Image capturing apparatus and method of reading out pixel signals from an image sensor
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsMie Ishii, Teruyuki Okado
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image capturing apparatus including an image sensor including a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a row direction and a column direction, and readout unit for reading out pixel signals from the plurality of pixels, setting unit for setting an imaging condition and control unit for selecting one of a readout mode between thinning readout mode in which the pixel signals are read out from the plurality of pixels while thinning out the plurality of pixels and a mixing readout mode in which the pixel signals of the plurality of pixels are mixed and readout according to the imaging condition set by the setting unit.
Claims14
An image capturing apparatus comprising:
- an image sensor including a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a row direction and a column direction, and readout circuit configured to read out pixel signals from the plurality of pixels;
- and
- a controller configured to select one of a thinning readout mode in which the pixel signals are read out from the plurality of pixels while thinning out the plurality of pixels and a combining readout mode in which the pixel signals of the plurality of pixels are combined and read out, and to control the readout circuit to read out the pixel signals in the selected readout mode,
- wherein the controller controls the readout circuit to read out the pixel signals in the combining readout mode in a case where a sensitivity is equal to or lower than a predetermined sensitivity, and to read out the pixel signals in the thinning readout mode in a case where the sensitivity is higher than the predetermined sensitivity.
An image capturing apparatus comprising:
- an image sensor including a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a row direction and a column direction, and a readout circuit configured to read out pixel signals from the plurality of pixels;
- and
- a controller configured to select one of a thinning readout mode in which the pixel signals are read out from the plurality of pixels while thinning out the plurality of pixels and a combining readout mode in which the pixel signals of the plurality of pixels are combined and read out, and to control the readout circuit to read out the pixel signals in the selected readout mode,
- wherein the controller controls the readout circuit to read out the pixel signals in the combining mode in a case where a noise level included in the pixel signals is not greater than a predetermined noise level, and to read out the pixel signals in the thinning readout mode in a case where the noise level is greater than the predetermined noise level.
A method of controlling an image capturing apparatus including an image sensor that includes a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a row direction and a column direction and a readout circuit configured to read out pixel signals from the plurality of pixels, the method comprising:
- selecting by a controller one of a thinning read mode in which the pixel signals are read out from the plurality of pixels while thinning out the plurality of pixels and a combining readout mode in Which the pixel signals of the plurality of pixels are combined and read out, and to control the readout circuit to read out the pixel signals in the selected readout mode,
- wherein the controller controls the readout circuit to read out pixel signals in the combining readout mode in a case where a sensitivity is equal to or lower than a predetermined sensitivity, and to read out the pixel signals in the thinning readout mode in a case where the sensitivity is higher than the predetermined sensitivity.
A method of controlling an image capturing apparatus including an image sensor that includes a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a row direction and a column direction and a readout circuit configured to read out pixel signals from the plurality of pixels, the method comprising:
- selecting by a controller one of a thinning readout mode in which the pixel signals are read out from the plurality of pixels while thinning out the plurality of pixels and a combining readout mode in which the pixel signals of the plurality of pixels are combined and read out, and to control the readout circuit to read out the pixel signals in the selected readout mode,
- wherein the controller controls the readout circuit to read out the pixel signals in the combining readout mode in a case where a noise level included in the pixel signals is not greater than a predetermined noise level, and to read out the pixel signals in the thinning readout mode in a case where the noise level is greater than the predetermined noise level.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer of an image capturing apparatus to function as each unit of an image capturing apparatus, the image capturing apparatus comprising:
- an image sensor including a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a row direction and a column direction, and readout circuit configured to read out pixel signals from the plurality of pixels;
- and
- a controller configured to select one of a thinning readout mode in which the pixel signals are read out from the plurality of pixels While thinning out the plurality of pixels and a combining readout mode in which the pixel signals of the plurality of pixels are combined and read out, and to control the readout circuit to read out the pixel signals in the selected readout mode,
- wherein the controller controls the readout circuit to read out the pixel signals in the combining readout mode in a case where a sensitivity is equal to or lower than a predetermined sensitivity, and to read out the pixel signals in the thinning readout mode in a case where the sensitivity is higher than the predetermined sensitivity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.