Patent · US Active

Imaging apparatus having a read out circuit unit with dual readout operation and method of improving a frame rate

US7514663B2 · kind B2 · utility

41Cited by
10References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 19, 2007
Grant dateApr 7, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 11, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N25/779
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An image apparatus capable of improving a frame rate to prevent resolution in the predetermined area from decreasing and forming image signals outside the predetermined area has an area sensor in which a plurality of pixels is arranged in a matrix, a drive circuit unit, a read out circuit unit and a processing unit processing signals transferred from the read out circuit unit. The drive circuit unit and the read out circuit unit perform a first operation in which signals are simultaneously read out from N pixels in a first area of the area sensor (where N is an integer equal to one or more) and a second operation in which signals are simultaneously read out from M pixels in a second area except the first area of the area sensor (where M is an integer equal to two or more and always greater than N), the first and second read out operations are continuously performed in one frame period, and a first and a second signal obtained by the first and the second read out operations are continuously transferred from the read out circuit unit to the processing unit.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.