Image apparatus with locking operation for serial data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11146756-B2
Application number	US-201916579467-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2019
Priority date	Sep 28, 2018
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

An imaging apparatus allows a clock data recovery device to reestablish reception of data even when the clock data recovery device has failed to lock a phase. A reception unit includes a locking unit configured to perform a locking operation for receiving the data and a detection unit configured to detect a lock state of the locking unit. A control unit controls performing of the locking operation again by the locking unit in a case where a lock is not achieved, based on a detection result detected by the detection unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:
an image sensor configured to acquire image data and to transmit serial data, via a transmission unit, based on a clock embedded procedure, the serial data including the image data; and
a controller having a processor which executes instructions stored in a memory, the controller being configured to function as:
a reception unit configured to receive the serial data and a reference clock, the reception unit including a locking unit and a detection unit,
a generator configured to generate a serial clock, and
a control unit configured to control the reception unit,
wherein the locking unit is configured to perform a locking operation to lock the serial clock to the reference clock and the serial data and the detection unit is configured to detect a lock state of the locking unit,
wherein the control unit controls performing of the locking operation again by the locking unit in a case where locking is not achieved, based on a detection result detected by the detection unit, and
wherein the control unit controls the locking unit to perform the locking operation and to perform the locking operation again within a period from when accumulation of charges in the image sensor corresponding to one frame of image data is started to when reading the one frame of image data is started.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the locking operation includes locking the serial clock to the reference clock in a frequency locked loop and the serial data in a phase locked loop.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the image sensor includes a plurality of transmission units,
wherein the reception unit includes a plurality of reception units corresponding to the number of the transmission units included in the image sensor, and
wherein the locking operation includes an adjustment of a difference in the data among the plurality of reception units.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit includes a register configured to retain the detection result, and
wherein the control unit controls repeating of the locking operation until the locking is established by the locking unit within a predetermined number of times in a case where the locking is not achieved, based on the detection result retained in the register.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls executing of first error processing in a case where the locking operation has failed a predetermined number of times.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit executes second error processing different from the first error processing in a case where the first error processing is executed a predetermined number of times.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a display unit configured to display an image based on the image data,
wherein the first or second error processing includes processing for displaying a message instructing a user to carry out image capturing again on the display unit.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a display unit configured to display an image based on the image data,
wherein the first or second error processing includes processing for displaying a message instructing a user to restart the imaging apparatus on the display unit.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a display unit configured to display an image based on the image data,
wherein the first or second error processing includes processing for displaying a message indicating a malfunction on the display unit.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the first or second error processing includes processing for performing an image capturing operation again.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the first or second error processing includes processing for restarting the imaging apparatus.

12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the locking operation includes a first locking operation and a second locking operation, a locking time period of the second locking operation lasts shorter than the first locking operation, and
wherein the control unit does not perform the locking operation again when controlling the reception unit with use of the second locking operation.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12 ,
wherein the control unit controls the reception unit into a power saving state during a time period in which the reception unit does not receive the serial data, and
wherein the control unit controls performing of the first locking or second locking operation in correspondence with a timing of ending the power saving state.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the control unit controls performing of the first locking operation at the time of a startup.

15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the locking operation is performed such that the serial clock has same frequency and phase as the serial data.

16. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein image data corresponding to the accumulated charges is image data of a still image.

17. A communication method between an image sensor configured to acquire image data and to transmit serial data, via a transmission unit, based on a clock embedded procedure, the serial data including the image data, and a signal processing unit including a reception unit configured to receive the serial data and a reference clock, the reception unit including a locking unit and a detection unit, the communication method comprising:
performing a locking operation to lock a serial clock to the reference clock and the serial data at the reception unit;
detecting a locking result of the locking operation; and
performing the locking operation again at the reception unit based on a detection result detected by the detecting, and
wherein the locking operation performed and the locking operation is performed again within a period from when accumulation of charges in the image sensor corresponding to one frame of image data is started to when reading the one frame of image data is started.

18. An imaging apparatus comprising:
an image sensor configured to acquire image data and to transmit serial data, via a transmission unit, based on a clock embedded procedure, the serial data including the image data; and
a controller having a processor which executes instructions stored in a memory, the controller being configured to function as:
a reception unit configured to receive the serial data and a reference clock, the reception unit including a locking unit and a detection unit,
a generator configured to generate a serial clock, and
a control unit configured to control the reception unit,
wherein the locking unit is configured to perform a locking operation to lock the serial clock to the reference clock and the serial data and the detection unit is configured to detect a lock state of the locking unit,
wherein the control unit controls performing of the locking operation again by the locking unit in a case where locking is not achieved, based on a detection result detected by the detection unit, and
wherein the control unit controls the locking unit to perform the locking operation within a period from when reading a first frame of a live view image is finished to when reading a second frame next to the first frame of the image is started.

19. An imaging apparatus according to cla

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Sambonsugi Hideaki

Classifications

• H04N23/64

  Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image · CPC title

• H04N23/54 Primary

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N5/956

  by using a digital memory with independent write-in and read-out clock generators · CPC title

• H04N5/772

  the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure · CPC title

• H03L7/087

  using at least two phase detectors or a frequency and phase detector in the loop · CPC title