWMup-thr, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the adjusting parameter does not satisfy the adjusting condition. The processing engine <NUM> may remain the fill flash without adjusting the current parameters of the fill flash.

In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may further determine whether a luminance that the fill flash provides for the camera <NUM> to capture videos or images exceeds a predetermined target luminance threshold. If the luminance is less than the predetermined target luminance threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may loop operations <NUM>-<NUM> until the luminance exceeds the predetermined target luminance threshold. In some embodiments, the step length that used for adjusting the fill flash may be determined dynamically and may solve problems of large fluctuation due to a low voltage of a long power line.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determining whether to enable a second load according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The process <NUM> may be executed by the imaging system <NUM>. For example, the process <NUM> may be implemented as a set of instructions (e.g., an application) stored in the storage ROM <NUM> or the RAM <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may execute the set of instructions, and when executing the instructions, it may be configured to perform the process <NUM>. The operations of the illustrated process presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, the process <NUM> may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally, the order in which the operations of the process as illustrated in <FIG> and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine a second remaining power based on the first remaining power and a current working power of the first load.

In some embodiments, the second remaining power may be a remaining power after subtracting the current working power Pled of the first load from the first remaining power Pfree.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine whether the second remaining power exceeds a power threshold.

In some embodiments, the power threshold may be a minimum power that the second load needs when enabling the second load. In some embodiments, the power threshold may be stored in a storage device (e.g., the storage <NUM>, the ROM <NUM>, the RAM <NUM>, the disk <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, etc.) of the imaging system <NUM> or determined based on the second load.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the second remaining power exceeds the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may enable the second load.

In some embodiments, in response to the determination that the second remaining power exceeds the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the second remaining power is enough for enabling the second load without changing the current parameters of the first load and the camera <NUM>.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the second remaining power is less than the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine a third remaining power based on the first remaining power and a minimum working power of the first load.

In some embodiments, in response to the determination that the second remaining power is less than the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the second remaining power is not enough for enabling the second load and the camera <NUM> may be restarted if enabling the second load. The processing engine <NUM> may further determine whether the second load may be enabled after adjusting the first load using the duty ratio threshold. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may determine the minimum working power of the first load when the first load is working using the duty ratio threshold. The third remaining power may be a remaining power after subtracting the minimum working power Pled_min of the first load from the first remaining power Pfree.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine whether the third remaining power exceeds the power threshold.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the third remaining power exceeds the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may enable the first load using a minimum duty ratio of the first load and the second load.

In some embodiments, in response to the determination that the third remaining power exceeds the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the third remaining power is enough for enabling the second load without restarting the camera <NUM>. The processing engine <NUM> may enable the first load using the minimum duty ratio (i.e., the duty ratio threshold) of the first load and enable the second load. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may further send an alarm for prompting a low voltage of the camera <NUM>.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the third remaining power is less than the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may determine whether the first remaining power exceeds the power threshold.

In some embodiments, in response to the determination that the third remaining power is less than the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the third remaining power is not enough for enabling the second load and the camera <NUM> may be restarted if enabling the second load. The processing engine <NUM> may further determine whether the second load may be enabled after disabling the first load.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the first remaining power exceeds the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may disable the first load.

In some embodiments, in response to the determination that the first remaining power exceeds the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the first remaining power is enough for enabling the second load without restarting the camera <NUM>. The processing engine <NUM> may disable the first load and enable the second load. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may further send an alarm for prompting a low voltage of the camera <NUM>.

In <NUM>, in response to a determination that the first remaining power is less than the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may disable the second load.

In some embodiments, in response to the determination that the first remaining power is less than the power threshold, the processing engine <NUM> may determine that the first remaining power is not enough for enabling the second load and the camera <NUM> may be restarted if enabling the first load. The processing engine <NUM> may disable the second load.

In <NUM>, the processing engine <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the judging module <NUM>) may send an alarm. In some embodiments, the processing engine <NUM> may send the alarm for prompting a low voltage of the camera <NUM>.

Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather apparent to those skilled in the art after reading this detailed disclosure that the foregoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way of example only and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, and modifications may occur.

Aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented entirely hardware, entirely software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or combining software and hardware implementation that may all generally be referred to herein as a "block," "module," "engine," "unit," "component," or "system. " Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable media having computer-readable program code embodied thereon.

A computer-readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. A computer-readable signal medium may be any computer-readable medium that is not a computer-readable storage medium and that may communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer-readable signal medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, or the like, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Claim 1:
An imaging system, comprising:
at least one storage medium including a set of instructions; and
at least one processor (<NUM>) in communication with the storage medium,
wherein when executing the set of instructions, the at least one processor (<NUM>) is directed to perform operations including:
determining a first remaining power based on a maximum power of a camera (<NUM>) and a working power of the camera (<NUM>);
determining whether an operation condition of a first load is satisfied based on the first remaining power; and
in response to a determination that the operation condition of the first load is satisfied, enabling the first load;
characterized in that the first load is a fill flash and the determining whether the operation condition of the first load is satisfied includes:
obtaining a mapping relation between a duty ratio of the fill flash and a consumed power of the fill flash;
determining a maximum duty ratio of the fill flash based on the mapping relation and the first remaining power;
determining whether the maximum duty ratio of the fill flash exceeds a duty ratio threshold; and
in response to a determination that the maximum duty ratio exceeds the duty ratio threshold, determining that the operation condition of the first load is satisfied.