Image sensing apparatus that use sensors capable of carrying out XY addressing type scanning and driving control method

1. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

a first setting unit that sets a charge accumulation period in an image sensor to an integral multiple of ½ a flicker period;

a second setting unit that, if a horizontal scan period, which is a period after commencement of reading out a preset line of the image sensor until commencement of reading out a line to be read out next, is changed to be shorter, sets a charge accumulation period of the image sensor after a change in the horizontal scan period to a period that is an integral multiple of ½ the flicker period and is shorter than the charge accumulation period that has been set by the first setting unit; and

a controller that controls the image sensor to achieve the charge accumulation periods set by the first and second setting units,

wherein, if the horizontal scan period is changed to be shorter under an environment which may cause the flicker, the controller delays a reset commencement timing so that a period in which an image signal of a frame before the change in the horizontal scan period is read out from the image sensor and a period in which the image sensor is reset for a frame after the change in the horizontal scan period do not overlap, and changes a frame rate of the frame after the change in the horizontal scan period.

2. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

a first setting unit that sets a charge accumulation period in an image sensor to an integral multiple of ½ a flicker period;

a second setting unit that, if a horizontal scan period, which is a period after commencement of reading out a preset line of the image sensor until commencement of reading out a line to be read out next, is changed to be shorter, sets a charge accumulation period of the image sensor after a change in the horizontal scan period to a period that is an integral multiple of ½ the flicker period and is shorter than the charge accumulation period that has been set by the first setting unit; and

a controller that controls the image sensor to achieve the charge accumulation periods set by the first and second setting units,

wherein, if the horizontal scan period is changed to be shorter under an environment which does not cause the flicker, the second setting unit sets the charge accumulation period so that, without changing a frame rate, a period in which a frame before the change in the horizontal scan period is read out and a period in which the image sensor is reset for a frame after the change in the horizontal scan period do not overlap.

3. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

a first setting unit that sets a charge accumulation period in an image sensor to an integral multiple of ½ a flicker period;

a second setting unit that, if a horizontal scan period, which is a period after commencement of reading out a preset line of the image sensor until commencement of reading out a line to be read out next, is changed to be shorter, sets a charge accumulation period of the image sensor after a change in the horizontal scan period to a period that is an integral multiple of ½ the flicker period and is shorter than the charge accumulation period that has been set by the first setting unit; and

a controller that controls the image sensor to achieve the charge accumulation periods set by the first and second setting units,

wherein, if the horizontal scan period is changed to be longer, the second setting unit sets the charge accumulation period in the image sensor after the change in the horizontal scan period to a same charge accumulation period as before the change in the horizontal scan period.

4. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

a first setting unit that sets a charge accumulation period in an image sensor to an integral multiple of ½ a flicker period;

a second setting unit that, if a horizontal scan period, which is a period after commencement of reading out a preset line of the image sensor until commencement of reading out a line to be read out next, is changed to be shorter, sets a charge accumulation period of the image sensor after a change in the horizontal scan period to a period that is an integral multiple of ½ the flicker period and is shorter than the charge accumulation period that has been set by the first setting unit; and

a controller that controls the image sensor to achieve the charge accumulation periods set by the first and second setting units,

wherein the change in the horizontal scan period is carried out during a vertical return period after completion of readout of image signals of a single frame.

5. A driving control method comprising:

a first setting step of setting a charge accumulation period in an image sensor to an integral multiple of ½ a flicker period;

a second setting step of, if a horizontal scan period, which is a period after commencement of reading out a preset line of the image sensor until commencement of reading out a line to be read out next, is changed to be shorter, setting a charge accumulation period of the image sensor after a change in the horizontal scan period to a period that is an integral multiple of ½ the flicker period and is shorter than the charge accumulation period that has been set in the first setting step; and

a control step of controlling the image sensor to achieve the charge accumulation periods set in the first and second setting steps,

wherein, if the horizontal scan period is changed in the second setting step to be shorter under an environment which may cause the flicker, a reset commencement timing is delayed so that a period in which an image signal of a frame before the change in the horizontal scan period is read out from the image sensor and a period in which the image sensor is reset for a frame after the change in the horizontal scan period do not overlap, and a frame rate of a frame after the change in the horizontal scan period is changed in the control step.

6. A driving control method comprising:

a first setting step of setting a charge accumulation period in an image sensor to an integral multiple of ½ a flicker period;

a second setting step of, if a horizontal scan period, which is a period after commencement of reading out a preset line of the image sensor until commencement of reading out a line to be read out next, is changed to be shorter, setting a charge accumulation period of the image sensor after a change in the horizontal scan period to a period that is an integral multiple of ½ the flicker period and is shorter than the charge accumulation period that has been set in the first setting step; and

a control step of controlling the image sensor to achieve the charge accumulation periods set in the first and second setting steps,

wherein, if the horizontal scan period is changed to be shorter under an environment which does not cause the flicker, the charge accumulation period is set in the second setting step so that, without changing a frame rate, a period in which a frame before the change in the horizontal scan period is read out and a period in which the image sensor is reset for a frame after the change in the horizontal scan period do not overlap.

7. A driving control method comprising:

a first setting step of setting a charge accumulation period in an image sensor to an integral multiple of ½ a flicker period;

a second setting step of, if a horizontal scan period, which is a period after commencement of reading out a preset line of the image sensor until commencement of reading out a line to be read out next, is changed to be shorter, setting a charge accumulation period of the image sensor after a change in the horizontal scan period to a period that is an integral multiple of ½ the flicker period and is shorter than the charge accumulation period that has been set in the first setting step; and

a control step of controlling the image sensor to achieve the charge accumulation periods set in the first and second setting steps;

a third setting step of, if the horizontal scan period is changed to be longer, setting a charge accumulation period in the image sensor after the change in the horizontal scan period to a same charge accumulation period as before the change in the horizontal scan period,

wherein in the control step, the image sensor is controlled to achieve the charge accumulation periods set in the first and third setting steps.

8. A driving control method comprising:

a first setting step of setting a charge accumulation period in an image sensor to an integral multiple of ½ a flicker period;

a second setting step of, if a horizontal scan period, which is a period after commencement of reading out a preset line of the image sensor until commencement of reading out a line to be read out next, is changed to be shorter, setting a charge accumulation period of the image sensor after a change in the horizontal scan period to a period that is an integral multiple of ½ the flicker period and is shorter than the charge accumulation period that has been set in the first setting step; and

a control step of controlling the image sensor to achieve the charge accumulation periods set in the first and second setting steps,

wherein the change in the horizontal scan period is carried out during a vertical return period after completion of readout of image signals of a single frame.