Timing control for a digitally interfaced camera using variable line readout intervals
US5841471A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 12, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 24, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 12, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N25/134
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A digital camera is designed to capture images and transfer the captured images to a host computer. The camera includes an image sensor exposed to image light for capturing the images and generating image signals; a timing generator, incorporating a line request control signal, for controlling the readout of lines of photosites from the image sensor; an A/D converter for converting the image signals into digital image data; a digital memory for storing at least one line of digital image data; and a digital interface for providing the digital image data read from the digital memory to the host computer. By initiating a new line readout in response to the line request control signal indicating the fullness of the digital memory, the camera is able to use the image sensor as an analog frame memory, instead of having a full digital frame memory in the camera, so that only a small line store is required.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.