IMAGING DEVICE AND IMAGING CONTROL CIRCUIT

• US 20110317049A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: KURANE, Haruhisa, SHINDO, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,836,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/294
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices

Abstract

An imaging device 1 is configured to include an imaging element 10 and a DSP 20. The imaging element 10 includes a sensor register 13 that stores imaging control information, and the DSP 20 includes a mirror register 25 having a configuration equivalent to that of the sensor register 13. A system controller 23 controls such that identical imaging control information is stored in the sensor register 13 and the mirror register 25, and a timer section 29 is configured such that, in response to timer events generated with a period of a time interval T1, the imaging control information stored in the mirror register 25 is transmitted to the imaging element 10, thereby refreshing the sensor register 13.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

an imaging element that is capable of imaging an imaging object; and

an imaging control circuit that controls an imaging operation of the imaging element,

the imaging element including

a first register,

an imaging control information reception device that receives imaging control information for controlling the imaging operation of the imaging element,

a first imaging control information storage device that stores the imaging control information received by the imaging control information reception device in the first register, and

an imaging device that performs an imaging operation based on the imaging control information stored in the first register;

the imaging control circuit including

a second register,

a second imaging control information storage device that stores, in the second register, imaging control information that is identical with the imaging control information stored in the first register,

an imaging control information transmission device that transmits the imaging control information stored in the second register to the imaging device, and

a first imaging control information update device that transmits the imaging control information stored in the second register by the imaging control information transmission device to the imaging element upon establishment of a first predetermined condition during an imaging operation of the imaging element, and rewrites the imaging control information stored in the first register with the imaging control information transmitted.

2. An imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging control circuit includes a first time period detection device that periodically detects the passage of a first predetermined time, and the first predetermined condition is established each time the first time period detection device detects the passage of the first predetermined time.

3. An imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the imaging element outputs captured image data obtained through imaging an imaging object by the imaging operation as a captured image signal including an effective data output period and an invalid data output period, the first imaging control information update device transmits, in response to establishment of the first predetermined condition, the imaging control information stored in the second register by the imaging control information transmission device to the imaging element during the invalid data output period of the captured image signal that is outputted by the imaging element.

4. An imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging control circuit includes an element abnormality detection device that detects occurrence of an abnormality in the imaging element based on a signal outputted from the imaging element, and the first predetermined condition is established in response to detection of an abnormality by the element abnormality detection device.

5. An imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the imaging control circuit includes a first initialization signal transmission device that transmits, in response to detection of an abnormality by the element abnormality detection device, an initialization signal for initializing each digital circuit composing the imaging element, and the first imaging control information update device transmits, after the initialization, the imaging control information stored in the second register by the imaging control information transmission device to the imaging element.

6. An imaging device according to claim 1, comprising a nonvolatile memory that stores the imaging control information, the imaging control circuit having a second imaging control information update device that performs, in response to establishment of a second predetermined condition, a first update processing of reading, from the nonvolatile memory, imaging control information identical with the imaging control information stored in the first register, and rewriting the imaging control information stored in the second register with the imaging control information readout.

7. An imaging device according to claim 6, wherein the first imaging control information update device transmits, after completion of the first update processing, the imaging control information rewritten to the imaging element, using the imaging control information transmission device.

8. An imaging device according to claim 6, wherein the nonvolatile memory stores, in addition to the imaging control information, operation control information for controlling the operation of each component of the imaging control circuit;

the imaging control circuit includes a third register that stores the operation control information, an operation control information storage device that reads the operation control information from the nonvolatile memory and stores the operation control information readout in the third register, and an operation control information update device that performs, during an imaging operation of the imaging element, in response to establishment of a second predetermined condition, a second update processing of reading out the operation control information from the nonvolatile memory, and rewriting the operation control information stored in the third register with the operation control information readout; and

the second imaging control information update device performs the first update processing after completion of the second update processing.

9. An imaging device according to claim 6, wherein the imaging control circuit includes a second time period detection device that periodically detects the passage of a second predetermined time, and the second predetermined condition is established each time the second time period detection device detects the passage of the second predetermined time.

10. An imaging device according to claim 6, wherein the imaging control circuit includes a circuit abnormality detection device that detects occurrence of an abnormality in the imaging control circuit, and the second predetermined condition is established in response to detection of an abnormality by the circuit abnormality detection device.

11. An imaging device according to claim 10, wherein the imaging control circuit includes an initialization device that initializes each component composing the imaging control circuit including the second and third registers in response to detection of an abnormality in the imaging control circuit by the circuit abnormality detection device, and the operation control information update device performs the second update processing after the initialization by the initialization device.

12. An imaging device according to claim 8, wherein the imaging control circuit includes a second initialization signal transmission device that transmits an initialization signal for initializing each component of the imaging device to the imaging element, after completion of the first update processing and the second update processing, and the first imaging control information update device transmits, after the imaging element has been initialized by the initialization signal, the rewritten imaging control information stored in the second register by the imaging control information transmission device to the imaging element.

13. An imaging device according to claim 1, comprising an electromagnetic shield device that shields the imaging control circuit from external electromagnetic interference.

14. An imaging control circuit for controlling an imaging operation of an imaging element that has a first register, receives imaging control information for controlling the imaging operation, stores the imaging control information received in the first register, and controls the imaging operation based on the imaging control information stored, the imaging control circuit comprising:

a second register;

an imaging control information storage device that stores, in the second register, imaging control information that is identical with the imaging control information stored in the first register;

an imaging control information transmission device that transmits the imaging control information stored in the second register to the imaging device; and

an imaging control information update device that transmits the imaging control information stored in the second register to the imaging element in response to establishment of a first predetermined condition during an imaging operation of the imaging element, and re-stores the imaging control information stored in the first register.