Image capturing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9398236-B2
Application number	US-201414519464-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2014
Priority date	Nov 18, 2013
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

An image capturing apparatus including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix and a signal processing unit configured to process signals read out from the pixels. In a first mode, a charge accumulation is controlled by an electronic shutter. In a second mode, the charge accumulation is controlled by a mechanical shutter. The signal processing unit corrects image data obtained from the plurality of pixels based on a signal obtained by the charge accumulation in the second mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image capturing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of pixels arranged to form a plurality of rows;
a readout circuit configured to read out signals from pixels of a selected row of the plurality of rows; and
a signal processing unit configured to process signals read out by the readout circuit,
wherein the apparatus has (a) a first mode in which a charge accumulation is controlled by an electronic shutter, and (b) a second mode in which the charge accumulation is controlled by a mechanical shutter, and
wherein in the second mode, the signal processing unit corrects the signals read out from the pixels of the selected row of the plurality of rows based on differences between signals read out by the readout circuit from pixels of a first row of the plurality of rows and signals read out by the readout circuit from pixels of a second row of the plurality of rows.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processing unit corrects the signals read out from the pixels of the selected row of the plurality of rows based on a time from when the mechanical shutter shields the plurality of pixels from light until the signals of the pixels of the selected row are read out by the readout circuit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first row is one of odd numbered rows of the plurality of rows, and the second row is one of even numbered rows of the plurality of rows.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first row and the second row are arranged adjacent to each other.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of pixels are pixels corresponding to a same color.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the signals are read out in an arrangement order of the rows.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a readout period during which the readout circuit reads out signals from the plurality of pixels includes a period during which pixels of odd numbered rows of the plurality of rows are continuously read out, and a period during which pixels of even numbered rows of the plurality of rows are continuously read out.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction by the processing unit is performed when the first mode is switched to the second mode.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the differences are caused by a difference between a period during which charges of the pixels of the first row is held and a period during which charges of the pixels of the second row is held.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Johnson Michiko
• Kobayashi Masahiro
• Itoh Hideyuki
• Ichikawa Takeshi

Classifications

• G03B7/097 Primary

  for control of both exposure time and aperture · CPC title

• H04N25/531

  by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS · CPC title

• H04N23/73

  by influencing the exposure time · CPC title

• H04N23/667

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• G03B9/08

  Shutters · CPC title