Capturing still images and video

• US 20040100574A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Voss, James S., Owens, James W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,148,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/362
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• 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

Abstract

An imaging system operable to substantially simultaneously capture still image data and video data. The imaging system includes an optical system capturing incident light representative of an image and an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes at least one sensor receiving the incident light and substantially simultaneously generating the still image data and the video data within an exposure window. The imaging system also includes a controller transmitting signals to the integrated circuit for controlling the generation of the still image data and the video data.

Claims

1. A method for capturing video and still images, the method comprising steps of:

exposing at least one sensor for a first period of time to incident light producing an image;

generating video data from the exposed at least one sensor prior to the end of the first period of time, the video data being representative of the image; and

generating still image data from the exposed at least one sensor, the still image data being representative of the image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating video data comprises steps of:

reading out pixels from the at least one sensor after a second period of time, the second period of time ending during the first period of time;

binning at least some of the generated pixels; and

generating the video data using the binned pixels.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of generating still image data comprises steps of:

reading out pixels from the exposed at least one sensor substantially at the end of the first period of time; and

generating the still image data from at least some of the pixels readout from the exposed at least one sensor substantially at the end of the first period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising resetting the at least one sensor after the step of generating the still image data, such that the at least one sensor is operable to capture another image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one CMOS sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating video data comprises nondestructively outputting the video data prior to the end of the first predetermined period of time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first period of time ranges from approximately {fraction (1/24)}^th of a second to approximately {fraction (1/30)}^th of a second, inclusive.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second period of time is approximately {fraction (1/90)}^th of a second.

9. An imaging system operable to substantially simultaneously capture still image data and video data, the imaging system comprising:

an optical system capturing incident light producing an image;

an integrated circuit including at least one sensor receiving the incident light and substantially simultaneously generating the still image data and the video data within an exposure window, the still image data and the video data representing the image; and

a controller transmitting signals to the integrated circuit for controlling the generation of the still image data and the video data.

10. The imaging system of claim 9, wherein the integrated circuit is operable to perform binning of pixels to generate the video data, the binning being performed on pixels generated from the at least one sensor being exposed to the incident light during an exposure period shorter than the exposure window.

11. The imaging system of claim 10, wherein the integrated circuit is operable to nondestructively readout pixels for the video data prior to reading out pixels for the still image data.

12. The imaging system of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor is at least one CMOS sensor.

13. The imaging system of claim 10, wherein the exposure window ranges from approximately {fraction (1/24)}^th of a second to approximately {fraction (1/30)}^th of a second, inclusive.

14. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein the exposure time shorter than the exposure window is approximately {fraction (1/90)}^th of a second.

15. An integrated circuit operable to substantially simultaneously generate still image data and video data, the integrated circuit comprising:

at least one sensor receiving incident light during an exposure window and outputting a first set of pixels substantially at an end of an exposure period and outputting a second set of pixels substantially at an end of the exposure window, the exposure period being a period of time within the exposure window; and

a controller binning at least some of the first set of pixels, wherein the controller generates video data from the binned pixels and generates still image data from at least some of the second set of pixels.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 15, further comprising an interface for outputting the video data and the still image data.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the exposure window ranges from approximately {fraction (1/24)}^th of a second to approximately {fraction (1/30)}^th of a second inclusive.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the exposure time is approximately {fraction (1/90)}^th of a second.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the at least one sensor is at least one CMOS sensor.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the at least one sensor performs a nondestructively readout of the first set of pixels and the second set of pixels.

21. An imaging apparatus comprising:

means for exposing at least one sensor for a first period of time to incident light producing an image;

means for generating video data from the exposed at least one sensor prior to the end of the first period of time, the video data being representative of the image; and

means for generating still image data from the exposed at least one sensor, the still image data being representative of the image.

22. The imaging apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for generating the video data comprises:

means for reading out pixels from the at least one sensor after a second period of time, the second period of time ending during the first period of time;

means for binning at least some of the generated pixels; and

means for generating the video data using the binned pixels.

23. The imaging apparatus of claim 22, wherein the means for generating still image further comprises:

means for reading out pixels from the exposed at least one sensor substantially at the end of the first period of time; and

means for generating the still image data from at least some of the pixels readout from the exposed at least one sensor substantially at the end of the first period of time.

24. The imaging apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for resetting the at least one sensor after the step of generating the still image data, such that the at least one sensor is operable to capture another image.