PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12167129-B2
Application Number: US-202318481066-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Video monitoring using a hierarchical combination of camera sensors

Abstract:
An apparatus includes a primary camera sensor configured to capture images having a first resolution, a primary processing circuit configured to process images captured by the primary camera sensor, a secondary camera sensor configured to capture images having a second resolution, and a secondary processing circuit configured to process images captured by the secondary camera sensor. In response to a determination that a particular object of interest is included in a particular image, the secondary processing circuit may be further configured to cause the primary processing circuit and the primary camera sensor to exit a reduced power mode. The primary camera sensor may be further configured, in response to the exiting, to capture a different image. The primary processing circuit may also be configured to process the different image to validate the particular object of interest.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus comprising:
 a primary device, including a primary sensor, configured to detect datasets of interest within data collected from the primary sensor; and 
 a secondary device, including a secondary sensor, configured to:
 while the primary device is in a reduced-power state, detect a particular dataset of interest in data collected from the secondary sensor; 
 determine, using the data collected from the secondary sensor, a priority value for the particular dataset of interest, wherein the priority value is indicative of a time period to determine whether the particular dataset of interest is valid; 
 determine, using the priority value, to cause the primary device to exit the reduced-power state; and 
 after the exiting, process additional data collected from the secondary sensor; and 
 
 wherein the primary device is further configured to:
   in response to the exiting, process new data collected from the primary sensor; and   determine, based on the processing of the new data by the primary device and the additional data by the secondary device, whether the particular dataset of interest is valid.   
 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the secondary device is further configured to: prior to determining the priority value, determine whether the particular dataset of interest can be validated without waking the primary device from the reduced-power state; and
 in response to a determination that the particular dataset of interest cannot be validated, cause the primary device to exit the reduced-power state. 
 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the secondary device is further configured to: in response to a determination that the particular dataset of interest can be validated without waking the primary device, confirm that the particular dataset of interest is valid without waking the primary device. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the secondary device is further configured to:
 detect a different dataset of interest in the data collected from the secondary sensor; 
 determine, using a different priority value for the different dataset, to cause the primary device to re-exit the reduced-power state; and 
 in response to the primary device re-exiting the reduced-power state, enter the reduced-power state; and 
 wherein the primary device is further configured to:
 in response to the re-exiting, process newer data collected from the primary sensor; and 
 determine, based on the processing of the newer data from the primary sensor, whether the different dataset of interest is valid. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a resolution of the primary device is greater than a resolution of the secondary device; and
 wherein a power consumption of the primary device is greater than a power consumption of the secondary device. 
 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the primary device is further configured to:
 in response to an indication to enter a power-down mode, enter the reduced-power state, wherein the primary device has a first wake-up time from the reduced-power state to an active state; and 
 wherein the secondary device is further configured to: 
 in response to the indication to enter the power-down mode, enter the reduced-power state, wherein the secondary device has a second wake-up time that is less than the first wake-up time. 
 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein to process data collected from the primary sensor, the primary device includes a primary neural network that uses a first set of characteristics; and
 wherein to process data collected from the secondary sensor, the secondary device includes a secondary neural network that uses a second set of characteristics. 
 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the second set of characteristics is a proper subset of the first set of characteristics; and
 wherein to process collected data, the secondary neural network includes fewer nodes than the primary neural network. 
 
     
     
       9. A method, comprising:
 causing, by a power-mode state machine, a primary device and a secondary device to enter a reduced-power state; 
 in response to a first indication to enter a monitor state, causing, by the power-mode state machine, the secondary device to enter an active state, wherein the secondary device processes data from a secondary sensor in the active state; 
 in response to a second indication from the secondary device to enter a confirm state to validate a particular dataset of interest, causing, by the power-mode state machine, the primary device to enter an active state to confirm the particular dataset of interest, wherein the primary device processes data from a primary sensor in the active state; and 
 in response to a third indication to re-enter the monitor state, causing, by the power-mode state machine, the primary device to re-enter the reduced-power state. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 based on the second indication from the secondary device, causing, by the power-mode state machine, the secondary device to re-enter the reduced-power state. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 after entering the active state in response to the first indication, collecting, by the secondary device, data from the secondary sensor; 
 detecting, by the secondary device, the particular dataset of interest in the collected data; and 
 in response to determining that the particular dataset of interest cannot be validated without the primary device, determining, by the secondary device, a priority value for the particular dataset of interest. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 sending, by the secondary device based on the priority value, the second indication with a request to enter the confirm state. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein detecting the particular dataset of interest includes using, by the secondary device, a secondary neural network to process the collected data, wherein the processing includes:
 identifying an object in the particular dataset of interest; 
 determining a type of the object; and 
 using the determined type of object to determine whether to send the second indication. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 after entering the active state in response to the second indication, collecting, by the primary device, new data from the primary sensor; 
 using, by the primary device, a primary neural network to process the new data collected from the primary sensor; and 
 based on one or more outputs of the primary neural network, determining whether the particular dataset of interest is valid. 
 
     
     
       15. A system, comprising:
 a memory circuit; 
 a processor circuit configured to execute program instructions stored in the memory circuit; 
 a sensor system including:
 a sensor circuit including a primary sensor and a secondary sensor; 
 a primary device, configured to detect datasets of interest within data collected from the primary sensor; 
 a secondary device configured to detect datasets of interest in data collected from the secondary sensor; 
 
 wherein the processor circuit is configured to:
 in response to executing a particular application, send an indication to the sensor system to exit a reduced-power state and enter a monitor state; 
 
 wherein the sensor system is configured to:
 in response to the indication, wake the secondary device from the reduced-power state while the primary device remains in the reduced-power state; 
 use the secondary device to identify a particular dataset of interest in data collected from the sensor circuit; and 
 use the particular dataset of interest to determine whether to wake the primary device from the reduced-power state to determine whether the particular dataset of interest is valid. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the secondary device includes a secondary neural network, and wherein the secondary device is configured to:
 use the secondary neural network to generate one or more coarse outputs indicative of the particular dataset of interest; and 
 use the one or more coarse outputs to determine if the particular dataset of interest can be validated without waking the primary device. 
 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 16 , wherein the sensor system is further configured to:
 in response to an indication from the secondary device, wake the primary device and use the primary device to validate the particular dataset of interest, wherein the primary device includes a primary neural network, and wherein the primary device is configured to use the primary neural network to generate one or more primary outputs indicative of a validity of the particular dataset of interest; and 
 in response to a determination that the particular dataset of interest is valid, send a notification of the validity of the particular dataset of interest to the processor circuit. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the processor circuit is further configured to send one or more characteristics provided by the particular application to the sensor system; and
 wherein the sensor system is further configured to add the one or more characteristics to a set of characteristics that are used by the primary, but not the secondary, neural network. 
 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the sensor system is further configured to based on the particular dataset of interest, wake the primary device from the reduced-power state while maintaining the secondary device in an active state. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19 , wherein the sensor system is further configured to:
 use the primary and secondary devices in parallel to collect and process additional data associated with the particular dataset of interest; and 
 using outputs from both the primary and secondary devices, determine whether the particular dataset of interest is valid.

Description:
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/150,832, entitled “Video Monitoring Using a Hierarchical Combination of Camera Sensors,” filed Jan. 15, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     Embodiments described herein are related to video monitoring and, more particularly, to use of multiple camera sensors to monitor a visible area. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Camera sensors may be used to generate images of a visible area. These images may then be analyzed by processing circuits to identify particular portions of the image (e.g., facial recognition) or to identify particular movements (e.g., gesture recognition). Images used for such identifications may have high resolutions to obtain visual details necessary to achieve a desired accuracy. Furthermore, techniques used for these identification analyses may utilize processing circuits capable of analyzing multiple characteristics that may be present in the high-resolution images. Power requirements for capturing and processing high resolution images result in many such systems being static and powered by an AC power line or other non-mobile power source. 
     SUMMARY 
     In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a primary camera sensor configured to capture images having a first resolution, a primary processing circuit coupled to the primary camera sensor and configured to process images captured by the primary camera sensor, a secondary camera sensor configured to capture images having a second resolution that is lower than the first resolution, and a secondary processing circuit coupled to the secondary camera sensor and configured to process images captured by the secondary camera sensor. The secondary processing circuit may be further configured, in response to a determination that a particular object of interest is included in a particular image, to cause the primary processing circuit and the primary camera sensor to exit a reduced power mode. The primary camera sensor may be further configured, in response to the exiting, to capture a different image. The primary processing circuit may be further configured to process the different image to validate the particular object of interest. 
     In a further embodiment, the secondary processing circuit and the secondary camera sensor may receive power from an always-on power node. In another example, the apparatus may further include an optical lens system. The primary camera sensor and the secondary camera sensor may be coupled to the optical lens system. 
     In one example, the primary processing circuit may be further configured to determine that no objects to of interest are included in a given image from the primary camera sensor, and to cause, in response to the determination, the primary camera sensor enter the reduced power mode. In response to the primary camera sensor entering the reduced power mode, the primary processing circuit may enter the reduced power mode. 
     In an example, the secondary processing circuit may be further configured, in response to the primary processing circuit exiting the reduced power mode, to send information associated with the particular image to the primary processing circuit. In a further embodiment, the sent information may include one or more sets of co-ordinates associated with the particular object of interest. In another example, the sent information may include a priority level associated with the particular object of interest. 
     In another example, the primary and secondary processing circuits may include respective first and second neural networks. The second neural network may include fewer nodes than the first neural network. In one example, to determine that the particular object of interest is included in the particular image, the secondary processing circuit may be configured to compare the particular image to at least one previously captured image. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following detailed description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which are now briefly described. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of a camera system with two camera sensors. 
         FIG.  2    shows a block diagram of an embodiment of an image routing device used to present a camera lens view to two camera sensors. 
         FIG.  3    depicts two examples of identifying objects within captured images. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a block diagram of embodiments of two image processing circuits. 
         FIG.  5    shows an example of a state diagram for power modes for an embodiment of a camera system. 
         FIG.  6    shows a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for identifying objects of interest within an area. 
         FIG.  7    shows a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for validating whether a particular object in a first image is an object of interest. 
         FIG.  8    depicts a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer system associated with the camera system of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  9    illustrates various embodiments of systems that include camera systems. 
         FIG.  10    shows a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium, according to some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     While embodiments described in this disclosure may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     As described above, a camera system may be used to identify objects and/or movements that are in a field of view of the camera system. Such a system, however, may consume an amount of power that limits portability of the camera system due to bulk of a power source, or limits a number of times that the camera system can perform the identifications due to a limited power supply. 
     A computing device is desired that can perform object identifications frequently, e.g. multiple times per minute over a day of constant or frequent use. For example, a wearable camera system could be used to monitor a user&#39;s surroundings and detect when a person, an item, a place, or other object of interest comes into view of the wearable camera system. Such a wearable camera system may be included in a smart watch, a pendant, a headband/hat, eyeglasses, or another apparatus worn fully or partially on the body of a user. A wearable camera system for such applications, however, may have a limited power supply for performing object identification tasks, particularly if the camera system is included in a device that performs other, unrelated tasks. 
     The present disclosure recognizes that a camera system that utilizes a low-power low-resolution image capturing and processing system in combination with higher-resolution image capturing and processing system may be capable of performing object identification tasks while consuming an acceptable amount power from a portable power supply. In such a hierarchical camera system, a low-resolution image may be captured periodically, e.g., every second, and analyzed using a low power processing circuit. Such analysis may generate a coarse determination of whether an object of interest has entered a view of a camera lens. If an object of interest is suspected, then the higher-resolution image capturing and processing system captures a higher-resolution image and determines whether the coarse determination was valid. In response to a valid determination, a user of the camera system is alerted to the object in question. Use of the low-resolution image capturing and processing system to provide an initial indication of an object of interest may reduce overall power consumption in comparison to using a single higher-resolution image capturing and processing system, in an embodiment. Such a hierarchical camera system may be capable of operating over a course of a user&#39;s day using a portable power source, such as a battery capable of fitting into a watch or eyeglasses, in an embodiment. While specific examples of time intervals and time of use intervals are given herein, it is noted that longer or shorter intervals may be used in various embodiments and various embodiments may support different amounts of time of use based on a given power supply. 
     Embodiments of apparatus and methods are presented in which a secondary camera sensor is configured to capture images using a low resolution, and a secondary processing circuit is configured to process images captured by the secondary camera sensor. In response to a determination that an object of interest is included in a particular image, the secondary processing circuit causes a primary processing circuit and a primary camera sensor to exit a reduced power mode. The primary camera sensor is configured to capture a different image having a higher resolution than the particular image. The primary processing circuit is further configured to process the different image to validate the particular object of interest. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of a camera system utilizing two camera sensors. In the illustrated embodiment, camera system  100  includes primary camera device  101  and secondary camera device  110 . Primary and secondary camera devices  101  and  110  include respective processing circuits ( 105  and  115 ) and respective camera sensors ( 107  and  117 ). Both primary and secondary camera devices  101  and  110  receive power via power node  120 , although primary camera device  101  receives the power through power switch  125 . In some embodiments, circuitry associated with camera system  100  is included in an integrated circuit (IC), such as a system-on-chip (SoC) which, in turn, may include one or more other processing circuits. In other embodiments, the circuitry associated with camera system  100  may be implemented using any suitable combination of multiple integrated circuits (ICs). For example, circuitry associated for primary camera device  101  may be implemented on a first IC, and circuitry associated with secondary camera device  110  may be implemented on a second IC, or circuitry for primary and secondary processing circuits  105  and  115  may be implemented on a first IC while circuitry for primary and secondary camera sensors  107  and  117  is implemented on a second IC. In some embodiments, primary and secondary processing circuits  105  and  115 , and primary and secondary camera sensors  107  and  117  may each be implemented on respective ICs. 
     Camera system  100  may be included in a computing device, such as a wearable smart-device (smartwatch, smart-glasses, etc.) or a smartphone or camera affixed to a wearable item such as a hat or lanyard. In some embodiments, computing device may be a stationary device such as a security camera at a residence, office, or the like. In various embodiments, the computing device may include a display and/or audio speaker, and/or may be coupled to another device that includes such elements. Camera system  100  is configured to perform monitoring tasks of an area near the wearer/user. Camera system  100 , may, for example, be used as part of a navigation application to guide the user to a particular location, or to provide information to the user regarding points of interest, businesses, schools, government offices, and the like. Additionally, camera system  100  may be used to provide information regarding safety and security of the user, e.g., identify a rapidly approaching vehicle, identify dangerous animals, poisonous plants, and other such threats. In regards to stationary devices, one or more camera systems may be placed around a structure to provide information such as identifying people walking into and out of monitored areas, track and identify pets and/or wildlife traversing through the field of view, and the like. Parks and wildlife refuges may use camera system to monitor endangered species and identify threats (e.g., poachers, predators, floods, fire, etc.) that may harm the species. Numerous monitoring uses for camera system  100  are contemplated. 
     To perform such monitoring functions, camera system  100  may remain in, or frequently enter, an active mode in which an image is generated and processed to identify if an object of interest is in view of the camera. Such constant or frequent usage, however, may require a considerable amount of power, particularly if camera system  100  is expected to be operating for a long period of time, such as a waking part of the user&#39;s day. In order to satisfy power consumption targets to meet operational expectations, camera system  100  includes two camera devices, primary camera device  101  and secondary camera device  110 . 
     As shown, primary camera device  101  includes primary camera sensor  107  configured to capture images having a first resolution, and primary processing circuit  105  that is coupled to primary camera sensor  107  and is configured to process images captured by the primary camera sensor  107 . Primary camera sensor  107  is capable of capturing images at a resolution that is high enough to perform the monitoring functions described above. Furthermore, primary processing circuit  105  is capable of processing the images captured by primary camera sensor  107  to identify objects of interest that camera system  100  is configured to identify. For example, camera system  100  may be configured to identify particular articles of clothing belonging to the user. Accordingly, in this example, primary camera sensor  107  and primary processing circuit  105  are capable of distinguishing between images of articles of clothing belonging to the user from images of other similar, but distinct articles of clothing. In an embodiment, camera system  100  may also identify any article of clothing as an “object of interest” that may warrant further processing/identification. In addition, primary camera sensor  107  and primary processing circuit  105  may be capable of distinguishing between an image captured of an image of a known article of clothing from an image of the actual known article of clothing. 
     To provide these capabilities, primary camera device  101  may consume an amount of power that would, if used exclusively for monitoring tasks, drain a battery included in the computing device in an unacceptably short amount of time, for example one hour. To extend battery life, primary camera device  101  is coupled to power node  120  via power switch  125 . To reduce power consumption, camera system  100  may place primary camera device into a reduced power mode when primary camera device  101  is not active by opening power switch  125  to prevent current from reaching one or more circuits included in primary camera device  101 . In some embodiments, power switch  125  may be implemented using one or more metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) or other type of transconductance devices. Although illustrated as switching power on or off to an entirety of primary camera device  101 , power switch  125  may, in other embodiments, control power delivery to a subset of circuits of primary camera device  101 . Generally, a “reduced power mode” is a mode in which the power consumed is less than the power consumed in another power mode to which it is compared. 
     Camera system  100  further includes secondary camera device  110 . Secondary camera device  110 , as illustrated, includes secondary camera sensor  117  that is configured to capture images having a second resolution that is lower than the first resolution of primary camera sensor  107 . In addition, secondary camera device  110  includes secondary processing circuit  115  that is coupled to secondary camera sensor  117  and is configured to process images captured by the secondary camera sensor. Secondary camera device  110  is, as shown, coupled directly to power node  120 , and may therefore, be active whenever power node  120  is providing power. In some embodiments, power node  120  may be an always-on power node, providing power to secondary camera device  110  whenever the computing device is powered-on. 
     To prevent an unacceptable amount of battery drain, secondary camera device  110 , as shown, is designed for a particular amount of power consumption while active. This limited amount of power may result in more limited image processing capabilities than are available in primary camera device  101 . Accordingly, in some embodiments, secondary camera sensor  117  captures images with reduced resolution as compared to primary camera sensor  107 . In some embodiments, secondary camera sensor  117  captures images with the same resolution as compared to primary camera sensor  107 , but may employ one or more image processing techniques to reduce power consumption. The reduced resolution may result in secondary camera sensor  117  consuming less power than primary camera sensor  107 . In a similar manner, secondary processing circuit  115  may have reduced processing capabilities as compared to primary processing circuit  105 . Secondary camera device  110 , therefore, may not perform identification tasks with a same level of accuracy as primary camera device  101 . 
     While camera system  100  is enabled for monitoring tasks, secondary camera device  110 , as depicted, remains active while primary camera device  101  is in the reduced power mode. While primary camera device  101  is in the reduced power mode, secondary camera sensor  117  captures image  133 . Secondary processing circuit  115  analyzes image  133  to detect whether an object of interest may be included in image  133 . Secondary processing circuit  115  may be configured to detect objects with a particular shape, size, type of movement, and or color. For example, secondary processing circuit  115  may attempt to detect any one or more of: people, particular types of animals, particular objects in a room, business signs, road signs, vehicular traffic, and the like. The detection may be location-aware (e.g. attempting to detect different objects when indoors versus outside, or according to a particular location such as home or work). Due to the lower resolution of image  133  and to reduced processing capabilities in comparison to primary camera device  101 , secondary processing circuit  115  may not be capable of identifying a specific person, place, or thing, but instead detect objects that might be of importance or interest to the user. 
     In some embodiments, the user of the computing device may provide information to camera system  100  indicative of particular interests the user wants camera system  100  to identify. In other embodiments, particular interests may be determined based on information included in the computing device or other devices with which the computing device may communicate. For example, if the computing device that includes camera system  100  is a pair of smart eyeglasses, then the eyeglasses may communicate with a remote computing device such as a smart phone or tablet that a wearer of the eyeglasses has nearby. The camera system  100  may communicate with the smart phone to identify images of contacts, pets, or other objects. If the user has a substantial number of photos of birds in a photo gallery, then camera system  100  may determine that the user is a bird watcher and monitor captured images for birds. In some embodiments, camera system  100  may use the smart phone to access social media of the user to identify interests. Camera system  100  may access a map, navigation, and/or a calendar application on the smart phone to determine if the user is in route to a particular location or is searching for a particular type of business such as a restaurant, museum, shopping, and the like. Such access to personal information by camera system  100  may be limited by the user, for example, via a set of privacy settings, to prevent camera system  100  from accessing more information that the user is comfortable sharing. 
     In response to a determination that object of interest  137  is included in image  133 , secondary processing circuit  115  is configured to cause primary processing circuit  105  and primary camera sensor  107  to exit the reduced power mode. As shown, secondary processing circuit  115  may identify a particular shape within image  133  as object of interest  137 . Secondary processing circuit  115  may not have a capability to definitively decide that object of interest  137  is a valid object of interest to the user, but instead recognizes enough details to determine that the detected object may be of interest. Secondary processing circuit  115  asserts an indication of a detection of object of interest  137  (e.g., wake signal  141 ) which causes primary camera device  101 , including both primary processing circuit  105  and primary camera sensor  107  to exit the reduced power mode and enter an active mode. 
     As depicted, primary camera sensor  107  is further configured, in response to the exiting, to capture a different image  135 . Image  135 , due to being captured by primary camera sensor  107 , has a higher resolution than image  133 . In turn, primary processing circuit  105  is further configured to process image  135  to validate object of interest  137 . Primary processing circuit  105 , in some embodiments, includes more processing bandwidth and/or processing performance than secondary processing circuit  115 , enabling primary processing circuit  105  to analyze the higher resolution image  135  and identify, with greater accuracy than secondary processing circuit  115 , if object of interest  137  satisfies a threshold level of interest for notifying the user. 
     In response to determining that the particular object is an object of interest, primary processing circuit  105 , as shown, causes a notification to be sent to a display coupled to the primary camera device. In various embodiments, the display (not shown in  FIG.  1   ) may be included in a same computing device as camera system  100 , or may be included in a separate device that is communicatively coupled to the computing device including camera system  100 . For example, the computing device may be a smart watch or smart glasses that include an integrated screen for displaying content to the user. In other embodiments, the computing device may be another form of wearable device such as a hat or pendant that uses a wired or wireless communication link to a smartphone, tablet, or the like. In other embodiments, the notification may be audible, utilize vibrations, or include various combinations of visual, audible, and vibrations. 
     In response to a determination that no objects to of interest are included in image  135  from primary camera sensor  107 , primary processing circuit  105 , as depicted, causes primary camera sensor  107  to enter the reduced power mode. Furthermore, in response to primary camera sensor  107  entering the reduced power mode, primary processing circuit  105  enters the reduced power mode. As illustrated, primary processing circuit  105  determines that the indication of the detection of object of interest  137  received from secondary processing circuit  115  was invalid. Primary camera device  101  returns to the reduced power mode without generating any notification to the user. In an embodiment, the primary camera device  101  may be configured to attempt to identify object(s) of interest for multiple consecutive image captures when the primary camera device  101  has been powered up from the reduced power mode, to provide an amount of hysteresis before returning to the reduced power mode. For example, for some reason the initial image captured may not include the object that was identified by the secondary camera device  110 , but a subsequent image may include the object. 
     In some embodiments, primary processing circuit  105  may log or otherwise save information associated with a confirmation or invalidation of an object of interest identified by secondary processing circuit  115 . Such a log may be used to train secondary processing circuit  115  to increase accuracy of future determinations regarding objects of interests. Such a log may also be used to prevent the secondary processing circuit  115  from immediately recognizing the same potential object and causing the camera system  100  to exit the reduced power mode. That is, the log may be used as a filter to temporarily prevent previously identified objects of potential interest from being identified again for a period of time after it is invalidated as an object of interest. 
     By utilizing a secondary camera device in combination with a primary camera device, an image monitoring system may be capable of running constantly or periodically over a longer period of time than if only a primary camera device were used. Use of the secondary camera device may allow the primary camera device to remain in a reduced power mode for periods of time while the secondary camera device monitors images to perform an initial, coarse-grained determination of whether or not an object of interest has entered a field of view of a camera. A lower power consumption of the secondary camera device in comparison to the primary camera system may reduce overall power consumption of a camera system that is used to provide constant or frequent monitoring of a field of view. 
     It is noted that camera system  100 , as illustrated in  FIG.  1   , is merely an example. The illustration of  FIG.  1    has been simplified to highlight features relevant to this disclosure. Various embodiments may include different configurations of the circuit elements. For example, primary camera device  101  is shown receiving power from a single power switch  125 . In other embodiments, additional power switches may be included and/or primary camera device  101  may utilize other techniques for reducing power consumption in the reduced power mode. Although only two camera devices are shown, it is contemplated that additional camera systems of varying capabilities and power consumption may be utilized in other embodiments. 
     The processor illustrated in  FIG.  1    includes two camera sensors sharing a same field of view. Sharing a same field of view may be implemented using a variety of techniques. One such techniques for sharing a same field of view between two sensors is shown in  FIG.  2   . 
     Moving to  FIG.  2   , a diagram of an embodiment of two camera sensors sharing a lens is shown. As illustrated, camera system includes primary camera sensor  107  and secondary camera sensor  117  as described above in regards to  FIG.  1   . Camera system  100  further includes optical lens system  245 , wherein primary camera sensor  107  and secondary camera sensor  117  are coupled to optical lens system  245  via image routing device  240 . Image routing device  240  is configured to present field of view  131  via optical lens system  245  to both camera sensors. 
     As illustrated, primary camera sensor  107  and secondary camera sensor  117  are configured to capture images  135  and  133 , respectively, from optical lens system  245 . Secondary camera sensor  117  is configured to capture images with a lower resolution than the images captured by primary camera sensor  107 . Optical lens system  245  is illustrated as a single lens, but may include any suitable number of lenses configured to capture and focus on a particular area of view. In various embodiments, optical lens system  245  may be a fixed focus or variable focus lens, and may made from any suitable glass, plastic, polycarbonate, or other transparent material, or a combination thereof. 
     As shown, image routing device  240  is coupled to optical lens system  245  and is configured to present respective images  135  and  133  to primary camera sensor  107  and secondary camera sensor  117 . Image routing device  240  is illustrated as a prism, including a combination of a triangle-shaped and a trapezoid-shaped transparent elements, although, in other embodiments, the shapes and/or number of elements may differ. Image routing device  240  is configured to present a same field of view  131  to primary camera sensor  107  and secondary camera sensor  117 . Primary camera sensor  107  and secondary camera sensor  117  may, therefore, be capable of capturing respective images  135  and  133  of field of view  131  that are geometrically aligned and registered with respect to each other. For example, as illustrated, the various objects within images  133  and  135  have a same scale and position within the bounds of the two images. 
     In some embodiments of a computing device that includes camera system  100 , space may be limited, and therefore, use of image routing device  240  to share field of view  131  via optical lens system  245  may be implemented to reduce a size as compared to having independent lens systems for each camera sensor. In some embodiments, including dedicated lens systems for each camera sensor may be more costly than using image routing device  240  to share optical lens system  245 . Additionally, by sharing optical lens system  245  with primary and secondary camera sensors  107  and  117 , differences between images  133  and  135  due to different lens locations, magnifications, focal points, and such may be eliminated. An increase in image similarities may allow for a more direct comparison of images  133  and  135  and avoid a preprocessing step to make the two images compatible. 
     It is noted that, although a prism is used to illustrate image routing device  240 , other optical techniques may be utilized in place of a prism. For example, a matte screen may be used, on which an image of field of view  131  is projected. Primary and secondary camera sensors  107  and  117  may be positioned to capture images projected on the matte screen. In other embodiments, fiber optics may be utilized to direct images of field of view  131  to each of primary and secondary camera sensors  107  and  117 . Some embodiments, for example, may utilize a periscopic lens system with a beam splitter to route field of view  131  to both of primary and secondary camera sensors  107  and  117 . Any such technique, or a combination thereof, is contemplated for use with the disclosed embodiments. 
     It is also noted that the embodiment of  FIG.  2    is one example. In other embodiments, a different combination of elements may be included. For example, more than two camera sensors may be included. Image routing device  240  and/or optical lens system  245  may include more and/or different elements. Although  FIG.  2    depicts use of a single lens shared by the two camera sensors, in other embodiments, two or more lenses may be utilized, including respective sets of one or more lenses coupled to each camera sensor. 
     In the description of  FIG.  1   , camera system  100  is described as being used to identify an object(s) of interest with in a captured image. Furthermore, secondary camera device  110  is described as sending information to primary camera device  101 .  FIG.  3    illustrates examples of how objects of interest may be identified and what types of information may be sent from secondary camera device  110  to primary camera device  101 . 
     Turning to  FIG.  3   , two examples of sets of captured images are shown. In the examples, a user of a computing device that includes camera system  100  has camera system  100  enabled to monitor the user&#39;s surroundings. Images  333   a  and  334   a  depict respective images captured by secondary camera device  110  of camera system  100  at respective first points in time (t 1  and t 3 ). Images  333   b  and  334   b  depict the same fields of view at second points in time (t 2  and t 4 ), respectively. 
     Referring to example 1, secondary camera sensor  117  captures, at time t 1 , image  333   a  that includes a view, from the user&#39;s perspective, of a person standing near a wall. Secondary processing circuit  115  analyzes image  333   a  and identifies the person in the image as a potential object of interest. Secondary processing circuit  115  creates a bounding box  350   a  that surrounds the identified object in a rectangle. Bounding box  350   a  may not be added to image  333   a , but rather captured as coordinates or a range or ranges of pixels in image  333   a  that include the identified object, in this example, a person. Although a rectangle is used in the examples of  FIG.  3   , any suitable shape may be utilized. 
     In various embodiments, secondary processing circuit  115  may or may not determine that the object in bounding box  350   a  is an object of interest. To make such a determination, secondary processing circuit  115  may analyze one or more characteristics of the object. If a number of characteristics of the object satisfy a particular set of conditions, then secondary processing circuit  115  may determine that the object of bounding box  350   a  is an object of interest and assert wake signal  141  to cause primary camera device  101  to exit a reduced power mode and perform a subsequent analysis to validate the determination of secondary processing circuit  115 . 
     Primary camera sensor  107  captures an image similar to image  333   a , but with higher resolution, and provides the image to primary processing circuit  105 . Secondary processing circuit  115  is configured, in response to primary processing circuit  105  exiting the reduced power mode, to send information associated with image  333   a  to primary processing circuit  105 . The sent information may include, for example, one or more sets of co-ordinates associated with the particular object of interest, such as coordinates of the corners of bounding box  350   a . The coordinates of bounding box  350   a  may help primary processing circuit  105  to quickly identify the location of the person in the higher resolution image from primary camera sensor  107 , thereby reducing an amount of time for primary processing circuit  105  to perform a validation of the person identified as an object of interest by secondary processing circuit  115 . 
     Returning to the analysis of image  333   a  by secondary processing circuit  115 , if the number of analyzed characteristics is not satisfactory for determining the person is an object of interest, then secondary processing circuit  115 , as shown, proceeds to analyze image  333   b , captured by secondary camera sensor  117  at time t 2 . In image  333   b , the person identified in image  333   a  has moved closer to the user. A new bounding box  350   b  is generated to identify an area of image  333   b  that includes the object of interest (e.g., the approaching person). Secondary processing circuit  115  again analyzes one or more characteristics of the person to determine if the person is an object of interest. Furthermore, to determine that the person is an object of interest included in image  333   b , secondary processing circuit  115  is configured to compare image  333   b  to at least one previously captured image such as image  333   a . Both similarities (e.g., characteristics of the person such as clothes and hair color, the stationary position of the wall, etc.) and differences (e.g., the position of the person relative to the wall and the user) may be used to determine if the person is an object of interest. In example 1, secondary processing circuit  115  may determine, based on analysis of images  333   a  and  333   b  (and in some embodiments, additional images) that the person approaching the user constitutes an object of interest. 
     In response to the identifying the approaching person as an object of interest, secondary processing circuit  115  asserts wake signal  141  to cause primary camera device  101  to exit the reduced power mode and validate the object of interest, as described above. Again, secondary processing circuit  115  may send information regarding image  333   b , including coordinates of bounding box  350   b , to primary processing circuit  105 . Secondary processing circuit  115  may further send additional information, such as coordinates of bounding box  350   a  as well as time stamps indicating when images  333   a  and  333   b  were captured, focal settings used by secondary camera sensor  117 , color ranges detected within bounding box  350   a , initial determination results, and the like. Such information may, as well as reducing a time for primary processing circuit  105  to identify the person in a new image, enable primary processing circuit  105  to determine a rate at which the person is approaching the user, a path that the person is taking, and other such information. Primary processing circuit  105  may use these additional details to determine that the person is merely crossing a road at a crosswalk that the user is standing near, and therefore may not be of interest to the user. Alternatively, primary processing circuit  105  may use the additional details to determine that the person is walking directly towards the user and is therefore of interest to the user. 
     Referring to example 2, two images of a road are illustrated. A vehicle is shown approaching between image  334   a  and  334   b . While analyzing image  334   a  captured at time t 1 , secondary processing circuit  115  generates bounding box  350   c  around the vehicle shown in the distance. Secondary processing circuit may determine that the vehicle is not of interest to the user based on a lack of details of the vehicle, a distance of the vehicle, and/or other characteristics. At time t 2 , image  334   b  is captured and then processed by secondary processing circuit  115 . Bounding box  350   d  is generated by secondary processing circuit  115  around the vehicle in image  334   b . Based on the relative sizes of bounding boxes  350   a  and  350   b , secondary processing circuit  115  may determine that the vehicle heading towards the user. In addition, based on additional details of the vehicle being visible in image  334   b  versus  334   a , secondary processing circuit  115  may be able to distinguish that the vehicle is a bus. Based on other information available to secondary processing circuit  115 , a determination may be made that the user is waiting at a bus stop. For example, the computing device that includes camera system  100  or a different device coupled to the computing device may have access to a bus schedule, calendar entry, or other information that the user is planning on taking a bus. Secondary processing circuit  115  may use such data to determine that the approaching vehicle may be a bus and therefore may be of interest to the user. 
     In response to this determination, secondary processing circuit  115 , as shown, asserts wake signal  141  to cause primary camera device  101  to exit the reduced power mode and validate if the approaching vehicle is a particular bus (e.g., by detecting a bus number or other identifying markings on the vehicle) on which the user is waiting. After primary processing circuit  105  exits the reduced power mode, secondary processing circuit sends information regarding the detected vehicle to primary processing circuit  105 . This information may include, for example, coordinates of bounding box  350   a  and/or  350   b , any relevant bus or travel information secondary processing circuit  115  has used to make the determination that the approaching vehicle is of interest to the user, and the like. In some embodiments, the sent information may include a priority level associated with the particular object of interest. For example, if an available bus schedule determines that the desired bus is not due at the current stop for some amount of time (e.g., 10 or more minutes) but a different bus is due, then the priority level may be low. In contrast, if the desired bus is due imminently, then the priority level may be high. Secondary processing circuit  115  may utilize any suitable technique for conveying a level of priority, such as a high, medium, or low ranking, a numeric scale from, e.g., 0 to 100, a single bit indicating a priority or not, and the like. 
     In various embodiments, the priority may be based on any suitable measure of urgency. For example, priority may be based on a user&#39;s schedule, a user&#39;s interest, a level of danger to the user, or any of various combinations thereof. For example, in examples 1 and 2, a priority may be based on a threat level to the user. If secondary processing circuit  115  identifies a potential weapon in the person&#39;s hand or determines that the approaching vehicle is heading straight for the user, then secondary processing circuit may send an indication of a highest priority to primary processing circuit  105 . In some embodiments, the priority level may be incorporated into wake signal  141  and used to reduce an amount of time for primary camera device to wake from the reduced power mode, capture a new image, and begin processing. Primary camera device  101  may have multiple modes for waking from the reduced power mode based on the priority. Faster wake times may result in greater power consumption, and therefore may only be used in cases of a high priority level. 
     It is noted that the examples of  FIG.  3    are merely for demonstrating disclosed concepts. The monitoring techniques described herein may be used for a wide variety of situations other than described in these examples. For example, the monitoring techniques may be used to identify birds for a user that has an interest in bird watching, or used to identify museums and art galleries to a user with an interest in art. 
     In  FIG.  1   , a primary and secondary processing circuits are described for analyzing images and determining if objects of interest are included in the images. Various designs for implementing such processing circuits are contemplated.  FIG.  4    illustrates an example design for each of a primary and secondary processing circuit 
     Proceeding to  FIG.  4   , a block diagram of a camera system that includes a primary and a secondary processing circuit is shown. Secondary processing circuit  115  includes neural network  415 , which further includes characteristic extractor nodes  417   a  and  417   b , as well as neural network classifier  425 . Neural network  415  generates output  435 . Primary processing circuit  105  includes neural network  405 , which in turn includes characteristic extractor nodes  412   a - 412   d , as well as neural network classifier  420 . Neural network  405  generates and outputs  430   a  and  430   b . In addition to primary processing circuit  105  and secondary processing circuit  115 , camera system  100  includes memory circuit  450 , used to store images captured by primary and secondary camera sensors  107  and  117 , respectively. Memory circuit  450  may also be used to store respective sets of characteristics  460  and  465 . In some embodiments, memory circuit  450  may physically be external to camera system  100  and coupled by a memory interface, a system bus, and/or a wireless interface. 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , primary processing circuit  105  is coupled to primary camera sensor  107 , and is configured to process images captured by primary camera sensor  107 . As previously described, primary processing circuit  105  is also configured to place primary camera sensor  107  and primary processing circuit  105  into a reduced power mode when not in use. 
     Also as shown in  FIG.  1   , secondary processing circuit  115  is coupled to secondary camera sensor  117 , and is configured to identify a particular object included in image  133  captured by secondary camera sensor  117  and stored in memory circuit  450 . In response to the identification, secondary processing circuit  115  is configured to cause primary processing circuit  105  and primary camera sensor  107  to exit the reduced power mode. In response to exiting the reduced power mode, primary processing circuit  105  is further configured to, identify the particular object in image  135  captured by primary camera sensor  107  and stored in memory circuit  450 . Primary processing circuit  105  is further configured to determine whether the particular object is an object of interest to a user of a computing device that includes camera system  100 . 
     As illustrated, to identify the particular object, primary and secondary processing circuits  105  and  115  include respective neural networks  405  and  415 . Neural network  415  is configured to identify one or more characteristics of the particular object based on a first set of characteristics  460 . Neural network  415  includes characteristic extractor nodes  417   a  and  417   b  to identify particular ones of set of characteristics  460  that are apparent in image  133 . Each of characteristic extractor nodes  417   a  and  417   b  compare characteristics of objects that are identifiable in image  133  to one or more characteristics included in set of characteristics  460 . Each of characteristic extractor nodes  417   a  and  417   b  then generates a respective output value that is indicative of whether an identifiable object in image  133  includes the one or more characteristics. 
     Set of characteristics  460  and  465 , as shown, include one or more characteristics of various types objects that may be identified in a given image. For example, one type of object to be identified may be people. Set of characteristics  460  may include several descriptors usable by neural network  415  to identify a shape of a person in an image. Set of characteristics  460  may further include additional descriptors to identify particular features of people. Set of characteristics  465 , used by neural network  405 , may include additional characteristics for identifying specific people, such as co-workers, friends, family, acquaintances, and the like. 
     Accordingly, set of characteristics  460 , as shown, provides a coarser level of details than set of characteristics  465 . This difference in the level of details may enable neural network  415  to perform a faster, yet less accurate, identification of an object as compared to neural network  405 . For example, neural network  415  may be capable of making a quick determination that a vehicle is rapidly approaching the user, but may not be capable of determining what type of vehicle is approaching. Neural network  405 , on the other hand, may be capable of determining that the vehicle is an expected car summoned via a ride-sharing application. 
     It is noted that protection of personal information is desired, and in some cases, is a legal requirement. Personal identifying characteristics or other information associated with the user or people captured in images by camera system  100  may be deleted after use to comply with legal and ethical standards of privacy. For example, the user may use a ridesharing application to arrange transportation to a particular location. To help the user identify the transportation when it arrives, characteristics of the car, e.g., make model, license plate number, color of the car, and characteristics of the driver may be provided to camera system  100 . Camera system  100  utilizes these characteristics when performing monitoring functions as described above to identify the vehicle as it arrives. After the user enters the vehicle, these characteristics are deleted to protect the privacy of the driver. 
     Neural network classifier  425 , as shown, receives the outputs from characteristic extractor nodes  417   a  and  417   b  and, based on indications of particular characteristics being included or excluded from the identifiable object in image  133 , generates output  435  which indicates a particular classification of the identifiable object. In some embodiments, the classification may simply indicate whether or not the object is of interest to the user, in which case secondary processing circuit  115  may use output  435  to determine whether to assert a wake signal to primary camera device  101 , including primary processing circuit  105  and primary camera sensor  107 . In other embodiments, the classification may include identifying a type of object, such as a person, an animal, a sign, a vehicle, and the like. In such embodiments, secondary processing circuit may include additional circuits, including for example, additional neural network classifiers, to determine if the identified type of object is an object of interest. 
     After primary camera device  101  wakes in response to an asserted wake signal, primary camera sensor  107  captures image  135  and stores it in memory circuit  450 . Primary processing circuit  105  may then analyze image  135  to determine if a particular object of interest identified by secondary processing circuit  115  is valid. To determine whether the particular object is an object of interest, primary processing circuit  105  includes neural network  405  that is configured to identify one or more characteristics of the particular object based on set of characteristics  465 . As described above, set of characteristics  465  may be larger than set of characteristics  460 , due to including additional characteristics which may be used by neural network  405  to make a more accurate determination of objects of interest. Using characteristic extractor nodes  412   a - 412   d , neural network classifier  420  may receive more inputs than neural network classifier  425  for generating outputs  430   a  and  430   b  that provide indications of a type of object identified in image  135  and whether the identified object is of interest to the user. Due to the increased level of detail and number of inputs in comparison to neural network classifier  425 , neural network classifier  420  may take more time to generate outputs  430   a  and  430   b  and/or may also consume more power doing so. 
     Primary processing circuit  105  may utilize outputs  430   a  and  430   b  to provide a more accurate validation of an object of interest identified by secondary processing circuit  115 . If primary processing circuit  105  validates the object of interest identified by secondary processing circuit  115 , then camera system  100  generates a notification for the user. In some embodiments, primary processing circuit  105  generates the notification, in other embodiments, a different circuit (not shown in  FIG.  4   ) in camera system  100  generates the notification. 
     In some embodiments, secondary processing circuit  115  may be further configured to update set of characteristics  460  based on the outputs  430   a  and  430   b , and/or on whether primary processing circuit  105  validates the object of interest. For example, if primary processing circuit  105  validates an object of interest identified by secondary processing circuit  115 , then one or more characteristics in set of characteristics  460  may be updated to reinforce similar decisions. In contrast, if the object of interest is invalidated by primary processing circuit  105 , then one or more characteristics in set of characteristics  460  may be updated to reduce chances of a similar object being identified as interesting. In some embodiments, set of characteristics  460  may only be updated in response to an invalidation of an object of interest identified by secondary processing circuit  115 . 
     Primary processing circuit  105  and/or secondary processing circuit  115  may be configured to further update, respectively, set of characteristics  465  and/or  460  based on feedback from the user. User feedback may include, for example, a direct confirmation by the user (e.g., a tap on a touchscreen, click of a mouse, gestures of the user&#39;s hands, movement of the user&#39;s head, etc.) whether an identified object is actually interesting. User feedback may also, or alternatively, include indications of a user&#39;s actions after being notified of the object of interest. For example, if the user faces, approaches, and/or interacts with the identified object of interest, then primary processing circuit  105  and/or secondary processing circuit  115  may interpret the interaction as a confirmation of the validation of the object of interest. If the object of interest is identified as a safety threat to the user, then indications of the user moving away from or otherwise avoiding the object may be interpreted as confirmation of the validation of the object of interest. On the other hand, if the user avoids or ignores a non-threatening object of interest, or approaches or interacts with an identified threat, then primary processing circuit  105  and/or secondary processing circuit  115  may interpret the action as a rejection of the validation of the object of interest. 
     By using neural networks to perform analysis of captured images, camera system  100  may be capable of detecting a variety objects in captured images. Through repeated use, neural networks may learn the interests of a particular user, and be capable of increasing a number of objects the camera system is able to detect, and increasing accuracy when determining which detected objects are of interest to the particular user. 
     It is noted that  FIG.  4    is merely one example of the disclosed concepts. Although single-stage neural networks are shown for clarity, in other embodiments, neural networks  405  and  415  may include any suitable number of stages and, accordingly, any suitable number of input nodes and outputs. 
     Primary and secondary camera devices  101  and  110  that are included in camera system  100  may be utilized in a variety of combinations, depending on a current state of camera system  100 . One example of various power states, and conditions for moving between the states is illustrated in  FIG.  5   . 
     Turning to  FIG.  5   , a state diagram depicting four power states of an embodiment of a camera system is illustrated. State diagram  500  includes power-down state  510 , monitor state  520 , confirm state  530 , and analyze state  540 . The four states represent four combinations of power state for two camera devices included in a camera system, such as camera system  100  of  FIGS.  1 ,  2 , and  4   . 
     As shown, when a computing device that includes camera system  100  is initialized or otherwise reset, camera system  100  resets to power-down state  510 . In power-down state  510 , both primary camera device  101  and secondary camera device  110  are in an “off” mode. The off-mode may be implemented using any suitable reduced power mode. For example, off may correspond to one or more power signals used by primary camera device  101  and secondary camera device  110  being gated such that the respective camera device does not receive power. In other embodiments, off may correspond to circuitry in the respective camera devices continuing to receive power, but being placed into a mode in which little to no processing occurs. For example, in an off-mode, primary processing circuit  105  may enter a wait state in which one or more clock signals are disabled and the circuits remain in a static state. Primary camera sensor  107  may be placed into a similar static state or be power-gated. The off state for secondary camera device  110  may or may not be similar to the off state of primary camera device  101 . For example, primary camera device  101  may be placed into a power-gated state when off while secondary camera device  110  is placed into a static clock-gated state with power remaining coupled, thus allowing secondary camera device  110  to exit the off state more quickly than primary camera device  101 . 
     In response to a signal to activate, camera system  100 , as illustrated, exits power-down state  510  and enters monitor state  520 . This activation signal may be generated by the computing device automatically after completion of a device reset sequence, or may be generated in response to launching of a particular application, or in response to input from a user. In monitor state  520 , primary camera device  101  remains in the off-mode while secondary camera device  110  is in an active “on” mode. This on-mode includes secondary camera device  110  performing the monitoring tasks as described above, including capturing images and determining if the images include an object of interest  137 . 
     After determining that an object of interest  137  is included in a particular captured image  133 , camera system  100  may enter either of confirm state  530  or analyze state  540 , depending on, for example, initial characteristics of object of interest  137  that are detected by secondary camera device  110 . In some embodiments, secondary camera device  110  may make an initial identification of object of interest  137  to determine a priority value for performing an additional analysis of object of interest by primary camera device  101 . For example, secondary camera device  110  may make an initial determination that object of interest  137  is a sign for a business at a destination in a navigation app running on the computing device, or on an associated device that is communicatively coupled to the computing device. Secondary camera device  110  may be further capable of determining a rate at which the user is approaching the sign. If the user is approaching rapidly (e.g., the user is in a car or other vehicle), then the priority value is set higher than if the user is approaching slowly (e.g., walking). Based on this determined priority value, either confirm state  530  or analyze state  540  is entered. 
     In some cases, camera system  100  may remain in monitor state  520  after detecting object of interest  137 . Object of interest  137  may be an object that secondary camera device  110  is capable of confirming with a high level of accuracy. For example, object of interest  137  may be a bar code, QR code, or other form of easily recognizable symbol that does not require confirmation by primary camera device  101 . In such cases, camera system  100  sends an appropriate notification to other circuits in the computing device, including for example, a visual, audible, and or haptic alert to the user. Camera system  100  may remain in monitor state  520  during and after such a notification. 
     In confirm state  530 , primary camera device  101  is enabled and placed in the on-mode while secondary camera device  110  enters the off-mode to reduce power consumption. Confirm state  530  may be entered by camera system  100  after secondary camera device  110  detects object of interest  137 , but determines that a priority value for confirming whether object of interest  137  is genuine is below a particular threshold. Returning to the business sign example, if secondary camera device determines that the rate at which the user is approaching the sign is slow, then confirm state  530  is entered. The slow rate of approach may allow enough time for primary camera device  101 , acting without additional input from secondary camera device  110 , to perform a confirmation whether the sign identified by secondary camera device  110  is actually for the desired destination. Accordingly, secondary camera device  110  may be placed into the off-mode to reduce power consumption while primary camera device  101  performs the confirmation. 
     In some embodiments, a priority value set by secondary camera device  110  may be used to determine one of a plurality of on-modes that primary camera device enters in confirm state  530 . For example, if the user is riding a bicycle, the rate of approach may be slow enough for primary camera device  101  to perform the confirmation alone, but only if primary camera device  101  is placed into a high-performance on-mode. In contrast, if the user is walking, primary camera device  101  may have enough time to perform the confirmation while operating in a reduced-power on-mode. It is contemplated that primary camera device  101 , and in some embodiments, secondary camera device  110 , may support multiple levels of on-mode depending on a current image processing task being performed. 
     Analyze state  540 , as shown, includes both primary camera device  101  and secondary camera device  110  in an on-mode. Analyze state  540  may provide an increased amount of image processing bandwidth as compared to the other three states. Accordingly, in the business sign example, if secondary camera device  110  determines a high priority value due to the user rapidly approaching the sign, then analyze state  540  may be entered such that the primary and secondary camera devices may be utilized in parallel to perform a confirmation that the detected sign is actually a sign associated with the desired destination. As before, a generated priority value may be used in embodiments in which secondary camera device  110  and/or primary camera device  101  have more than one on-mode, to determine which of the multiple on-modes are entered by each camera device. 
     It is noted that  FIG.  5    is an example of a state diagram used to demonstrate the disclosed concepts. Although four states are shown, any suitable number of states may be included. For example, in embodiments in which more than one on-mode is available for either camera device, a different state may be associated with each combination of the multiple on-modes. In a similar fashion, either or both camera devices may support more than one off-mode, such as a power-and-clock-gated off-mode as well as a clock-gated only off-mode. Additional states may be assigned based on combinations of off-modes as well as on-modes. 
     The circuits and techniques described above in regards to  FIGS.  1 - 5    may perform image processing using a variety of methods. Two methods associated with image processing are described below in regards to  FIGS.  6  and  7   . 
     Moving now to  FIG.  6   , a flow diagram for an embodiment of a method for detecting objects of interest in images is shown. Method  600  may be performed by a camera system such as camera system  100  in  FIGS.  1 ,  2  and  4   . In some embodiments, for example, camera system  100  may include, or have access to, computer-readable non-transitory memory that includes instructions that, when executed by primary and secondary processing circuits  105  and  115 , cause the operations of method  600  to be performed. Referring collectively to  FIGS.  1  and  6   , method  600  begins in block  610 . 
     At block  610 , method  600  includes capturing, by secondary camera device  110 , image  133  of an area (e.g., field of view  131 ). Camera system  100  may be included in, or coupled to, a computing device of a user. The user, as illustrated, utilizes camera system  100  to monitor surroundings. As part of this monitoring, camera system  100  identifies and alerts the user to any objects detected in field of view  131  that may be of interest to the user. 
     Method  600 , at block  620 , includes identifying, by secondary camera device  110 , a particular image included in image  133 . Secondary camera device  110 , using secondary processing circuit  115  as shown, identifies objects in image  133  and then determines if any identified objects may be an object of interest to the user. To identify a particular object as object of interest  137 , secondary processing circuit  115  may include one or more neural networks configured to identify one or more characteristics of the particular object based on a first set of characteristics corresponding to known objects of interest to the user. 
     Method  600  also includes, at block  630 , waking, from a reduced power mode by secondary camera device  110 , primary camera device  101 . In response to identifying object of interest  137 , secondary processing circuit  115  asserts wake signal  141 . As illustrated, primary camera device  101  receives wake signal  141 , causing primary processing circuit  105  and primary camera sensor  107  to exit the reduced power mode. After exiting the reduced power mode, primary camera device  101  is used to validate object of interest  137  as a genuine object of interest for the user. 
     At block  640 , method  600  further includes, capturing, by primary camera device  101 , image  135  of the area, wherein image  135  has a higher resolution than image  133 . As shown, primary camera sensor  107  is capable of capturing higher resolution images than the resolution of images captured by secondary camera sensor  117 . In some embodiments, primary and secondary camera sensors  107  and  117  may be implemented using different designs, with secondary camera sensor  117  utilizing less power than primary camera sensor  107 , but being incapable of producing images with as much resolution as primary camera sensor  107 . In other embodiments, primary and secondary camera sensors  107  and  117  may be implemented using similar designs, but with secondary camera sensor  117  configured to use less power than primary camera sensor  107 . 
     Method  600 , at block  650 , also includes determining, by primary camera device  101  using image  135 , whether the particular object is an object of interest. As illustrated, primary camera device  101 , using primary processing circuit  105 , identifies, in image  135 , the particular object identified by secondary processing circuit  115  as object of interest  137 . Primary processing circuit  105  then validates if object of interest  137  is an object that may actually be of interest to the user. To validate object of interest  137 , primary processing circuit  105  may include one or more neural networks configured to identify one or more characteristics of object of interest  137  based on a second set of characteristics corresponding to known objects of interest to the user. This second set of characteristics may include more characteristics and/or more details of the characteristics than the first set of characteristics used by secondary processing circuit  115 . 
     In some embodiments, method  600  may end in block  650 , or in other embodiments, may repeat in response to a new captured image by the secondary camera sensor. It is noted that the method of  FIG.  6    is merely an example for identifying objects of interest by a camera system. As disclosed above, method  600  may be performed by respective elements in  FIGS.  1 ,  2 , and  4   . Variations of the disclosed methods are contemplated. For example, operations of blocks  610  and  620  may be performed for a second image while operations for blocks  640  and  650  are performed for a first image. 
     Turning now to  FIG.  7   , a flow diagram for another embodiment of a method for identifying objects of interest by a camera system is illustrated. In a similar manner as for method  600  above, method  700  may be performed by a camera system such as camera system  100  in  FIGS.  1 ,  2  and  4   . Camera system  100  may, in some embodiments, include or have access to computer-readable non-transitory memory that includes instructions that, when executed by primary and secondary processing circuits  105  and  115 , cause the operations of method  700  to be performed. Referring collectively to  FIGS.  1  and  7   , method  700  begins in block  710  after secondary camera device  110  has captured an image for analysis. 
     At block  710 , method  700  includes comparing, by secondary camera device  110 , characteristics of a particular object in image  133  to characteristics of the particular object in at least one different image captured by secondary camera device  110 . In some cases, secondary camera device  110  may analyze two or more consecutive images to make a determination that the particular object is an object of interest  137 . For example, referring to  FIG.  3   , image  133  may correspond to image  333   b . Secondary camera device  110  may first capture and analyze image  333   a , and determine that there is not an object of interest in image  333   a . When analyzing subsequently captured image  333   b , secondary camera device  110  makes comparisons between image  333   b  and  333   a , determining that the person in bounding boxes  350   a  and  350   b  is approaching the user. 
     Method  700 , at block  720 , includes determining to wake primary camera device  101  based on the comparing. For example, in response to determining that the person identified in bounding boxes  350   a  and  350   b  is approaching the user, secondary camera device  110  identifies the person as object of interest  137 . In response to determining that the person in bounding box  350   b  is an object of interest  137  in image  333   b , secondary camera device  110  asserts wake signal  141 , causing primary camera device  101  to exit a reduced power mode. In some embodiments, secondary processing circuit  115  may include one or more neural networks, such as neural network  415  of  FIG.  4   , to identify object of interest  137  based on a first set of characteristics corresponding to known objects of interest to the user. 
     Method  700  also includes, at block  730 , sending, by secondary camera device  110 , information associated with image  333   b  to primary camera device  101 . In response to determining that primary camera device  101  has exited the reduced power mode, secondary camera device  110 , as shown, sends information regarding image  333   b  to primary camera device  101 . For example, secondary camera device  110  may send coordinates corresponding to bounding box  350   b , a priority associated with object of interest  137 , indications of characteristics that were used to make the determination, and/or other similar information. 
     Further operations of method  700  depend, at block  740 , on a validation of object of interest  137 . Primary camera device  101 , as illustrated, may use the information received from secondary camera device  110  to validate whether object of interest  137  that was identified by secondary camera device  110  is likely to be of genuine interest to the user. To validate object of interest  137 , primary processing circuit  105  may include one or more neural networks (e.g., neural network  405  of  FIG.  4   ) configured to identify one or more characteristics of object of interest  137  based on a second set of characteristics corresponding to known objects of interest to the user. This second set of characteristics may include more characteristics and/or more details of the characteristics than the first set of characteristics used by secondary processing circuit  115 . If primary camera device  101  validates object of interest  137 , then method  700  moves to block  760  to notify the user. In some embodiments, validation of object of interest  137  includes an augmented and/or enhanced portrayal of object of interest  137 . Otherwise, method  700  moves to block  750 . 
     At block  750 , method  700  further includes, in response to determining that the particular object is not an object of interest, entering, by primary camera device  101 , the reduced power mode. If object of interest  137  is not validated as being of interest to the user, then no notification is sent to the user and primary camera device  101  re-enters the reduced power mode to conserve power, allowing secondary camera device  110  to further monitor an area within field of view  131 . Method  700  may end and camera system  100  may perform a different method, such as method  600 . 
     Method  700 , at block  760 , includes, in response to determining that the particular object is an object of interest  137 , causing, by primary camera device  101 , a notification to be sent to a display coupled to primary camera device  101 . If object of interest  137  is validated by primary camera device  101 , then a notification is sent to the user. The notification may include any one or more of a visual alert on a display screen such as a smartphone or smartwatch screen or a display integrated into a pair of glasses, an audible alert generated by a computing device including or coupled to camera system  100 , a physical vibration or particular pattern of vibrations by the computing device, other forms of haptic feedback, and the like. Method  700  may end and camera system  100  may perform a different method, such as method  600 . 
     In some embodiments, method  700  may further include analyzing, by camera system  100 , a reaction by the user to determine how the user responds to the notification. The user&#39;s reactions may be indicative of whether the user is actually interested in the identified object of interest. In such embodiments, including, for example, embodiments that utilize neural networks, the user&#39;s interest may be used to train the secondary camera device, thereby increasing an accuracy for successfully identifying a genuine object of interest for the user. By increasing the accuracy of the secondary camera device, false positive identifications by the secondary camera device may be reduced, and the higher-power primary camera device may be left in a reduced power mode for longer periods of time, thereby reducing overall power consumption of the camera system. 
     It is noted that the method of  FIG.  7    is merely an example for identifying objects of interest in view of a camera system. As disclosed above, method  700  may be performed by respective elements in  FIGS.  1 ,  2 , and  4   . Variations of the disclosed methods are contemplated, including combinations of operations of methods  600  and  700 . For example, block  710  of method  700  may be performed as a part of block  620  in method  600 , and blocks  740  to  760  may be performed at the end of method  600 . 
       FIGS.  1 - 7    illustrate apparatus and methods for a camera system that supports the disclosed image analyzing techniques. Any disclosed embodiment of camera system  100  may be included in one or more of a variety of computer systems, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, smartphone, tablet, wearable device, and the like. In some embodiments, the circuits described above may be implemented on a system-on-chip (SoC) or other type of integrated circuit. A block diagram illustrating an embodiment of computer system  800  is illustrated in  FIG.  8   . Computer system  800  may, in some embodiments, include any disclosed embodiment of camera system  100 . 
     As shown, computer system  800  includes processor complex  801 , memory circuit  802 , input/output circuits  803 , clock generation circuit  804 , analog/mixed-signal circuits  805 , and power management unit  806 . These functional circuits are coupled to each other by communication bus  811 . As shown, analog/mixed-signal circuits  805  includes an embodiment of camera system  100 , as well as proximity sensor  820  and audio input  825 . In some embodiments, input/output circuits  803  may include some or all of camera system  100 . Computer system  800  may, in various embodiments, be implemented as a single integrated circuit (IC), as a plurality of ICs coupled together via one or more circuit boards, as a variety of devices coupled by cables or wireless connections, or suitable combinations thereof. 
     Processor complex  801 , in various embodiments, may be representative of a general-purpose processor that performs computational operations. For example, processor complex  801  may be a central processing unit (CPU) such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In some embodiments, processor complex  801  may correspond to a special purpose processing core, such as a graphics processor, audio processor, or neural processor, while in other embodiments, processor complex  801  may correspond to a general-purpose processor configured and/or programmed to perform one such function. Processor complex  801 , in some embodiments, may include a plurality of general and/or special purpose processor cores as well as supporting circuits for managing, e.g., power signals, clock signals, and memory requests. In addition, processor complex  801  may include one or more levels of cache memory to fulfill memory requests issued by included processor cores. 
     Memory circuit  802 , in the illustrated embodiment, includes one or more memory circuits for storing instructions and data to be utilized within computer system  800  by processor complex  801 . In various embodiments, memory circuit  802  may include any suitable type of memory such as a dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a non-volatile memory, for example. It is noted that in the embodiment of computer system  800 , a single memory circuit is depicted. In other embodiments, any suitable number of memory circuits may be employed. In some embodiments, memory circuit  802  may include a memory controller circuit as well communication circuits for accessing memory circuits external to computer system  800 . 
     Input/output circuits  803  may be configured to coordinate data transfer between computer system  800  and one or more peripheral devices. Such peripheral devices may include, without limitation, storage devices (e.g., magnetic or optical media-based storage devices including hard drives, tape drives, CD drives, DVD drives, etc.), audio processing subsystems, or any other suitable type of peripheral devices. In some embodiments, input/output circuits  803  may be configured to implement a version of Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol or IEEE 1394 (Firewire®) protocol. 
     Input/output circuits  803  may also be configured to coordinate data transfer between computer system  800  and one or more devices (e.g., other computing systems or integrated circuits) coupled to computer system  800  via a network. In one embodiment, input/output circuits  803  may be configured to perform the data processing necessary to implement an Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) networking standard such as Gigabit Ethernet or 10-Gigabit Ethernet, for example, although it is contemplated that any suitable networking standard may be implemented. 
     Clock generation circuit  804  may be configured to enable, configure and manage outputs of one or more clock sources. In various embodiments, the clock sources may be located in analog/mixed-signal circuits  805 , within clock generation circuit  804 , in other blocks with computer system  800 , or come from a source external to computer system  800 , coupled through one or more I/O pins. In some embodiments, clock generation circuit  804  may be capable of enabling and disabling (e.g., gating) a selected clock source before it is distributed throughout computer system  800 . Clock generation circuit  804  may include registers for selecting an output frequency of a phase-locked loop (PLL), delay-locked loop (DLL), frequency-locked loop (FLL), or other type of circuits capable of adjusting a frequency, duty cycle, or other properties of a clock or timing signal. 
     Analog/mixed-signal circuits  805  may include a variety of circuits including, for example, a crystal oscillator, PLL or FLL, and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) (all not shown) configured to generated signals used by computer system  800 . In some embodiments, analog/mixed-signal circuits  805  may also include radio frequency (RF) circuits that may be configured for operation with cellular telephone networks. Analog/mixed-signal circuits  805  may include one or more circuits capable of generating a reference voltage at a particular voltage level, such as a voltage regulator or band-gap voltage reference. 
     As illustrated, analog/mixed-signal circuits  805  includes an instance of camera system  100 , in addition to proximity sensor  820  and audio input  825 . Proximity sensor  820  includes circuits capable of detecting a presence of a person, animal, or other object that is within a particular range of the proximity sensor. Detection of such objects may be based on a generation, and subsequent detection, of an electro-magnetic field. For example, proximity sensor  820  may be coupled to a transmit antenna or other type of transmit node that is capable of transmitting the electro-magnetic field. Proximity sensor  820  may further be coupled to a receiving antenna/node that is sensitive to changes in an electro-magnetic field. The electro-magnetic field is transmitted with a particular set of characteristics. Proximity sensor  820  detects changes in the received electromagnetic field that may be indicative to an object other than air being in the vicinity of the receiving antenna. Such a system may be used to determine if computer system is being held, worn, or otherwise in use by a user. In response to a recognizable change in the electro-magnetic field, proximity sensor  820  may assert an alert signal or send a notification to other portions of computer system  800 . 
     Audio input  825 , as shown, includes an amplifier circuit capable of detecting signal frequencies that are within an audible range, such as an output signal from a microphone. Audio input  825  may further include or be coupled to audio processing circuits capable of digitizing and analyzing received audio signals, for example, to detect a user&#39;s voice and, in some embodiments, to recognize one or more voice commands. In addition, audio input  825  may be capable of generating an alert signal or send a notification to other portions of computer system  800 . 
     Power management unit  806  may be configured to generate a regulated voltage level on a power supply signal for processor complex  801 , input/output circuits  803 , memory circuit  802 , and other circuits in computer system  800 . In various embodiments, power management unit  806  may include one or more voltage regulator circuits, such as, e.g., a buck regulator circuit, configured to generate the regulated voltage level based on an external power supply (not shown). In some embodiments any suitable number of regulated voltage levels may be generated. Additionally, power management unit  806  may include various circuits for managing distribution of one or more power signals to the various circuits in computer system  800 , including maintaining and adjusting voltage levels of these power signals. Power management unit  806  may include circuits for monitoring power usage by computer system  800 , including determining or estimating power usage by particular circuits. 
     It is noted that the embodiment illustrated in  FIG.  8    includes one example of a computer system. A limited number of circuit blocks are illustrated for simplicity. In other embodiments, any suitable number and combination of circuit blocks may be included. For example, in other embodiments, security and/or cryptographic circuit blocks may be included. 
     Turning next to  FIG.  9   , a block diagram of one embodiment of a system  900  is shown that may incorporate and/or otherwise utilize the methods and mechanisms described herein. In the illustrated embodiment, the system  900  includes at least one instance of a system on chip (SoC)  906  which may include multiple types of processing circuits, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or otherwise, a communication fabric, and interfaces to memories and input/output devices. In various embodiments, SoC  906  is coupled to external memory  902 , peripherals  904 , and power supply  908 . 
     A power supply  908  is also provided which supplies the supply voltages to SoC  906  as well as one or more supply voltages to the memory  902  and/or the peripherals  904 . In various embodiments, power supply  908  represents a battery (e.g., a rechargeable battery in a smart phone, laptop or tablet computer, or other device). In some embodiments, more than one instance of SoC  906  is included (and more than one external memory  902  is included as well). 
     The memory  902  is any type of memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate (DDR, DDR2, DDR3, etc.) SDRAM (including mobile versions of the SDRAMs such as mDDR3, etc., and/or low power versions of the SDRAMs such as LPDDR2, etc.), RAMBUS DRAM (RDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), etc. One or more memory devices are coupled onto a circuit board to form memory modules such as single inline memory modules (SIMMs), dual inline memory modules (DIMMs), etc. Alternatively, the devices are mounted with a SoC or an integrated circuit in a chip-on-chip configuration, a package-on-package configuration, or a multi-chip module configuration. In some embodiments, memory  902  may correspond to (or include) memory circuit  450  in  FIG.  4   . 
     The peripherals  904  include any desired circuitry, depending on the type of system  900 . For example, in one embodiment, peripherals  904  includes devices for various types of wireless communication, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, global positioning system, etc. In some embodiments, the peripherals  904  also include additional storage, including RAM storage, solid state storage, or disk storage. The peripherals  904  include user interface devices such as a display screen, including touch display screens or multitouch display screens, keyboard or other input devices, microphones, speakers, etc. In some embodiments, peripherals  904  may include one or more implementations of camera system  100 . 
     As illustrated, system  900  is shown to have application in a wide range of areas. For example, system  900  may be utilized as part of the chips, circuitry, components, etc., of a desktop computer  910 , laptop computer  920 , tablet computer  930 , cellular or mobile phone  940 , or television  950  (or set-top box coupled to a television). Also illustrated is a smartwatch and health monitoring device  960 . In some embodiments, the smartwatch may include a variety of general-purpose computing related functions. For example, the smartwatch may provide access to email, cellphone service, a user calendar, and so on. In various embodiments, a health monitoring device may be a dedicated medical device or otherwise include dedicated health related functionality. For example, a health monitoring device may monitor a user&#39;s vital signs, track proximity of a user to other users for the purpose of epidemiological social distancing, contact tracing, provide communication to an emergency service in the event of a health crisis, and so on. In various embodiments, the above-mentioned smartwatch may or may not include some or any health monitoring related functions. Other wearable devices  970  are contemplated as well, such as devices worn around the neck, devices attached to hats or other headgear, devices that are implantable in the human body, eyeglasses designed to provide an augmented and/or virtual reality experience, and so on. 
     System  900  may further be used as part of a cloud-based service(s)  980 . For example, the previously mentioned devices, and/or other devices, may access computing resources in the cloud (i.e., remotely located hardware and/or software resources). Also illustrated in  FIG.  9    is the application of system  900  to various modes of transportation  990 . For example, system  900  may be used in the control and/or entertainment systems of aircraft, trains, buses, cars for hire, private automobiles, waterborne vessels from private boats to cruise liners, scooters (for rent or owned), and so on. In various cases, system  900  may be used to provide automated guidance (e.g., self-driving vehicles), general systems control, and otherwise. These any many other embodiments are possible and are contemplated. It is noted that the devices and applications illustrated in  FIG.  9    are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting. Other devices are possible and are contemplated. 
     As disclosed in regards to  FIG.  9   , camera system  100  may be one or more integrated circuits within a personal computer, smart phone, tablet computer, or other type of computing device. A process for designing and producing an integrated circuit using design information is presented below in  FIG.  10   . 
       FIG.  10    is a block diagram illustrating an example of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores circuit design information, according to some embodiments. The embodiment of  FIG.  10    may be utilized in a process to design and manufacture integrated circuits, such as, for example, an IC that includes computer system  800  of  FIG.  8    or system  900  of  FIG.  9   . In the illustrated embodiment, semiconductor fabrication system  1020  is configured to process the design information  1015  stored on non-transitory computer-readable storage medium  1010  and fabricate integrated circuit  1030  based on the design information  1015 . 
     Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium  1010 , may comprise any of various appropriate types of memory devices or storage devices. Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium  1010  may be an installation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks, or tape device; a computer system memory or random-access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash, magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium  1010  may include other types of non-transitory memory as well or combinations thereof. Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium  1010  may include two or more memory mediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., in different computer systems that are connected over a network. 
     Design information  1015  may be specified using any of various appropriate computer languages, including hardware description languages such as, without limitation: VHDL, Verilog, SystemC, SystemVerilog, RHDL, M, MyHDL, etc. Design information  1015  may be usable by semiconductor fabrication system  1020  to fabricate at least a portion of integrated circuit  1030 . The format of design information  1015  may be recognized by at least one semiconductor fabrication system, such as semiconductor fabrication system  1020 , for example. In some embodiments, design information  1015  may include a netlist that specifies elements of a cell library, as well as their connectivity. One or more cell libraries used during logic synthesis of circuits included in integrated circuit  1030  may also be included in design information  1015 . Such cell libraries may include information indicative of device or transistor level netlists, mask design data, characterization data, and the like, of cells included in the cell library. 
     Integrated circuit  1030  may, in various embodiments, include one or more custom macrocells, such as memories, analog or mixed-signal circuits, and the like. In such cases, design information  1015  may include information related to included macrocells. Such information may include, without limitation, schematics capture database, mask design data, behavioral models, and device or transistor level netlists. As used herein, mask design data may be formatted according to graphic data system (gdsii), or any other suitable format. 
     Semiconductor fabrication system  1020  may include any of various appropriate elements configured to fabricate integrated circuits. This may include, for example, elements for depositing semiconductor materials (e.g., on a wafer, which may include masking), removing materials, altering the shape of deposited materials, modifying materials (e.g., by doping materials or modifying dielectric constants using ultraviolet processing), etc. Semiconductor fabrication system  1020  may also be configured to perform various testing of fabricated circuits for correct operation. 
     In various embodiments, integrated circuit  1030  is configured to operate according to a circuit design specified by design information  1015 , which may include performing any of the functionality described herein. For example, integrated circuit  1030  may include any of various elements shown or described herein. Further, integrated circuit  1030  may be configured to perform various functions described herein in conjunction with other components. Further, the functionality described herein may be performed by multiple connected integrated circuits. 
     As used herein, a phrase of the form “design information that specifies a design of a circuit configured to . . . ” does not imply that the circuit in question must be fabricated in order for the element to be met. Rather, this phrase indicates that the design information describes a circuit that, upon being fabricated, will be configured to perform the indicated actions or will include the specified components. 
     As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of data available from specific and legitimate sources, including cameras, to identify people, places, and/or objects that may be of interest to users. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathered data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to identify a specific person. Such personal information data can include images, demographic data, location-based data, online identifiers, or any other personal information. 
     The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to identify people of interest to the user in accordance with their preferences. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance, location and calendar data may be used, in accordance with the user&#39;s preferences, to identify particular people, places, transportation, and the like that may be relevant to the user&#39;s current location and the time of day. 
     The present disclosure contemplates that those entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities would be expected to implement and consistently apply privacy practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. Such information regarding the use of personal data should be prominently and easily accessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate uses only. Further, such collection/sharing should occur only after receiving the consent of the users or other legitimate basis specified in applicable law. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations which may serve to impose a higher standard. For instance, in the United States, collection of or access to various forms of electronically-stored personal data is governed by a variety of state and federal laws for example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA); whereas personal data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. 
     Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, in the case of using calendar data of a user to aid in the identification of a particular business, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for monitoring services or anytime thereafter. In another example, users can establish a length of time that calendar data is blocked or entirely block the use of calendar data. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an app that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app. In other embodiments, the user may be directed to a privacy policy site upon downloading an app, the privacy policy site providing details and options for how a user&#39;s data may be obtained and utilized. 
     Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, data de-identification can be used to protect a user&#39;s, or other entity&#39;s, privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing identifiers, controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods such as differential privacy. 
     Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing such personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, objects of interest can be identified and highlighted to users based on aggregated non-personal information data or a bare minimum amount of personal information, such as the content being handled only on the user&#39;s device or other non-personal information available to the system. 
     The present disclosure includes references to “embodiments,” which are non-limiting implementations of the disclosed concepts. References to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “a particular embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “various embodiments,” and the like do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. A large number of possible embodiments are contemplated, including specific embodiments described in detail, as well as modifications or alternatives that fall within the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Not all embodiments will necessarily manifest any or all of the potential advantages described herein. 
     Unless stated otherwise, the specific embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of claims that are drafted based on this disclosure to the disclosed forms, even where only a single example is described with respect to a particular feature. The disclosed embodiments are thus intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive, absent any statements to the contrary. The application is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that would be apparent to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     Particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner consistent with this disclosure. The disclosure is thus intended to include any feature or combination of features disclosed herein (either explicitly or implicitly), or any generalization thereof. Accordingly, new claims may be formulated during prosecution of this application (or an application claiming priority thereto) to any such combination of features. In particular, with reference to the appended claims, features from dependent claims may be combined with those of the independent claims and features from respective independent claims may be combined in any appropriate manner and not merely in the specific combinations enumerated in the appended claims. 
     For example, while the appended dependent claims are drafted such that each depends on a single other claim, additional dependencies are also contemplated, including the following: Claim  3  (could depend from any of claims  1 - 2 ); claim  4  (any preceding claim); claim  5  (claim  4 ), etc. Where appropriate, it is also contemplated that claims drafted in one statutory type (e.g., apparatus) suggest corresponding claims of another statutory type (e.g., method). 
     Because this disclosure is a legal document, various terms and phrases may be subject to administrative and judicial interpretation. Public notice is hereby given that the following paragraphs, as well as definitions provided throughout the disclosure, are to be used in determining how to interpret claims that are drafted based on this disclosure. 
     References to the singular forms such “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean “one or more” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Reference to “an item” in a claim thus does not preclude additional instances of the item. 
     The word “may” is used herein in a permissive sense (i.e., having the potential to, being able to) and not in a mandatory sense (i.e., must). 
     The terms “comprising” and “including,” and forms thereof, are open-ended and mean “including, but not limited to.” 
     When the term “or” is used in this disclosure with respect to a list of options, it will generally be understood to be used in the inclusive sense unless the context provides otherwise. Thus, a recitation of “x or y” is equivalent to “x or y, or both,” covering x but not y, y but not x, and both x and y. On the hand, a phrase such as “either x or y, but not both” makes clear that “or” is being used in the exclusive sense. 
     A recitation of “w, x, y, or z, or any combination thereof” or “at least one of . . . w, x, y, and z” is intended to cover all possibilities involving a single element up to the total number of elements in the set. For example, given the set [w, x, y, z], these phrasings cover any single element of the set (e.g., w but not x, y, or z), any two elements (e.g., w and x, but not y or z), any three elements (e.g., w, x, and y, but not z), and all four elements. The phrase “at least one of . . . w, x, y, and z” thus refers to at least one of element of the set [w, x, y, z], thereby covering all possible combinations in this list of options. This phrase is not to be interpreted to require that there is at least one instance of w, at least one instance of x, at least one instance of y, and at least one instance of z. 
     Various “labels” may proceed nouns in this disclosure. Unless context provides otherwise, different labels used for a feature (e.g., “first circuit,” “second circuit,” “particular circuit,” “given circuit,” etc.) refer to different instances of the feature. The labels “first,” “second,” and “third” when applied to a particular feature do not imply any type of ordering (e.g., spatial, temporal, logical, etc.), unless stated otherwise. 
     Within this disclosure, different entities (which may variously be referred to as “units,” “circuits,” other components, etc.) may be described or claimed as “configured” to perform one or more tasks or operations. This formulation—[entity] configured to [perform one or more tasks]—is used herein to refer to structure (i.e., something physical). More specifically, this formulation is used to indicate that this structure is arranged to perform the one or more tasks during operation. A structure can be said to be “configured to” perform some task even if the structure is not currently being operated. Thus, an entity described or recited as “configured to” perform some task refers to something physical, such as a device, circuit, memory storing program instructions executable to implement the task, etc. This phrase is not used herein to refer to something intangible. 
     The hardware circuits may include any combination of combinatorial logic circuitry, clocked storage devices such as flops, registers, latches, etc., finite state machines, memory such as static random access memory or embedded dynamic random access memory, custom designed circuitry, analog circuitry, programmable logic arrays, etc. Similarly, various units/circuits/components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” 
     In an embodiment, hardware circuits in accordance with this disclosure may be implemented by coding the description of the circuit in a hardware description language (HDL) such as Verilog or VHDL. The HDL description may be synthesized against a library of cells designed for a given integrated circuit fabrication technology, and may be modified for timing, power, and other reasons to result in a final design database that may be transmitted to a foundry to generate masks and ultimately produce the integrated circuit. Some hardware circuits or portions thereof may also be custom-designed in a schematic editor and captured into the integrated circuit design along with synthesized circuitry. The integrated circuits may include transistors and may further include other circuit elements (e.g. passive elements such as capacitors, resistors, inductors, etc.) and interconnect between the transistors and circuit elements. Some embodiments may implement multiple integrated circuits coupled together to implement the hardware circuits, and/or discrete elements may be used in some embodiments. Alternatively, the HDL design may be synthesized to a programmable logic array such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and may be implemented in the FPGA. 
     The term “configured to” is not intended to mean “configurable to.” An unprogrammed FPGA, for example, would not be considered to be “configured to” perform some specific function. This unprogrammed FPGA may be “configurable to” perform that function, however. 
     Reciting in the appended claims that a structure is “configured to” perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) for that claim element. Should Applicant wish to invoke Section 112(f) during prosecution, it will recite claim elements using the “means for” [performing a function] construct. 
     The phrase “based on” is used to describe one or more factors that affect a determination. This term does not foreclose the possibility that additional factors may affect the determination. That is, a determination may be solely based on specified factors or based on the specified factors as well as other, unspecified factors. Consider the phrase “determine A based on B.” This phrase specifies that B is a factor that is used to determine A or that affects the determination of A. This phrase does not foreclose that the determination of A may also be based on some other factor, such as C. This phrase is also intended to cover an embodiment in which A is determined based solely on B. As used herein, the phrase “based on” is synonymous with the phrase “based at least in part on.” 
     The phrase “in response to” describes one or more factors that trigger an effect. This phrase does not foreclose the possibility that additional factors may affect or otherwise trigger the effect. That is, an effect may be solely in response to those factors, or may be in response to the specified factors as well as other, unspecified factors. Consider the phrase “perform A in response to B.” This phrase specifies that B is a factor that triggers the performance of A. This phrase does not foreclose that performing A may also be in response to some other factor, such as C. This phrase is also intended to cover an embodiment in which A is performed solely in response to B.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20231004
Publication Date: 20241210
Grant Date: 20241210
Priority Date: 20210115
Inventors: DI FEBBO, PAOLO
VIDANAGAMACHCHI, CHAMINDA N.
RAJAN, YOHAN
GRUNDHOEFER, ANSELM
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04N23/667", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/61", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/45", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G08B13/19643", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V20/58", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N7/188", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V20/52", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V10/82", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V10/16", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V10/147", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V10/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/90", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V20/58", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V20/52", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V10/82", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N7/188", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G08B13/19669", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G08B13/19643", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/65", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/651", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/45", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V20/58", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V10/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V10/16", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V10/147", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/667", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/61", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/45", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N7/188", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G08B13/19643", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V20/52", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V10/82", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/651", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 88309480