Imaging device and imaging method

• US 10,595,009 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2018
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ooba, Yuuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Osinski, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US16/228,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20190132580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/0733 for distributing synchronisation pulses to different TV cameras

Abstract

A first imaging device and a second image device are connected with each other in a communicatable manner, and data of imaging timing and data of an exposure period of the first imaging device are transmitted to the second imaging device. In the second imaging device, the imaging timing and the exposure period can be set based on the data of the imaging timing and the data of the exposure period which are received. Therefore, an image is taken by the first imaging device and the second imaging device with the imaging timing and the exposure period of the first imaging device agreeing with those of the second imaging device.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

a first imaging unit including an image sensor configured to convert an image light incident through a shutter from a subject to a first electrical image signal at an imaging timing and for an exposure period that is set for the first imaging unit, wherein the imaging timing that is set is the timing at which the first imaging unit commences an imaging operation for imaging the subject and the exposure period is the period during which the shutter permits the image sensor to be exposed to the image light;

a signal processing unit processing the image signal output from the first imaging unit to obtain image data;

an output portion outputting the image data obtained by the signal processing unit;

a second imaging unit in communication with and receiving synchronization data from the first imaging unit, the second imaging unit including an image sensor configured to convert the image light incident from the subject to a second electrical image signal; and

an imaging control unit controlling the imaging timing and the exposure period of the first imaging unit and generating imaging timing data representing the imaging timing of the first imaging unit, the imaging control unit transmitting the imaging timing data to the second imaging unit to synchronize the imaging timing of the second imaging unit with the imaging timing of the first imaging unit.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1,

wherein the imaging control section is configured to determine whether the video imaging device is a master imaging device or a slave imaging device.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1,

wherein the video imaging device is configured to perform variable speed imaging based on the synchronization data, in which the frame frequency of the imaging is changed.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3,

wherein the synchronization data represents number of delayed frames before the frame frequency is changed by the synchronizing data.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1,

wherein the synchronization data has a horizontal blanking period having data specifying the timing at which the imaging each frame is started by the image sensor.

6. An imaging method comprising:

obtaining from a first imaging unit having a shutter a first image signal for an exposure period, during which the shutter permits the first imaging unit to be exposed to image light, and at an imaging timing that is set as the timing at which the first imaging unit commences an imaging operation;

processing the first image signal to obtain image data;

controlling the exposure period and imaging timing of the first imaging unit and generating imaging timing data representing the imaging timing of the first imaging unit,

outputting the image data and synchronization data to a second imaging unit;

transmitting the imaging timing data to the second imaging unit to synchronize imaging timing of the second imaging unit with the imaging timing of the first imaging unit; and

obtaining from the second imaging unit a second image signal.