CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit under 35 USC § 119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0069003, filed on Jun. 8, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The following description relates to an optical image stabilization (OIS) circuit and an OIS data sharing device, and an operating method thereof.

2. Description of Related Art

Typically, a camera module may include an OIS circuit, and the OIS circuit may detect hand-shake information and may move a lens or an image sensor in an opposite direction of the hand-shake such that a clear image, unaffected by the hand-shake, may be obtained even when a camera shakes.

A general OIS circuit may use sensor data received from a gyro sensor to achieve the stable operation of a camera module.

The OIS circuit may read sensor data from a gyro sensor by implementing a serial peripheral interface bus (SPI)/inter-integrated circuit (I2C).

Additionally, in a typical OIS circuit, one gyro sensor is configured to be provided in a one-to-one manner with an OIS circuit. Accordingly, when a gyro sensor is necessary, a plurality of driver circuits (driver ICs) may be connected to the plurality of gyro sensors in a one-to-one manner.

In an example, when two OIS circuits applied to two camera modules are used, two gyro sensors may be necessary.

Recently, as electronic devices have become more multifunctional, and the performance of electronic devices have become more enhanced, electronic cameras, such as electronic cameras installed in vehicles or smartphones, may include an increasing number of camera modules.

When a plurality of camera modules are mounted on an electronic device, and a plurality of gyro sensors are used, production costs may increase.

To address the issue described above, a single gyro sensor may be used instead of using a plurality of gyro sensors. However, in this example, some issues related to sharing of sensor data may occur between a plurality of OIS circuits connected to a single gyro sensor.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In a general aspect, an optical image stabilization (OIS) circuit includes a first OIS circuit, configured to operate as a serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus master with respect to a single sensor, read sensor data from the single sensor, and store the read sensor data, and further configured to transmit a control code in a first SPI slave operation mode prior to a second SPI slave operation mode, and transmit the read sensor data in the second SPI slave operation mode, while operating as an SPI slave; and a second OIS circuit, configured to operate as a SPI master with respect to the first OIS circuit, read the control code from the first OIS circuit, and store the read control code in a first SPI master operation mode, and further configured to read and store the sensor data in a second SPI master operation mode subsequent to the first SPI master operation mode.

The first OIS circuit may include a first SPI master, configured to read the sensor data from the single sensor; a first memory, configured to store the read sensor data; a second memory, configured to store the control code; a first SPI slave, configured to transmit the read sensor data based on a request from the second OIS circuit in the second SPI slave operation mode; and a second SPI slave, configured to transmit the control code based on a request from the second OIS circuit in the first SPI slave operation mode.

The second OIS circuit may include a second SPI master, configured to operate as an SPI master with respect to the first SPI slave and the second SPI slave of the first OIS circuit, and read the control code through the second SPI slave in the first SPI master operation mode, and read the sensor data through the first SPI slave in the second SPI master operation mode; and a third memory, configured to store the control code and the sensor data read by the second SPI master.

The second OIS circuit may be configured to automatically identify a communication mode with the first OIS circuit by performing a process of identifying the communication mode with the first OIS circuit before communicating with the first OIS circuit, and determining the communication mode.

The second OIS circuit may be configured to recognize a type of a corresponding memory to be read based on header information stored in a second memory, which is an internal memory of the first OIS circuit, or an external memory, and determine a frame structure appropriate for a type of the recognized memory.

In a general aspect, an optical image stabilization (OIS) device includes a single sensor, configured to operate as a serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus slave, and to transmit sensor data; a first OIS circuit, configured to operate as an SPI master with respect to the single sensor, read sensor data from the single sensor, and store the read sensor data, and further configured to transmit a control code in a first SPI slave operation mode prior to a second SPI slave operation mode, and transmit the read sensor data in the second SPI slave operation mode, while operating as an SPI slave; and a second OIS circuit, configured to operate as an SPI master with respect to the first OIS circuit, read the control code from the first OIS circuit, and store the read control code in a first SPI master operation mode, and further configured to read and store the sensor data in a second SPI master operation mode subsequent to the first SPI master operation mode.

The first OIS circuit may include a first SPI master, configured to read the sensor data from the single sensor; a first memory, configured to store the read sensor data; a second memory, configured to store the control code; a first SPI slave, configured to transmit the sensor data based on a request from the second OIS circuit in the second SPI slave operation mode; and a second SPI slave, configured to transmit the control code based on a request from the second OIS circuit in the first SPI slave operation mode.

The first OIS circuit may include a first SPI master configured to read the sensor data from the single sensor; a first memory, configured to store the read sensor data; and a first SPI slave, configured to transmit the read sensor data based on a request from the second OIS circuit in the second SPI slave operation mode, wherein the OIS device further comprises an external memory device, configured to transmit the control code based on a request from the second OIS circuit, and wherein the external memory device comprises: a third memory configured to store the control code; and a third SPI slave configured to transmit the control code based on a request from the second OIS circuit in the second SPI slave operation mode.

The second OIS circuit may include a second SPI master, configured to operate as an SPI master with respect to the first SPI slave and the second SPI slave of the first OIS circuit, and read the control code through the second SPI slave in the first SPI master operation mode and to read the sensor data through the first SPI slave in the second SPI master operation mode; and a third memory, configured to store the control code and the sensor data read by the second SPI master.

The second OIS circuit may be configured to identify a communication mode with the first OIS circuit by performing a process of identifying the communication mode with the first OIS circuit before communicating with the first OIS circuit, and determining the communication mode.

The second OIS circuit may be configured to recognize a type of a corresponding memory to be read based on header information stored in a second memory of the first OIS circuit or a third memory of the external memory device, and determining a frame structure appropriate for a type of the recognized memory.

The OIS device may include a PIN multiplexer, configured to select one of the first SPI slave and the second SPI slave in response to a chip selection signal of the second OIS circuit.

In a general aspect, an operating method includes determining, by a second optical image stabilization (OIS) circuit, a communication mode by automatically recognizing a communication mode with a first OIS circuit; determining, by a second OIS circuit, a frame structure based on a type of a memory that stores a control code, where the second OIS circuit is configured to operate as a serial peripheral interface (SPI) master with respect to the first OIS circuit while the second OIS circuit performs the determined communication mode; reading a control code stored in the memory using the frame structure in a first SPI master operation mode; and changing a mode from the first SPI master operation mode to a second SPI master operation mode in the second OIS circuit, and reading, by the second OIS circuit, sensor data from the first OIS circuit.

The determining the communication mode may include determining a communication mode by automatically identifying a communication mode with the first OIS circuit by performing a process of identifying a communication mode with the first OIS circuit before communication with the first OIS circuit is performed.

The reading the control code may include operating the second OIS circuit as a SPI master with respect to the first OIS circuit in the first SPI master operation mode, selecting the second SPI slave of the first OIS circuit in the first SPI master operation mode, and reading, by the second OIS circuit, the control code from the memory and storing the control code.

The determining the frame structure may include recognizing, by the second OIS circuit, a type of a corresponding memory to be read based on head information stored in a memory of the first OIS circuit, and determining, by the second OIS circuit, a frame structure appropriate for a type of the corresponding memory.

The reading the sensor data may include selecting the first SPI slave included in the first OIS circuit, reading the sensor data through the first SPI slave, and storing the sensor data by the second OIS circuit in the second SPI master operation mode.

In a general aspect, an electronic device includes an optical image stabilization (OIS) device including: a sensor; a first OIS circuit; and a second OIS circuit; wherein the first OIS circuit comprises a serial peripheral interface (SPI) master, configured to read sensor data from the sensor; a first SPI slave, configured to transmit the sensor data to the second OIS circuit in a first SPI slave operation mode; and a second SPI slave, configured to transmit a control code to the second OIS circuit in a second SPI slave operation mode; and wherein the second OIS circuit is configured to operate as an SPI master with respect to the first SPI slave and the second SPI slave.

The device may further include a PIN multiplexer, configured to select one of the first SPI slave and the second SPI slave based on a specific code value transmitted by the second OIS circuit.

The first OIS circuit and the second OIS circuit may be connected in one of a 4-wire communication mode and a 3-wire communication mode.

Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims.

