Image pickup element, imaging device, and imaging method
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorsNobuo Ueki, Masuyoshi Kurokawa, Yoichi Yagasaki, Makoto Aoki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In order to improve imaging performance, an imaging apparatus is provided to include an image capturing unit configured to detect incident light and generate a raw image data, a compression unit configured to compress the raw image data to generate a coded data having a data amount smaller than that of the raw image data, and an output unit configured to output the coded data to a processing unit for processing the coded data. Furthermore, the image capturing unit, the compression unit, and the output unit are configured to be within a same semiconductor package.
Claims16
An imaging apparatus comprising:
- an image capturing unit configured to detect incident light and generate a raw image data;
- a compression unit configured to compress the raw image data to generate a coded data having a data amount smaller than that of the raw image data;
- and
- an output unit configured to output the coded data to a processing unit for processing the coded data,
- wherein the image capturing unit, the compression unit, and the output unit are configured to be within a same semiconductor package,
- wherein the compression unit and the output unit are fabricated on a first semiconductor substrate, the processing unit is fabricated on a second semiconductor substrate, and a bus connects a circuitry of the output unit on the first semiconductor substrate to a circuitry of the processing unit on the second semiconductor substrate, and
- wherein the image capturing unit, the compression unit, the output unit, and the processing unit are each implemented via at least one processor.
An image sensor comprising:
- an image capturing unit configured to detect incident light and generate a raw image data;
- a compression unit configured to compress the raw image data to generate a coded data having a data amount smaller than that of the raw image data;
- and
- an output unit configured to output the coded data to a bus for transmission to an image processing device,
- wherein the compression unit and the output unit are fabricated on a first semiconductor substrate, the processing device is fabricated on a second semiconductor substrate, and a bus connects a circuitry of the output unit on the first semiconductor substrate to a circuitry of the processing device on the second semiconductor substrate, and
- wherein the image capturing unit, the compression unit, the output unit, and the processing device are each implemented via at least one processor.
An imaging method comprising:
- detecting incident light and generating a raw image data based on the detected incident light;
- compressing the raw image data using circuitry fabricated on a first semiconductor substrate to generate a coded data having a data amount smaller than that of the raw image data;
- and
- outputting, using circuitry fabricated on the first semiconductor substrate, the coded data to circuitry fabricated on a second semiconductor substrate for further processing of the coded data, wherein a bus connects the circuitry on the first semiconductor substrate used for outputting the coded data to the circuitry on the second semiconductor substrate used for further processing the coded data,
- wherein the generated raw image data is not transmitted over any bus prior to compression.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied with a program, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:
- detecting incident light and generating a raw image data based on the detected incident light;
- compressing the raw image data using circuitry fabricated on a first semiconductor substrate to generate a coded data having a data amount smaller than that of the raw image data;
- and
- outputting, using circuitry fabricated on the first semiconductor substrate, the coded data to circuitry fabricated on a second semiconductor substrate for further processing of the coded data, wherein a bus connects the circuitry on the first semiconductor substrate used for outputting the coded data to the circuitry on the second semiconductor substrate used for further processing the coded data,
- wherein the generated raw image data is not transmitted over any bus prior to compression.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.