Digital camera

• US 7,783,191 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Furumochi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey; W. B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang; Fang-Chi
• Application Number:
  US11/836,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20080175582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 348/221.1, 396/263
• 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, wherein;

the image sensor driver updates the driving signal in accordance with an update signal that rises in the image sensor driver, based on the control signal from the driving signal controller, while synchronizing with the clock pulse signal,

the timing adjuster shifts an output timing of the update signal from the synchronization timing of the clock pulse signal so as to shorten an interval between the output timing of the control signal and the output timing of the update signal, and

the image sensor driver outputs the driving signal of a still image from a next field interval in accordance with the shifted update signal.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

updating the driving signal in accordance with an update signal that rises in the image sensor driver, based on the control signal, while synchronizing the clock pulse signal;

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;

shifting an output timing of the update signal from the synchronization timing of the clock pulse signal so as to shorten an interval between the output timing of the control signal and the output timing of the update signal; and

outputting the driving signal of a still image from a next field interval in accordance with the shifted update signal.