# US 2020/0396407 A1 · Image processing device and control method therefor, and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0396407 A1 - Document ID: US20200396407A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/005,541 - Filed: 2020-08-28 - Published: 2020-12-17 - Earliest claimed: 2018-03-01 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Soichiro Suzuki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200396407A1 ## CPC - H04N 23/665: {involving internal camera communication with the image sensor, e.g. synchronising or multiplexing SSIS control signals} - H04N 25/46: by combining or binning pixels - G06F 12/00: Accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures (digital input from, or digital output to record carriers, e.g. to disk storage units, G06F3/06) - G06F 13/38: Information transfer, e.g. on bus (G06F13/14 takes precedence) - G06F 13/42: Bus transfer protocol, e.g. handshake; Synchronisation - H04N 23/667: Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes - H04N 25/42: by switching between different modes of operation using different resolutions or aspect ratios, e.g. switching between interlaced and non-interlaced mode - H04N 25/704: Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets - H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters - H04N 25/79: Arrangements of circuitry being divided between different or multiple substrates, chips or circuit boards, e.g. stacked image sensors - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An image processing device includes a buffer memory configured to temporarily store image data, setting circuit for setting a first data rate at which the image data is transferred to a recording memory, and adjusting circuit for adjusting a data rate by causing a portion of image data read from the image sensor to be temporarily stored in the buffer memory when a second data rate exceeds the first data rate, and causing the temporarily stored portion of the image data to be output from the buffer memory when the second data rate is lower than the first data rate, the portion of the image data corresponding to an amount by which the second data rate exceeds the first data rate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image processing device comprising: a buffer memory configured to temporarily store image data that is read from an image sensor at a data rate whose density varies; a setting circuit configured to set a first data rate at which the image data is transferred to a recording memory for recording the image data, according to variation in the density of the data rate; and an adjusting circuit configured to adjust a data rate by causing a portion of image data read from the image sensor to be temporarily stored in the buffer memory when a second data rate exceeds the first data rate, and causing the temporarily stored portion of the image data to be output from the buffer memory when the second data rate is lower than the first data rate, the second data rate being a data rate at which the image data is read from the image sensor, the portion of the image data corresponding to an amount by which the second data rate exceeds the first data rate. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a readout control circuit configured to read image data regarding a plurality of rows of the image sensor simultaneously. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a rearrangement circuit configured to rearrange image data pieces regarding a plurality of rows read from the image sensor, in the order of the rows. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The image processing device according to claim 2, wherein the setting circuit sets the first data rate according to the number and positions of rows of the image sensor from which image data is simultaneously read. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image data includes a valid data period that includes data and an invalid data period that does not include data, and the adjusting circuit causes image data temporarily stored in the buffer memory to be output from the buffer memory during the invalid data period. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The image processing device according to claim 3, wherein if image data read from the image sensor is image data regarding a single row, the rearrangement circuit does not rearrange image data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image sensor is capable of outputting a plurality of types of image data from each row, and the image processing device further includes a separation circuit configured to separate image data output from the image sensor according to the type of the image data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image processing device according to claim 7, wherein the adjusting circuit adjusts a data rate with respect to image data separated by the separation circuit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The image processing device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of types of image data are image data pieces that have parallax and are obtained by dividing a light flux that passes through a pupil of an image capturing optical system into two or more. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The image processing device according to claim 7, wherein the image processing device further includes a readout control circuit configured to set a type of image data to be read and the number of types, for each row of the image sensor, and if a period during which the rearrangement circuit consecutively outputs image data of a first type is equal to or longer than a predetermined length, the readout control circuit selects image data of a type different from the first type as data to be read right after the period. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image processing device according to claim 10, wherein the readout control circuit is capable of controlling, with respect to each row, a period from when reading of one or more rows is started to when reading of one or more rows is started next. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein with respect to image data that is read from a plurality of regions of the image sensor, the adjusting circuit adjusts data rates of the respective regions to different values. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein out of image data regarding a plurality of regions of an image read from the image sensor, only data regarding some of the regions is recorded in the recording memory. ### Claim 14 A method for controlling an image processing device that includes a buffer memory configured to temporarily store image data that is read from an image sensor at a data rate whose density varies, the method comprising: setting a first data rate at which the image data is transferred to a recording memory for recording the image data, according to variation in the density of the data rate; and adjusting a data rate by temporarily storing a portion of image data read from the image sensor in the buffer memory when a second data rate exceeds the first data rate, and outputting the temporarily stored portion of the image data from the buffer memory when the second data rate is lower than the first data rate, the second data rate being a data rate at which the image data is read from the image sensor, the portion of the image data corresponding to an amount by which the second data rate exceeds the first data rate. ### Claim 15 A computer-readable storage medium in which a program for causing a computer to execute each step of a method for controlling an image processing device that includes a buffer memory configured to temporarily store image data that is read from an image sensor at a data rate whose density varies, the method comprising: setting a first data rate at which the image data is transferred to a recording memory for recording the image data, according to variation in the density of the data rate; and adjusting a data rate by temporarily storing a portion of image data read from the image sensor in the buffer memory when a second data rate exceeds the first data rate, and outputting the temporarily stored portion of the image data from the buffer memory when the second data rate is lower than the first data rate, the second data rate being a data rate at which the image data is read from the image sensor, the portion of the image data corresponding to an amount by which the second data rate exceeds the first data rate.