Digital camera incorporating high frame rate mode

• US 6,580,457 B1
• Filed: 11/03/1998
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Armstrong, Frank, Grabosky, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): WISDAHL, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US09/185,038
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 348/302, 348/317, 348/320, 348/322, 348/312, 250/208.1
• US Class Current: 348/317
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

A method of reading out a CCD interline image sensor having M lines×N columns of photosites, N vertical shift registers corresponding to the N columns of photosites, and a horizontal shift register, comprising the steps of: exposing the sensor to a first exposure such that all the M lines of photosites are exposed; transferring a subset of the M lines of photosites from the exposed lines of photosites to the N vertical shift registers; serially shifting each line of data from the N vertical shift registers to the horizontal shift register and reading out the horizontal shift register until all of the lines of data have been read out except for a second subset of the M lines; exposing the sensor to a second exposure such that the second subset of the M lines of photosites have remained in the sensor; and transferring the data from the exposed lines of photosites of the second exposure to the N vertical shift registers, except for the second subset of the M lines, thereby increasing the frame rate of the sensor.

Claims

1. A method of reading out a CCD interline image sensor having M lines×

N columns of photosites, N vertical shift registers corresponding to said N columns of photosites and a horizontal shift register coupled to said N vertical shift registers, comprising the steps of;

configuring said sensor to include first, second, and third sets of contiguous lines of photosites inclusive of all of said M lines of photosites;

wherein the number of lines in said first and third sets are substantially equal;

exposing said sensor to a first frame such that all of said M lines of photosites are exposed;

transferring all of said M lines of photosites to said N vertical shift registers;

serially shifting each line of data from said N vertical shift register and reading out said horizontal shift register until all of said lines of data of said first and second sets of contiguous lines have been read out, wherein said third set of lines have not been read out of said vertical shift registers;

exposing said sensor to a second frame such that all of said M lines of photosites are exposed;

transferring all of said M lines of photosites to said N vertical shift registers such that the first set of lines of photosites of said second frame are accumulated with said third set of lines of photosites of said first frame; and

repeating said serially shifting step;

wherein said frame rate of said sensor is increased by a factor of the number of lines in said first and second sets divided by M lines of said sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said method is carried out by a camera including user actuated controls for controlling said configuring and exposing steps.