Multicamera system, image pickup apparatus, controller, image pickup control method, image pickup apparatus control method, and image pickup method

An image pickup control method implemented by an imaging system, the image pickup control method comprising:

• transmitting, with a control unit, information showing a reset phase corresponding to a pixel count value in a frame synchronized with a sync reference signal to one or each of a plurality of image pickup apparatuses within a frame period of a one-precedent frame of said frame, said reset phase being based on a frame ratio of a frame frequency of an image pickup frame to a frame frequency of a video frame synchronized with the sync reference signal, and a frame sequence number showing a number allocated to the video frame;
• determining a number of pixels per line based on the frame ratio and the frame sequence number;
• allowing, with an image pickup timing signal generating unit, said one or each of said plurality of image pickup apparatuses to start a photographing of one image pickup frame based on said reset phase, said pixel count value, and said number of pixels per line;
• and
• outputting, with an image pickup unit, image pickup data of the one image pickup frame obtained by said photographing based on the sync reference signal.

An image pickup apparatus, comprising:

• an image pickup unit configured to photograph light from an object;
• an image pickup driving unit configured to drive said image pickup unit to start a photographing of one image pickup frame based on a pixel count value, a number of pixels per line, and a reset phase corresponding to the pixel count value, in a frame, synchronized with a sync reference signal transmitted from an outside, said reset phase being based on a frame ratio of a frame frequency of an image pickup frame to a frame frequency of a video frame synchronized with the sync reference signal, and a frame sequence number showing a number allocated to the video frame;
• a system controller configured to determine the number of pixels per line based on the frame ratio and the frame sequence number;
• and
• an output unit configured to output image pickup data of the one image pickup frame photographed by said image pickup unit based on said sync reference signal, which has been transmitted from the outside.

An image pickup method implemented by an image pickup apparatus, the image pickup method comprising:

• starting, with an image pickup timing signal generating unit, a photographing of one image pickup frame based on a pixel count value, a number of pixels per line, and a reset phase corresponding to the pixel count value, in a frame, synchronized with a sync reference signal transmitted from an outside, said reset phase being based on a frame ratio of a frame frequency of an image pickup frame to a frame frequency of a video frame synchronized with the sync reference signal, and a frame sequence number showing a number allocated to the video frame;
• determining the number of pixels per line based on the frame ratio and the frame sequence number;
• and
• outputting, with an image pickup unit, image pickup data of the one image pickup frame obtained by said photographing based on said sync reference signal, which has been transmitted from the outside.