Patents Assigned to Ambarella, Inc.
  • Patent number: 8659859
    Abstract: An apparatus generally having a first circuit, a second circuit and a third circuit is disclosed. The first circuit may be configured to selectively switch a bonding pad to (i) a first rail of a power source and (ii) a discharge rail in response to an electrostatic discharge. The second circuit is generally configured to clamp the electrostatic discharge between the discharge rail and the first rail. The third circuit may be configured to bias the discharge rail to a second rail of the power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaojun Zhu, Guangjun He
  • Patent number: 8654859
    Abstract: A method of rate-distortion computations for video compression is disclosed. The method may include steps (A) to (C). Step (A) may generate a plurality of transform coefficients from a residual block of the video using a circuit. Step (B) may generate a block distortion value (i) based on the transform coefficients and (ii) independent of a plurality of inverse transform samples produced from the residual block. Step (C) may generate a rate-distortion value from the block distortion value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Elliot N. Linzer, Hsiang-Chun Huang
  • Patent number: 8598958
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising a transconductance control circuit, a boost control circuit, a current computation circuit and an oscillator circuit. The transconductance control circuit may be configured to generate a current control signal in response to (i) a voltage control signal and (ii) a plurality of range control signals. The boost control circuit may be configured to generate a current boost signal in response to a reference current signal and an enable signal. The current computation circuit may be configured to generate a first control signal and a second control signal in response to the current boost signal and the current control signal. The oscillator circuit may be configured to generate an output signal oscillating at a particular frequency in response to the first control signal and the second control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventor: Reading Maley
  • Patent number: 8547445
    Abstract: An apparatus having a circuit is disclosed. The circuit may be configured to (i) process a digital image received from a camera sensor and (ii) convert the digital image after the processing. The converting generally uses a lookup table-based conversion that performs both (a) a color correction and (b) a tone correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Elliot N. Linzer, Leslie D. Kohn
  • Patent number: 8531549
    Abstract: An apparatus having a circuit is disclosed. The circuit may be configured to (i) process a digital image received from a camera sensor and (ii) color correct at least one pixel of the digital image after the processing. The color correction generally includes a lookup table-based conversion of the pixel from a first luminance-and-chrominance representation to a second luminance-and-chrominance representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Elliot N. Linzer, Leslie D. Kohn
  • Patent number: 8508654
    Abstract: A camera including a first queue, a second queue, and a processor. The processor is generally coupled to the first queue and the second queue. The processor embodies routines that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to (i) record a first topology in the first queue and a second topology in the second queue and (ii) compare the first topology with the second topology. Recording of the second topology is generally started after the first topology is completely recorded. A focus of the camera is automatically adjusted based upon one or more similarities between the first topology and the second topology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Hsiang-Chun Huang, ChiHong John Ju
  • Patent number: 8508624
    Abstract: An apparatus having a circuit is disclosed. The circuit may be configured to (i) receive a digital image from an electro-optical sensor, (ii) convert the digital image from a red-green-blue representation to a luminance-and-chrominance representation, (iii) generate a reduced noise representation of the digital image by reducing noise in the luminance-and-chrominance representation and (iv) generate a color corrected representation of the digital image by color correcting the reduced noise representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventor: Elliot N. Linzer
  • Patent number: 8498338
    Abstract: A method for video encoding is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating first sub-pel data for at least one of (i) a motion estimation and (ii) a mode decision by first filtering reference data and (B) generating second sub-pel data for a motion compensation by second filtering the reference data. Wherein a first performance of the first filtering may be different than a second performance of the second filtering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Shih-Hao Wang, Leslie D. Kohn, Tihao Chiang
  • Patent number: 8493454
    Abstract: An apparatus including one or more motion sensors, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The one or more motion sensors may be configured to generate motion samples representing motion of a camera. The first circuit may be configured to record a plurality of the motion samples from the one or more motion sensors while capturing image data with the camera. The second circuit may be configured to transfer information about the motion of the camera based on the plurality of motion samples. The information about the motion of the camera may be transferred within a bitstream carrying the image data captured by the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Leslie D. Kohn, Kamil Metin Uz
  • Patent number: 8447134
    Abstract: An apparatus including a local shared memory and a processor. The local shared memory and the processor may be connected as a circuit. The circuit may be configured to communicate with an external memory device. The local shared memory may comprise a plurality of cache blocks. Each of the cache blocks generally corresponds to one pane of a current horizontal strip of a warped image region to be generated from unwarped image data stored in the external memory. A size of the cache blocks may be set to provide a sufficient amount of data to correct distortion for a corresponding section of the current horizontal strip. The circuit may be further configured such that each pixel of the unwarped image data stored in the external memory is fetched only once.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Sydney D. Reader, Leslie D. Kohn
  • Patent number: 8427547
    Abstract: A method for processing a source frame is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating an intermediate frame by digitally processing the source frame, wherein the intermediate frame has an intermediate resolution and has an intermediate color space, (B) generating a video frame by down-sampling the intermediate frame, wherein the video frame has a video resolution lower than the intermediate resolution and has a video color space different than the intermediate color space, (C) generating a video stream by compressing the video frame with a video encoding technique and (D) generating a still picture by formatting the intermediate frame with a picture formatting technique, wherein (i) the still picture has the intermediate resolution and (ii) generating the still picture occurs substantially simultaneously with generating the video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Elliot N. Linzer, Leslie D. Kohn, Chi Hong John Ju
  • Patent number: 8396119
    Abstract: A method for compressing data samples using randomized quantization bins is disclosed. The method generally comprises steps (A) to (C). Step (A) may generate a size signal having a quantization step size corresponding to the data samples in an input signal using a compression circuit. The data samples generally reside in a range of numbers. Step (B) may generate the randomized quantization bins in the range based on a pseudorandom process. Step (C) may generate a plurality of quantized samples in a compressed signal by quantizing the data samples based on the randomized quantization bins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventor: Elliot N. Linzer
  • Patent number: 8391367
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising a transform circuit, a first coder circuit, a second coder circuit, and a memory circuit. The transform circuit may be configured to generate (i) one or more first coefficients in response to a sample signal when in a first mode and (ii) the sample signal in response to the first coefficients when in a second mode. The first coder circuit may be configured to generate (i) a first bitstream signal in response to one or more second coefficients when in the first mode and (ii) the second coefficients in response to the first bitstream signal when in the second mode. The second coder circuit may be configured to generate (i) a second bitstream signal in response to one or more third coefficients when in the first mode and (ii) the third coefficients in response to the second bitstream signal when in the second mode. The memory circuit may be configured to store the first coefficients, the second coefficients, and the third coefficients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Leslie D. Kohn, Ellen M. Lee, Benghan Lui
  • Patent number: 8334715
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising a first circuit, a state machine, a compare circuit and a calibration circuit. The first circuit may be configured to generate a slew rate control signal and a calibration signal in response to (i) a plurality of control bits and (ii) an operation signal. The state machine may be configured to generate the operation signal and a plurality of intermediate control signals in response to (i) a compare signal and (ii) clock signal. The compare circuit may be configured to generate the compare signal in response to (i) a reference voltage and (ii) a capacitance signal. The calibration circuit may be configured to generate the capacitance signal in response to (i) the calibration signal and (ii) the plurality of intermediate control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Harish S. Muthali, Xiaojun Zhu
  • Patent number: 8261034
    Abstract: A method for moving data in a memory system of a cascading region-based filter is disclosed. The method generally includes steps (A) to (C). Step (A) may load a first portion of the data from a buffer to the memory system at a start of a given cycle using a control circuit. The memory system generally has multiple first memories. A first region of a particular first memory may receive the first portion of data. Step (B) may copy the data in a second region of the particular first memory to a third region of the particular first memory at an end of the given cycle. Step (C) may copy the data in an output region of the particular first memory to an input region of a next first memory at the end of the given cycle. The output region generally overlaps both the first region and the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventor: Weining Li
  • Patent number: 8243171
    Abstract: A camera system and a method for zooming the camera system is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating an electronic image by sensing an optical image received by the camera, the sensing including electronic cropping to a window size to establish an initial resolution for the electronic image, (B) generating a final image by decimating the electronic image by a decimation factor to a final resolution smaller than the initial resolution and (C) changing a zoom factor for the final image by adjusting both of the decimation factor and the window size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Didier LeGall, Leslie D. Kohn, Elliot N. Linzer
  • Patent number: 8237824
    Abstract: A method of pixel correction is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) calibrating a per-pixel correction model of a sensor at a plurality of different illumination levels, (B) generating a plurality of pixel values from the sensor in response to an optical signal and (C) generating a plurality of corrected values by applying the per-pixel correction model to the pixel values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventor: Elliot N. Linzer
  • Patent number: 8225043
    Abstract: A method for high performance caching is disclosed. The method generally includes steps (A) and (B). Step (A) may fetch a plurality of reference samples of a reference image from a first circuit to a cache of a second circuit. The cache may include a plurality of cache blocks and a plurality of valid bits. Each of the cache blocks generally corresponds to at most one of the valid bits. A size of the cache blocks may match a smallest read access size of the first circuit. Step (B) may transfer the reference samples having the corresponding valid bit set to valid from the cache to a processor of the second circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Leslie D. Kohn, Sydney D. Reader
  • Patent number: 8189061
    Abstract: A method of capturing a still frame is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating a plurality of initial frames with a sensor in response to an optical signal and (B) generating the still frame by combining the initial frames using a noise reduction technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventor: Elliot N. Linzer
  • Patent number: 8164636
    Abstract: A method of capturing a still frame is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating a plurality of initial frames with a sensor in response to an optical signal and (B) generating the still frame by combining the initial frames using a noise reduction technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventor: Elliot N. Linzer