JP2019216410A - Imaging apparatus and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an imaging apparatus capable of shortening transfer time while suppressing degradation of image quality.SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus includes: an imaging element having a plurality of pixels for photoelectrically converting an image of a subject and a compression section for compressing signals of the plurality of pixels; a reading section for reading the signals of the plurality of pixels from the imaging element; and a control section for controlling compression operations of the signals of the plurality of pixels by the compression section according to imaging conditions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device and a control method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, image sensors have been increased in pixel size by making pixels finer, and it has become possible to capture high-resolution images. Consumer imaging devices generally have 10 to 50 million pixels.

  However, since the transfer capacity of the transfer path from the image sensor to the image signal processing circuit is constant, the transfer time of all image signals of the subject is relatively increased by increasing the number of pixels of the image sensor, and the upper part of the subject is Distortion occurs due to the difference between the transfer time at the bottom and the transfer time at the bottom. This is called rolling shutter distortion.

  To solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses that an image signal is compressed in an image sensor to reduce the amount of transfer data.

JP 2010-252396 A

  In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the transfer time can be reduced by compressing the image signal, and the rolling shutter distortion can be suppressed. However, when the image signal is compressed, there is a problem that the bit accuracy is reduced, the image signal is deteriorated, and the image quality is reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of reducing transfer time while suppressing deterioration in image quality.

  An image pickup apparatus according to the present invention includes an image pickup device having a plurality of pixels for photoelectrically converting a subject image, a compression unit for compressing signals of the plurality of pixels, and reading out the signals of the plurality of pixels from the image pickup device. Means, and control means for controlling a compression operation of the signals of the plurality of pixels by the compression means according to an imaging condition.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the imaging device which can aim at shortening of transfer time while suppressing deterioration of image quality.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image sensor in an image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a pixel and a column ADC block according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a pixel array of the image sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a connection state between an imaging element and an imaging signal processing circuit. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing conditions for determining whether or not compression is performed by an image sensor. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating control timing of an image sensor. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of determining whether or not to perform compression by an imaging element.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image sensor 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating an appearance of the image sensor 100. As shown in FIG. 1B, the image sensor 100 is formed from a first semiconductor chip 10 (image layer) and a second semiconductor chip 11 (circuit layer). Semiconductor chips 10 are stacked.

  In the first semiconductor chip 10, a pixel portion including a plurality of pixels 101 arranged in a matrix is arranged on a light incident side, that is, on a light receiving side of an optical image. Pixels 101 arranged in a matrix on the first semiconductor chip 10 are connected to a transfer signal line 103, a reset signal line 104, and a row selection signal line 105 in a row unit in the horizontal direction (row direction). . On the other hand, in the vertical direction (column direction), it is connected to the column output line 102a or 102b. The pixels 101 connected to the column output line 102a are referred to as a first pixel group, and the pixels 101 connected to the column output line 102b are referred to as a second pixel group.

  On the second semiconductor chip 11, column ADC blocks 111a and 111b provided in each column, and pixel driving circuits such as a row scanning circuit 112, column scanning circuits 113a and 113b, and a timing control circuit 114 are formed. . Further, a changeover switch 116, a frame memory 120, an in-element operation unit 123, a resize conversion unit 119, a compression circuit 117, and a parallel / serial conversion unit (hereinafter, P / S conversion unit) 118 are also formed.

  As described above, by forming the pixel 101 on the first semiconductor chip 10 and forming the pixel drive circuit, the memory circuit, the arithmetic circuit, and the like on the second semiconductor chip 11, the imaging layer and the circuit layer of the image sensor 100 can be formed. Can separate the manufacturing process. As a result, it is possible to increase the speed, reduce the size, and enhance the function of the circuit layer by thinning and increasing the density of the wiring.

  In the pixel 101 of the imaging element 100, charge accumulation and readout are controlled by a control signal from the row scanning circuit 112 via the transfer signal line 103, the reset signal line 104, and the row selection signal line 105. Then, a signal is read from the pixels 101 in the row selected by the row scanning circuit 112. In the present embodiment, there are two output channels as output channels. The first output channel includes a column ADC block 111a, a column scanning circuit 113a, and a signal line 115a, and the second output channel includes a column ADC block 111b, a column scanning circuit 113b, and a signal line 115b. Thus, signals can be read from the pixels 101 for two rows in parallel.

  The signal read from the pixel 101 of the first pixel group is sent to the column ADC block 111a of the first output channel via the column output line 102a of each column, and is subjected to A / D conversion. Further, the signal read from the pixel 101 of the second pixel group is sent to the column ADC block 111b of the second output channel via the column output line 102b of each column and is subjected to A / D conversion. Thereafter, the columns to be read are sequentially selected by the column scanning circuit 113a or 113b, and the A / D-converted image signal is output to the changeover switch 116 via the signal line 115a or 115b. Note that it is also possible to use one of the first and second output channels to read a signal from the pixel 101 every other row.

  The timing control circuit 114 sends a timing signal to the row scanning circuit 112, the column ADC blocks 111a and 111b, and the column scanning circuits 113a and 113b based on the control from the overall control calculation unit 309.

  The changeover switch 116 is a switch for selectively outputting image signals output from the signal lines 115a and 115b to the frame memory 120 sequentially. The frame memory 120 temporarily stores the output image signal as image data.

  The in-element operation unit 123 performs an operation of resizing processing and compression processing of image data according to the drive mode. The resize conversion unit 119 resizes the image data stored in the frame memory 120 to a required angle of view based on the result calculated by the in-element operation unit 123 and outputs the image data to the compression circuit 117.

The compression circuit 117 performs an image signal compression operation using a compression method such as a wavelet transform method. In addition, when compression is performed, the bit precision is reduced, so that the image quality may be degraded. However, since unnecessary components such as noise are also removed, noise may be reduced.
When resizing or compression processing is not necessary, transfer from the changeover switch 116 to the P / S converter 118 is performed directly. The P / S converter 118 performs parallel / serial conversion on the image data, and sends the image data to the image signal processing circuit 307 outside the image sensor 100.

  The image sensor 100 and the image signal processing circuit 307 are connected by a plurality of lanes, and signals of different pixels or signals of the same pixel are distributed to the main stream 121 and the sub-stream 122 according to the drive mode. Alternatively, it is output only from the main stream 121. As described above, the image signal can be output from the image sensor 100 at a high speed by the multi-stream driving in which the image sensor 100 outputs two image signals in parallel.

  In addition, as a read driving method of the image sensor 100, a drive for reading all pixels, a read drive for thinning out the number of pixels in the vertical direction to 1/3 or 1/5, a read drive for mixing horizontal pixel signals, and a vertical thinning horizontal mixing It is possible to select driving or the like. Also, a multi-stream drive 1 for simultaneously outputting driving for reading out all pixels and 1/3 vertical thinning-out horizontal mixing driving, or a multi-stream driving for simultaneously outputting 1/3 vertical thinning-out horizontal mixing driving and 1/7 vertical thinning-out horizontal mixing driving It is also possible to select drive 2. In the present embodiment, for example, a drive for reading out all pixels at the time of shooting a still image, and a reading drive for thinning out to 1/5 as a drive before shooting a still image are employed.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of one pixel 101 of the image sensor 100 and details of one column ADC block 111 in the present embodiment. The outline of the operation of the image sensor 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the column ADC block 111a and the column ADC block 111b have the same configuration, they are described as the column ADC block 111 in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, a photodiode (PD) 201 included in a pixel 101 photoelectrically converts received light into photocharges (here, electrons) having a charge amount corresponding to the light amount. The transfer transistor 202 is connected between the cathode of the PD 201 and the gate of the amplification transistor 204, and is turned on when a transfer pulse φTRS is given to the gate via the transfer signal line 103. A node that is electrically connected to the gate of the amplification transistor 204 forms a floating diffusion (FD) unit 206. When the transfer transistor 202 is turned on by the transfer pulse φTRS, the photocharge photoelectrically converted by the PD 201 is transferred to the FD unit 206.

  The reset transistor 203 is turned on when the drain is connected to the pixel power supply Vdd and the source is connected to the FD unit 206, and the gate is supplied with a reset pulse φRST via the reset signal line 104. Then, prior to the transfer of the photocharge from the PD 201 to the FD unit 206, the charge of the FD unit 206 is reset to the pixel power supply Vdd by turning on the reset transistor 203.

  The amplification transistor 204 has a gate connected to the FD unit 206 and a drain connected to the pixel power supply Vdd. The selection transistor 205 is turned on when the drain is connected to the source of the amplification transistor 204 and the source is connected to the column output line 102, and the selection pulse φSEL is applied to the gate via the row selection signal line 105. .

  While the selection transistor 205 is on, first, the potential of the FD section 206 after being reset by the reset transistor 203 is output to the column output line 102 as a reset level. Further, by turning on the transfer transistor 202, the potential of the FD section 206 after the transfer of the photocharge is output to the column output line 102 as a signal level. In this embodiment, N-channel MOS transistors are used as the transistors 202 to 205.

  Note that the configuration of the pixel 101 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, a circuit configuration in which the selection transistor 205 is connected between the pixel power supply Vdd and the drain of the amplification transistor 204 may be employed. Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described four-transistor configuration, and may be, for example, a three-transistor configuration in which the amplifying transistor 204 and the selection transistor 205 are also used.

  A signal output from the pixel 101 via the column output line 102 is transmitted to the column ADC block 111. The column ADC block 111 includes a comparator 211, an up / down counter (U / D CNT) 212, a memory 213, and a DA converter (DAC) 214.

  In the comparator 211, one of the pair of input terminals is connected to the column output line 102, and the other is connected to the DAC 214. The DAC 214 outputs a ramp signal whose signal level changes in a ramp shape with the passage of time based on the reference signal input from the timing control circuit 114. The comparator 211 compares the level of the ramp signal input from the DAC 214 with the level of the signal input from the column output line 102. The timing control circuit 114 outputs a reference signal to the DAC 214 based on a command from the overall control operation unit 309.

  For example, the comparator 211 outputs a high-level comparison signal when the level of the image signal is lower than the level of the ramp signal, and outputs a low-level comparison signal when the level of the image signal is higher than the level of the ramp signal. Output. The up / down counter 212 is connected to the comparator 211, and counts, for example, a period in which the comparison signal is at a high level or a period in which the comparison signal is at a low level.

  By this counting process, the output signal of each pixel 101 is converted into a digital value. Note that an AND circuit may be provided between the comparator 211 and the up / down counter 212, a pulse signal may be input to the AND circuit, and the number of the pulse signals may be counted by the up / down counter 212.

  The memory 213 is connected to the up / down counter 212 and stores the count value counted by the up / down counter 212. The column ADC block 111 counts the count value corresponding to the reset level of the pixel 101, then counts the count value corresponding to the signal level after a predetermined imaging time, and stores the difference value in the memory 213. You may. Thereafter, the count value stored in the memory 213 is transmitted as an image signal to the changeover switch 116 via the signal line 115a or 115b in synchronization with the signal from the column scanning circuit 113.

  Note that the column ADC block 111 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and it goes without saying that a known column ADC may be used.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a pixel array of the image sensor 100 according to the present embodiment. A Bayer array is applied to the color filters, and red (R) and green (Gr) color filters are alternately provided to the pixels in the odd rows in order from the left. The pixels in the even-numbered rows are provided with green (Gb) and blue (B) color filters alternately from the left. Further, an on-chip micro lens 201 is formed on the color filter 202.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging device 300 using the imaging device described in FIGS. 1 to 3 according to the present embodiment.

  4, the imaging device 300 includes a lens 301, a lens driving unit 302, a mechanical shutter 303 (hereinafter, mechanical shutter), an aperture 304, a shutter / aperture driving unit 305, an imaging element 100, and an imaging signal processing circuit 307. In addition, the imaging device 300 includes a first memory unit 308, an overall control operation unit 309, a recording medium control interface unit (hereinafter, a recording medium control I / F unit) 310, a display unit 311, a recording medium 312, an external interface unit ( Hereinafter, an external I / F unit 313 is provided. The imaging device 300 further includes a second memory unit 314, an operation unit 315, a decoding circuit 316, a thermometer 317, and a power supply 318.

  The reflected light from the subject that has passed through the lens 301 is adjusted to an appropriate light amount by the diaphragm 304, and is formed as an object image on an imaging surface of the image sensor 100. The subject image formed on the imaging surface of the imaging device 100 is photoelectrically converted by the pixel 101, and further subjected to gain adjustment, A / D conversion for converting an analog signal to a digital signal, and R, Gr, Gb. , B signals to the imaging signal processing circuit 307.

  The image signal compressed by the image sensor 100 is decoded by the decode circuit 316 of the image signal processing circuit 307. Further, in the imaging signal processing circuit 307, predetermined arithmetic processing is performed using the captured image signal, and the overall control arithmetic unit 309 performs exposure control and automatic focus adjustment control based on the obtained arithmetic result. As a result, TTL (through the lens) AE (automatic exposure) processing and EF (flash automatic light emission control) processing are performed.

  Further, the imaging signal processing circuit 307 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image signal, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic result. In addition, various image signal processing such as low-pass filter processing and shading processing for reducing noise, various corrections, and compression of image signals are performed.

  The driving and zooming of the lens 301 are controlled by a lens driving unit 302. The mechanical shutter 303 and the aperture 304 are driven and controlled by a shutter / aperture drive unit 305. The overall control calculation unit 309 controls the entire imaging device 300 and performs various calculations.

  The first memory unit 308 temporarily stores the image signal. The recording medium control interface unit 310 records or reads an image signal on a recording medium. The display unit 311 displays an image signal. The recording medium 312 is a detachable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, and records or reads an image signal.

  The external interface unit 313 is an interface for communicating with an external computer or the like. The second memory unit 314 stores the calculation result of the overall control calculation unit 309. Information regarding the driving conditions of the imaging device 300 set by the user via the operation unit 315 is sent to the overall control calculation unit 309, and the entire imaging device 300 is controlled based on the information. The thermometer 317 is used to measure the temperature of the imaging device 300. The power supply 318 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, and a Li-ion battery, and an AC adapter.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a connection state between the image sensor 100 and the image signal processing circuit 307 according to the present embodiment. When outputting an image signal, the imaging element 100 switches between a case where compression is performed by the compression circuit 117 and a case where compression is not performed, and transfers the image signal to the imaging signal processing circuit 307. The imaging signal processing circuit 307 performs a process of decoding the image signal by the decoding circuit 316.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing conditions for determining whether or not compression is performed by the image sensor 100. The determination of each condition is performed by the overall control calculation unit 309. Under the condition A in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not to use the compression circuit 117 based on whether or not shooting is performed using the mechanical shutter 303 (use of the mechanical shutter). When the image signal is transferred after the mechanical shutter 303 is closed, the rolling shutter distortion does not occur. However, when the mechanical shutter 303 is open, the time difference between the upper part and the lower part of the screen at the time of signal transfer becomes distorted. Is required, and the compression circuit 117 is used.

  Under the condition B in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not to use the compression circuit 117 according to the operation speed of the subject. The operation speed of the subject is determined by calculating the difference between the image signal of the previous frame and the image signal of the current frame in the imaging signal processing circuit 307. When the calculated moving amount of the subject is large, the rolling shutter distortion becomes large, and thus the compression circuit 117 compresses the image signal. When the movement amount is small, the compression circuit 117 is not used.

  Further, the user can set a shooting mode using the operation unit 315. As the photographing mode, an automatic mode and a silent photographing mode without using the mechanical shutter 303 are provided. The auto mode is a still image shooting mode in which various parameters of the camera are automatically determined by a program incorporated in the imaging signal processing circuit 307 based on the measured evaluation values.

  The silent shooting mode is a shooting mode suitable for shooting in a quiet scene because the operation sound of the mechanical shutter 303 can be eliminated because the mechanical shutter 303 is not used. Since the mechanical shutter 303 is not used in the silent shooting mode, rolling shutter distortion is likely to occur. Therefore, in order to make it easier to detect the amount of movement of the subject before photographing a still image, the read drive of the image sensor 100 is changed to multi-stream drive 2 and reading is performed at high speed by 1/7 vertical thinning-out horizontal mixing drive.

  Under the condition C in FIG. 6, whether to use the compression circuit 117 is determined based on whether or not the ISO sensitivity is high. When the ISO sensitivity is high, noise of the image sensor 303 increases. Therefore, the noise is reduced by using the compression circuit 117. This is because when compression is performed, bit precision may be reduced and image quality may be degraded, but unnecessary components such as noise are also removed, so that noise can be expected to be reduced.

  Under the condition D in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not to use the compression circuit 117 according to the zoom magnification of the lens 301. If the zoom magnification is high, the camera shake is likely to occur and the rolling shutter distortion is likely to occur, so the compression circuit 117 is used.

  Under the condition E in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not to use the compression circuit 117 according to the exposure time of the image sensor 100. If the exposure time is long, noise of the image sensor 303 increases. Therefore, the noise is reduced by using the compression circuit 117.

  Under the condition F in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not to use the compression circuit 117 according to the amount of noise of the image signal of the image sensor 100. The average value of the noise amounts of the image signals of a plurality of frames is measured, and when the calculated noise amount is a certain value or more, the noise is reduced by using the compression circuit 117.

  Under the condition G of FIG. 6, the temperature of the imaging device 300 is measured by the thermometer 317, and it is determined whether to use the compression circuit 117 according to whether the temperature is high. When the temperature is high, the temperature can be lowered by reducing the power. Therefore, the image signal is compressed by the compression circuit 117, and the power is reduced by reducing the amount of transfer data.

  Here, the power saving effect when the transfer data amount is reduced will be described with reference to FIG. The imaging element 303 can perform a PowerSave operation that does not operate the imaging element 303 from the end of the transfer of the image signal to the start of the transfer of the next frame. By reducing the amount of transfer data using the compression circuit 117, the PowerSave period can be made longer than when the compression circuit 117 is not used, so that power can be reduced.

  Under the condition H in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not to use the compression circuit 117 according to the remaining battery level of the power supply 318 of the imaging device 300. When the remaining battery power is low, it is necessary to reduce the power, and the compression circuit 117 compresses the image signal and reduces the amount of transfer data to reduce the power.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a sequence for determining whether or not to perform compression based on the conditions of FIG.

  In step S701, the overall control calculation unit 309 determines whether the mechanical shutter 303 is present (condition A). If it is determined in step S701 that the mechanical shutter 303 is used, the process proceeds to step S702. If the mechanical shutter 303 is not used, the process proceeds to step S705.

  In S702, it is determined whether or not the noise amount is larger than a predetermined amount (condition F). If it is determined in S702 that the noise amount is larger than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to S703. If it is not determined that the noise amount is larger than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to S704. In step S703, the image signal is compressed by the compression circuit 117, and the sequence of determining whether to perform compression ends. In step S704, the compression circuit 117 is not used, and the sequence for determining whether or not to perform compression ends.

  In S705, it is determined whether the temperature of the imaging device is higher than a predetermined temperature (condition G). If it is determined in step S705 that the temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, the process proceeds to step S703. If it is determined that the temperature is not higher than the predetermined temperature, the process proceeds to step S706.

  In S706, it is determined whether the remaining battery level is smaller than a predetermined remaining level (condition H). If it is determined in S706 that the remaining battery level is lower than the predetermined remaining level, the process proceeds to S703, and if it is determined that the remaining battery level is not lower than the predetermined remaining level, the process proceeds to S707.

  In S707, it is determined whether or not the subject is moving (condition B). If it is determined in step S707 that the subject has movement, the process proceeds to step S703. If it is determined that the subject does not move, the process proceeds to step S708.

  In S708, it is determined whether or not the zoom magnification is on the Tele side higher than a predetermined magnification (condition D). If it is determined in step S708 that the Tele side has a high magnification, the process proceeds to step S703. If it is determined that the Tele side is not a high magnification Tele, the process proceeds to step S709.

  In S709, it is determined whether or not the noise amount is larger than a predetermined amount (condition F). If it is determined in S709 that the noise amount is larger than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to S703, and if it is not determined that the noise amount is larger than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to S710.

  In S710, it is determined whether the ISO sensitivity is higher than a predetermined sensitivity (condition C). If it is determined in S710 that the ISO sensitivity is higher than the predetermined sensitivity, the process proceeds to S703. If it is not determined that the ISO sensitivity is higher than the predetermined sensitivity, the process proceeds to S711.

  In S711, it is determined whether or not the exposure time is longer than a predetermined time (condition E). If it is determined in step S711 that the time is long, the process proceeds to step S703. If the time is not long, the process proceeds to step S704.

  As described above, by switching whether or not the image signal is compressed by the image sensor 100 in accordance with the imaging conditions (imaging conditions), it is possible to reduce the transfer time while suppressing the deterioration of the image quality. .

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

100: imaging device, 301: lens, 302: lens driving unit, 303: mechanical shutter, 304: aperture, 305: shutter / aperture driving unit, 307: imaging signal processing circuit, 308: first memory unit, 309: overall control Operation unit, 310: recording medium control I / F unit, 311: display unit, 312: recording medium, 313: external I / F unit, 314: second memory unit, 315: operation unit, 316: decode circuit, 317 : Thermometer, 318: Power supply

Claims (11)

A plurality of pixels for photoelectrically converting a subject image, and an image sensor having compression means for compressing signals of the plurality of pixels,
Reading means for reading signals of the plurality of pixels from the image sensor;
A control unit that controls a compression operation of the signals of the plurality of pixels by the compression unit in accordance with an imaging condition;
An imaging apparatus comprising:   The imaging conditions include whether or not a mechanical shutter is used, and the control unit controls the compression unit to compress signals of the plurality of pixels when imaging is performed without using the mechanical shutter. The imaging device according to claim 1.   The imaging condition includes a noise amount of the signal of the pixel, and the control unit compresses the signals of the plurality of pixels by the compression unit when noise of the signal of the pixel is larger than a predetermined amount. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control is performed in the following manner.   The imaging condition includes a temperature of the imaging device, and the control unit controls the compression unit to compress signals of the plurality of pixels when the temperature of the imaging device is higher than a predetermined temperature. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein:   The imaging condition includes a remaining amount of a battery, and the control unit controls the compression unit to compress signals of the plurality of pixels when the remaining amount of the battery is smaller than a predetermined remaining amount. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein:   The imaging condition includes a movement of a subject, and the control unit controls the compression unit to compress the signals of the plurality of pixels when the subject moves. The imaging device according to any one of 2, 4, and 5.   The imaging condition includes a zoom magnification, and the control unit controls the compression unit to compress the signals of the plurality of pixels when the zoom magnification is higher than a predetermined magnification. The imaging device according to claim 1, 2, 4 to 6.   The imaging condition includes noise of the signal of the pixel, and the control unit compresses the signals of the plurality of pixels by the compression unit when the noise of the signal of the pixel is larger than a predetermined amount. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is controlled.   The imaging condition includes an ISO sensitivity, and the control unit controls the compression unit to compress and read out the signals of the plurality of pixels when the ISO sensitivity is higher than a predetermined sensitivity. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is configured to perform the operation.   The imaging condition includes an exposure time, and the control unit controls the compression unit to compress the signals of the plurality of pixels when the exposure time is longer than a predetermined time. Item 10. The imaging device according to any one of Items 1, 2, 4 to 9. A method for controlling an imaging apparatus including an image sensor having a plurality of pixels that photoelectrically convert a subject image and a compression unit that compresses signals of the plurality of pixels,
A reading step of reading signals of the plurality of pixels from the imaging element;
A control step of controlling a compression operation of the signals of the plurality of pixels by the compression unit in accordance with an imaging condition;
A control method for an imaging device, comprising:

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