DIGITAL CAMERA

• US 20080175582A1
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.
• Original Assignee: Pentax Corporation (Hoya Corporation)
• Inventors: FURUMOCHI, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/263
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04

Abstract

A digital camera has an image sensor, a photographing processor, a driving signal controller, and a timing adjuster. The image sensor driver drives an image sensor by outputting a driving signal corresponding to a moving image. The photographing processor carries out an exposure in accordance with the operation of a release button, to record a still image. The driving signal controller outputs a control signal associated with a change of the driving signal to the image sensor driver in accordance with the recording operation and an output timing of the control signal. The image sensor driver outputs the driving signal corresponding to a still image in accordance with an update timing that synchronizes with the clock pulse signal. The timing adjuster shifts at least one of the output timing of the control signal and the update timing of the driving signal, from a synchronization timing of the clock pulse signal, in accordance with the operation.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

an image sensor driver that drives an image sensor by outputting a driving signal corresponding to a moving image, the driving signal including a clock pulse signal that is used to successively read image-pixel signals from said image sensor;

a photographing processor that carries out an exposure in accordance with the operation of a release button, in order to record a still image;

a driving signal controller that outputs a control signal associated with a change of the driving signal to said image sensor driver in accordance with the operation, an output timing of the control signal synchronizing with the clock pulse signal, said image sensor driver outputting a driving signal corresponding to a still image in accordance with an update timing that synchronizes with the clock pulse signal; and

a timing adjuster that shifts at least one of the output timing of the control signal and the update timing of the driving signal, from a synchronization timing of the clock pulse signal, in accordance with the operation.

2. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein said timing adjuster shifts the update timing from the synchronization timing of the clock pulse signal.

3. The digital camera of claim 2, wherein said timing adjuster shifts the update timing to a time later than the output timing of the control signal.

4. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein said timing adjuster synchronizes the update timing with the clock pulse signal again, after shifting the update timing.

5. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein said timing adjuster outputs a control signal for shifting the update timing to said image sensor driver with the control signal associated with the driving signal.

6. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the output timing of the control signal and the update timing of the driving signal are within an output period of the clock pulse signal of before the operation of the release button.

7. A computer readable medium that stores a program for photographing a subject comprising;

a driving signal control code segment that outputs a control signal associated with the change of a driving signal to an image sensor driver in accordance with the operation of a recording member, an output timing of the control signals synchronizing with a clock pulse signal used for successively reading image-pixel signals, said image sensor driver outputting a driving signal corresponding to a still image in accordance with an update timing that synchronizes with the clock pulse signal; and

a timing adjusting code segment that shifts at least one of the output timing of the control signal and the update timing of the driving signal from a synchronization timing of the clock pulse signal, in accordance with the operation.

8. A method for photographing a subject comprising:

outputting a control signal associated with the change of a driving signal to an image sensor driver in accordance with the operation of a recording member, an output timing of the control signal synchronizing with a clock pulse signal used for successively reading image-pixel signals successively, said image sensor driver outputting a driving signal corresponding to a still image in accordance with an update timing that synchronizes with the clock pulse signal; and

shifting at least one of the output timing of the control signal and the update timing of the driving signal from a synchronization timing of the clock pulse signal, in accordance with the operation.