Image pickup device
View Patent ↗There is provided an image pickup device which eliminates the need for image processing different from one frame to another, and is capable of eliminating centroid displacement without additionally performing a centroid correction process, thereby improving an S/N ratio and image quality. A controller 140 sequentially reads signals from all pixels when an operation mode control signal designates all-pixel readout mode, whereas, controls to read a signal from a different pixel while varying a readout position from one field to another when the operation mode control signal designates selective readout mode, and a signal processing section 150 performs signal processing on a set of field data of a single field to output resultant data as frame data when the operation mode control signal designates all-pixel readout mode, whereas, adds up plural sets of field data over a plurality of fields to output resultant data as frame data when the operation mode control signal designates selective readout mode.
1. An image pickup device comprising:
a pixel section including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix;
a readout circuit that performs a conversion process on an analog signal generated in the pixel section to output a resultant signal as field data;
a controller that, in response to an operation mode control signal, operates to select a pixel from which a signal is to be read in the pixel section; and
a signal processing section that performs signal processing on the field data supplied from the readout circuit to output resultant data as frame data,
wherein,
the controller (i) operates to sequentially read signals from all of the pixels when the operation mode control signal designates an all-pixel readout mode, and (ii) operates to read a signal from a different pixel while varying a readout position from one field to another field when the operation mode control signal designates a selective readout mode, and
the signal processing section (i) performs signal processing on a set of field data of a single field to output resultant data as frame data when the operation mode control signal designates the all-pixel readout mode, and (ii) adds up plural sets of field data over a plurality of fields to output resultant data as frame data when the operation mode control signal designates the selective readout mode, a pixel address designated for readout in each field being selected such that sampling centroids in rows and sampling centroids in columns are fixed, respectively, when the plural sets of field data are added up.
2. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein
the signal processing section performs adding-up or averaging of data at a corresponding coordinate over a plurality of fields for each of all pixels to produce a single set of image data from plural sets of image data.
3. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein
the readout position is changed every m fields and the signal processing section adds up m sets of field data to produce one set of image data when the operation mode control signal designates the selective readout mode, where m is an arbitrary integer.
4. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein
the signal processing section adds up the plural sets of field data over the plurality of fields so that the sampling centroids in rows and the sampling centroids in columns are fixed, respectively, when the operation mode control signal designates the selective readout mode.
5. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller operates to allow a readout pixel address in one of the plurality of fields to be different from a readout pixel address in another one of the plurality of fields, the plurality of fields being subjected to adding-up processing by the signal processing section.