# US 10,313,621 B2 · Image pickup device, control method, and image pickup apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,313,621 B2 - Document ID: US10313621B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/125,292 - Filed: 2015-03-06 - Published: 2017-03-16 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2014-03-20 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Keita Sasaki; Tsutomu Nakajima; Jun Hashizume - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10313621B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/76: Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors - H04N 25/00: Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof - H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters - H10F 39/026: {Wafer-level processing} - H10F 39/18: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors - H10F 39/803: {Pixels having integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements} - H10F 39/809: {of hybrid image sensors} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract [Object] The present technique relates to an image pickup device, a control method, and an image pickup apparatus with which more diverse pickup images can be obtained. [Solving Means] An image pickup device according to the present technique includes: a pixel array that reads out pixel signals obtained by photoelectrically converting incident light, from each of a plurality of pixels in the pixel array; an analog processing unit that carries out signal processing on the analog pixel signals to obtain digital image data; a storage unit that stores the image data; a signal processing unit that carries out signal processing on the image data stored in the storage unit; an output unit that outputs the image data stored in the storage unit; and a control unit that causes reading processing, analog processing, digital processing, and output processing to be executed at processing speeds independent from one another. The present technique is applicable to an image pickup device and an electronic apparatus, for example. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image pickup device, comprising: a pixel array that comprises a plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels is configured to convert incident light into analog pixel signals, and wherein the pixel array is configured to execute reading processing to read the analog pixel signals from each of the plurality of pixels; and circuitry configured to: execute analog signal processing on the analog pixel signals to obtain digital image data; store the digital image data; execute digital signal processing on the stored digital image data; execute output processing to output the processed digital image data; and set each of a processing speed of the reading processing, a processing speed of the analog signal processing, a processing speed of the digital signal processing, and a processing speed of the output processing, wherein the processing speed of the reading processing, the processing speed of the analog signal processing, the processing speed of the digital signal processing, and the processing speed of the output processing are mutually independent. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to set each of the processing speed of the reading processing and the processing speed of the analog signal processing to be higher than each of the processing speed of the digital signal processing and the processing speed of the output processing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image pickup device according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to set the processing speed of the digital signal processing to be lower than the processing speed of the output processing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to set the processing speed of the digital signal processing to be higher than each of the processing speed of the reading processing, the processing speed of the analog signal processing, and the processing speed of the output processing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image pickup device according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is further configured to execute the digital signal processing a plurality of times in a 1-frame processing period. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to set each of a frame rate of the reading processing and a frame rate of the analog signal processing to be higher than each of a frame rate of the digital signal processing and a frame rate of the output processing. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to store the digital image data in a frame memory. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image pickup device according to claim 7, wherein the frame memory includes a ring buffer configured to store a plurality of latest frames. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image pickup device according to claim 8, wherein the circuitry is further configured to execute the digital signal processing on image data of a past frame of the plurality of latest frames stored in the ring buffer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The image pickup device according to claim 7, wherein the frame memory is configured to store first image data of a plurality of frames, and wherein the circuitry is further configured to execute the digital signal processing on second image data of a past frame of the plurality of frames stored in the frame memory. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising a single semiconductor substrate, wherein the pixel array and the circuitry are on the single semiconductor substrate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of semiconductor substrates superimposed on one another, wherein each of the pixel array and the circuitry is on a respective one of the plurality of semiconductor substrates. ### Claim 13 A control method, comprising: executing reading processing to read analog pixel signals from each of a plurality of pixels in a pixel array, wherein the plurality of pixels is configured to convert incident light into the analog pixel signals; executing analog signal processing on the analog pixel signals to obtain digital image data; executing digital signal processing the digital image data; executing output processing to output the processed digital image data; and setting each of a processing speed of the reading processing, a processing speed of the analog signal processing, a processing speed of the digital signal processing, and a processing speed of the output processing, wherein the processing speed of the reading processing, the processing speed of the analog signal processing, the processing speed of the digital signal processing, and the processing speed of the output processing are mutually independent. ### Claim 14 An image pickup apparatus, comprising: an image pickup sensor configured to capture image data of an object; and a processor configured to: receive the captured image data from the image pickup sensor; and execute image processing on the captured image data, wherein the image pickup sensor comprises: a pixel array that comprises a plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels is configured to convert incident light into analog pixel signals, and wherein the pixel array is configured to execute reading processing to read the analog pixel signals from each of the plurality of pixels; and circuitry configured to: execute analog signal processing on the analog pixel signals to obtain digital image data; store the digital image data; execute digital signal processing on the stored digital image data; execute output processing to output the processed digital image data; and set each of a processing speed of the reading processing, a processing speed of the analog signal processing, a processing speed of the digital signal processing, and a processing speed of the output processing, wherein the processing speed of the reading processing, the processing speed of the analog signal processing, the processing speed of the digital signal processing, and the processing speed of the output processing are mutually independent.