JPH09163384A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the image pickup device with convenience of use without providing sense of incongruity to the user when an object is monitored by a display device. SOLUTION: The image pickup device is provided with an image pickup optical system 101 forming an incident light from an object onto an image pickup face, a rotary filter board 102 with plural filters selecting an incident light for each different wavelength band, an image pickup element 104 applying sequential photoelectric conversion to the incident light passing through the filter board 102 for each wavelength band to be an image signal, and a drive circuit 111 controlling the image pickup element 104 in a way of switching a full picture element mode, a block mode and a skip mode. When the image pickup element 104 is driven in the full picture element mode, the filter board 102 is driven intermittently and when the image pickup element 104 is driven in either of the block mode and the step mode, the filter board 102 is driven continuously.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup device capable of recording a still image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image pickup apparatus for picking up an image of a subject with high definition, it is necessary to increase the driving frequency of the image pickup element in order to maintain the field rate as the number of pixels of the image pickup element increases. For example, HDTV (High Definition
The drive frequency of the image pickup device used in Television) reaches 74.25 MHz. In reality, it is difficult to make such a high-frequency (high-speed) image pickup device, and the manufacturing cost of a circuit that processes data at high speed is high. Therefore, conventionally, in an image pickup apparatus which records a high-definition still image, the field rate is lowered and one field or one frame of image data is read and recorded at a relatively low speed.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional high-definition still image pickup device. In this configuration example, the subject is a CCD (Charged Coupl) from the lens 1101.
ed Device) An image is formed on the image sensor 1102, and photoelectric conversion is performed. The CCD image pickup device 1102 includes a drive unit 110.
It is designed to be driven by the timing pulse generated from No. 3. The image data read from the CCD image sensor 1102 is subjected to signal processing such as gain adjustment in the signal processing unit 1104, and then digitalized by an analog / digital conversion unit (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as A / D conversion unit). It is converted to data and output.

The recording unit 1105 records the digital data as a still image, and is composed of various recording media such as a semiconductor memory. Display signal processing unit 110
Reference numeral 6 is for converting the above digital data into a standard television signal and outputting it. A display memory for input / output rate conversion, a synchronizing signal adding circuit and a digital / analog converter (hereinafter referred to as a D / A converter). That is) and the like.

The system controller 1107 performs sequential control of the entire image pickup apparatus, and is composed of a microcomputer or the like. The trigger switch 1108 is a shutter button operated when the operator wants to capture a still image.

Next, the operation of the still image pickup device having such a configuration will be described. When the operator presses the trigger switch 1108, the system controller 110
7 detects the pressing. At this time, the system controller 1107 sends an exposure start and exposure end timing signal to the drive unit 1103, and also the recording unit 110.
A recording start timing signal is sent to the recording medium 5. Drive unit 11
Upon receiving the exposure start and exposure end timing signals, the 03 generates timing pulses necessary for exposure and reading in the CCD image pickup device 1102. This allows CC
The image signal read from the D image sensor 1102 is subjected to predetermined processing by the signal processing unit 1104, and then the recording unit 11
05 is stored.

At this time, the driving frequency of the CCD image pickup device 1102 is about 10 to 20 MHz for the above reason. If the CCD image pickup device 1102 is composed of a sensor with a high pixel count of horizontal 2048 × vertical 2048, and the drive frequency thereof is 10 MHz, the CCD image pickup device 110
It takes 0.4 seconds to read 2 to 1 screen (1 frame). That is, the frame rate is about 2.5 frames / second.

Prior to this recording operation, the operator monitors the subject with a display device (not shown) connected to the output side of the display signal processing section 1106 in order to adjust the focal length of the subject and adjust the angle of view. During this monitoring, the driving unit 1103 exposes the CCD image sensor 1102,
Reading is continuously performed, and the read image data is subjected to predetermined signal processing in the signal processing unit 1104 and input to the display signal processing unit 1106. Then, the display signal processing unit 1106 thins out the input image data and stores the thinned image data in its own display memory at a predetermined speed. The recording unit 1105 reads out the image data stored in the display memory to convert it into a standard television signal,
After adding a sync signal to this and converting it to an analog signal,
Output.

[0009]

In the still image pickup device having the above-mentioned structure, the frame rate of the image data input to the display signal processing section is about 2.5 frames / sec. Here, the frame rate of the output standard television signal is NTSC (National Television System).
Even if the frame rate is 30 frames / second based on the (Committee) method, it is 0.
The same image is output from the display signal processing unit for 4 seconds.

Therefore, in the conventional still image pickup device as described above, when the subject is monitored by the display device in order to adjust the focal length and adjust the angle of view, the frame rate at which the image data is rewritten is slow. There was a problem that there was a delay and the usability was poor.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional still image pickup device, and provides a user-friendly image pickup device which does not give a feeling of discomfort to the user when the subject is monitored by the display device. The purpose is to provide.

[0012]

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention uses the following means.

(1) An image pickup apparatus according to the present invention is provided with an image pickup optical system for forming incident light from a subject on an image pickup surface and a plurality of filters capable of switching the incident light for different wavelength bands. A filter plate, an image sensor for sequentially photoelectrically converting incident light that has passed through the filter plate for each wavelength band into an image signal, and all pixels for scanning all pixels formed on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor The image sensor is driven and controlled to be switchable between a mode and a block mode for scanning pixels in a predetermined block among all pixels or a skip mode for thinning and scanning pixels at a predetermined thinning rate. A driving circuit, the rotary filter plate rotates intermittently when the image pickup device is driven in the all-pixel mode, and the image pickup device is selected from a block mode and a step mode. In when it is driven the rotating filter plate is made as a continuously rotating.

(2) The image pickup device of the present invention is a rotation provided with an image pickup optical system for forming incident light from a subject on an image pickup surface and a plurality of filters capable of switching the incident light for different wavelength bands. A filter plate, an image sensor for sequentially photoelectrically converting incident light that has passed through the filter plate for each wavelength band into an image signal, and all pixels for scanning all pixels formed on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor The image sensor is driven and controlled to be switchable between a mode and a block mode for scanning pixels in a predetermined block among all pixels or a skip mode for thinning and scanning pixels at a predetermined thinning rate. A drive circuit is provided, and the rotary filter plate is used when the image pickup device is driven in one of a block mode and a step mode. Further, there is further provided a through filter which makes the difference equal. (3) The image pickup apparatus of the present invention comprises an image pickup optical system for forming an image of incident light from a subject on an image pickup surface, and the above-mentioned incident light. A rotary filter plate provided with a plurality of filters that can be switched for different wavelength bands, an image sensor that sequentially photoelectrically converts incident light that has passed through the filter plate for each wavelength band into an image signal, and All pixel mode for scanning all pixels formed on the photoelectric conversion surface, block mode for scanning pixels in a predetermined block among all pixels, and for thinning and scanning pixels at a predetermined thinning rate And a drive circuit for driving and controlling the image pickup device such that the image pickup device is driven in the block mode. The other optical filters have the same optical optical path difference as other filters, and the other optical filters have the same optical optical path difference as other filters used when the image sensor is driven in the skip mode. A low pass filter is further provided.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of an image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The lens 101 is a CM whose image of the subject is described later.
D (Charge Modulation Device) Allows light to pass through so as to form an image on an image sensor.

The rotary filter plate 102 subjects the light passing through the lens 101 to a predetermined filtering process, as will be described later in detail. In addition, this rotary filter plate 102
Is a red filter R, a green filter G, a blue filter B
Each color filter is provided, and by rotating, filtering can be performed in the order of red, green, and blue in the frame order.

Further, the rotary filter plate 102 is provided with a photo sensor (not shown) to detect the positions of various filters. For example, this photo sensor detects the beginning of various filters when the rotary filter plate 102 is rotating. This detected signal (sensor signal) is
It is sent to the filter control unit 112. Further, the rotary filter plate 102 is equipped with a motor (not shown) and rotates the rotary filter plate 102.

The shutter 103 can be opened and closed to control the exposure time of the CMD image pickup device.

The CMD image pickup device 104 includes a lens 101,
Exposure, photoelectric conversion, and signal (analog image signal) reading are performed based on the light sent through the rotary filter plate 102 and the shutter 103. The CMD image sensor 104 used in this embodiment has a drive frequency of 1
The frequency is 0 MHz, and the total number of pixels is 2048 pixels × 2048 pixels. In this case, the readout time for all pixels is about 0.4 seconds.

Further, the CMD image pickup device 104 is adapted to be driven by a drive unit described later. In this case, C
The MD image sensor 104 includes “block”, “skip”,
It is driven in one of the drive modes of "all pixels".
The "block" is a drive mode for scanning a part (a predetermined range) of pixels, and the "skip" is a drive mode for thinning and scanning the pixels. "All pixels" is
This is a mode for scanning all pixels. Note that processing is performed to obtain a moving image when driving in the "block" or "skip" driving mode, and processing is performed to obtain a still image when driving in the "all pixels" driving mode. .

The signal processing section 105 performs predetermined signal processing such as gain adjustment on the analog image signal read from the CMD image pickup device 104. Also, the signal processing unit 1
05 has a built-in A / D converter (not shown).
The A / D converter converts the analog image signal processed in the signal processing unit 105 into digital image data. Then, the generated digital image data is
The signal is output from the signal processing unit 105.

The recording unit 106 records the above digital image data as a still image, and is composed of various recording media such as a semiconductor memory. Display signal processing unit 1
Reference numeral 07 is for converting the above-mentioned digital image data into a standard television signal and outputting it. For example, a frame memory for input / output rate conversion, a synchronizing signal addition circuit, a D / A converter, etc. (not shown). It is configured to include.

The standard television signal thus output is sent to a display device (not shown), and an image appears on the display screen. When adjusting the focal length or adjusting the angle of view, the subject can be monitored through this display device.

On the other hand, a host computer 108 is provided outside the image pickup apparatus. Host computer 10
Reference numeral 8 is used by the operator to send various commands to the image pickup apparatus, and is composed of a personal computer or the like. On the host computer 108, the operator can use the mouse (not shown) or the like to perform various settings and commands on the display. For example, the setting and switching of the drive mode of the CMD image sensor 104 can be instructed. Further, it is possible to change the setting of the thinning-out number related to the skip scanning and the setting of the block size and the position related to the block scanning.

The trigger switch 109 is a switch operated when the operator wants to capture a still image.

The system controller 110 performs sequential control of the entire image pickup apparatus, and is composed of a microcomputer or the like. This system controller 110 has a ROM (Read Only Memory) (not shown).
y) and the like are built in, and various programs that define the procedure of the sequential control are stored in this ROM. The system controller 110 responds to various commands from the host computer 108 and executes a predetermined program among various programs stored in the ROM if it is necessary to perform sequential control.

At the time of the above-mentioned sequential control, the system controller 110 makes various kinds of signals such as a drive mode signal indicating the type of drive mode (block scanning, skip scanning, or all-pixel scanning) and a signal for instructing the start of exposure. Is sent to the drive unit 111. The system controller 110 also sends a signal for instructing the opening and closing of the shutter 103 to the drive unit 111, and sends a signal for generating a reference signal and a synchronization signal to the drive unit 111. Further, the system controller 110 sends to the filter control unit a rotation method designation signal indicating whether the rotary filter plate 102 is rotated continuously or intermittently, and a filter designation signal indicating the type of filter to be set.

The drive unit 111 is the system controller 1
In response to the drive mode signal sent from 10, a timing pulse corresponding to the drive mode indicated by the drive mode signal is generated and sent to the CMD image sensor 104. As a result, the CMD image pickup device 104 is driven by the timing pulse. At this time, the drive unit 111
Signal processing unit 105, recording unit 106, and display signal processing unit 1
At 07, a synchronization signal for timing processing is sent to each.

Further, the drive unit 111 sends an opening / closing signal for opening and closing the shutter to the shutter 103, sends a synchronizing signal to the signal processing unit 105, the recording unit 106 and the display signal processing unit 107, and individually filters. For example, a reference signal indicating the timing to open the filter is sent to the filter control unit 112.

The filter control unit 112 receives the reference signal from the drive unit 111 and the detection signal from the sensor of the rotary filter plate 102, and controls the motor of the rotary filter plate 102 so that the rotary filter plate 102 appropriately rotates in synchronization. To do. Further, the filter control unit 112 controls the motor of the rotary filter plate 102 so that the rotary filter plate 102 appropriately operates in the instructed rotation system based on the rotation system instruction signal and the filter instruction signal from the system controller 110. Control.

[Description of CMD Image Sensor] Next, the structure and operation of the CMD image sensor 104 will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram showing the configuration of the CMD image sensor 104. The CMD image pickup element 104 includes horizontal selection lines 20 provided corresponding to the pixels 201 made of CMD arranged in a two-dimensional array and the pixels 201 arranged in the column direction.
2, horizontal scanning circuit 203 for column selection, horizontal selection line 2
02, the horizontal selection switch 204, and the output signal line 2 commonly connected to the horizontal selection switch 204.
05, a horizontal storage unit 206 provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the horizontal scanning circuit 203, and pixels 20 arranged in the row direction
1, a vertical selection line 207 provided corresponding to 1, a vertical scanning circuit 208 for row selection, a vertical level mix circuit 210 provided corresponding to the vertical selection line 207, provided corresponding to the vertical scanning circuit 208. And a vertical storage unit 209 that has been created.

The CMD pixel 201 is one unit pixel for which photoelectric conversion is performed, and in this embodiment, this pixel 20 is used.
1 is arranged in about 2000 pixels both horizontally and vertically as described above.

The horizontal selection line 202 is a line for reading out a photoelectrically converted signal, and is connected to the source of the pixel 201. The source of each pixel 201 is connected to the same horizontal selection line 202 for each column. The horizontal selection switch 204 is
It is a switch for selecting the horizontal selection line 202, and the other ends of all the horizontal selection switches 204 are the output signal lines 20.
5 is connected. The control terminals for selectively controlling the horizontal selection switch 204 have the horizontal scanning circuit 203 independently.
It is connected to the. The output signal line 205 is a signal line that reads out the photoelectrically converted signal from the pixel 201 in time series. The horizontal scanning circuit 203 is composed of a shift register that sequentially transfers a horizontal selection pulse (ΦHST) for selectively controlling the horizontal selection switch 204, and clears all shift register stages by an external control pulse (ΦHCL). Have a function. Then, the horizontal scanning circuit 203 is driven by horizontal driving pulses (ΦH1 to ΦH3), and each output stage independently has a horizontal selection switch 204.
Is connected to the control terminal. The horizontal storage unit 206 is provided in one-to-one correspondence with each stage of the shift register, and has a function of storing the position information of the transfer pulse of the shift register by an external control pulse and loading the stored information into the shift register. It is a storage unit.

The vertical selection line 207 is a selection line for setting the pixel 201 to a desired potential which will be described later.
The gates of are connected to the same vertical selection line for each row. Therefore, the potential of each pixel 201 can be controlled in each row. Each of the vertical selection lines 207 is connected to the vertical level mix circuit 210. The vertical level mix circuit 210 is a circuit that switches the potential of the connected vertical selection line 207 at a desired timing. The potential controlled to be switched includes a storage potential (VAC) for storing charges in the pixel 201,
There are four types: an overflow potential (VOF) for discharging the excess charge of the pixel 201, a read potential (VRD) for reading a signal from the pixel 201, and a reset potential (VRS) for discharging the charge of the pixel 201. In the vertical level mix circuit 210, ΦVAR, ΦVAA, ΦV
AO is a switching control pulse, and when these pulses are applied, the reset potential (VR) is applied to all the pixels 201 regardless of the state of the transfer pulse of the vertical scanning circuit.
S), accumulated potential (VAC), overflow potential (VO
F) is applied. The vertical scanning circuit 208 is composed of a shift register that sequentially transfers a vertical selection pulse (ΦVST) for sequentially selecting the vertical selection line 207 to be read out, and the shift register completes by a control pulse (ΦVCL) from the outside. It has a function to clear steps. The vertical scanning circuit 208 uses vertical pulses (ΦV1 to ΦV).
3), each output stage is independently connected to the control terminal of the vertical level mix circuit 210. The vertical storage unit 209 is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with each stage of the shift register, and has a function of storing the position information of the transfer pulse of the shift register by an external control pulse and loading the stored information into the shift register. Is a storage unit having. A drain bias (not shown) is applied to the drain of each CMD pixel.

"Explanation of Operation During All-Pixel Scanning" Next, the operation of the CMD image pickup device 104 configured as described above during all-pixel scanning will be described. When a video signal is output from the CMD image sensor 104, a pulse in which the above-described four potentials are combined in time series is required as the potential applied to each row of the CMD pixel 201. In the read selection row, a read potential (VRD) for reading out a signal from a pixel during a valid period of a video signal, and a reset potential (VRS) for discharging an electric charge during a horizontal blanking period.
Therefore, in the non-selected rows, it is necessary to have an accumulated potential (VAC) for accumulating charges during the effective period of the video signal and an overflow potential (VOF) for discharging excess charges during the horizontal blanking period. It is said that.

First, when the vertical selection pulse (ΦVST) is supplied to the lowermost register of the shift registers constituting the vertical scanning circuit 208, the vertical level mix circuit 210 causes the vertical selection line 207 of the lowermost row to have a read potential. (VR
D). As a result, the gates of all the pixels 201 in the row direction are set to the read potential via the vertical selection line 207, and the read preparation is completed. At this time, the gate potentials of all the pixels 201 in the other rows that are not selected are set to the storage potential (VAC) by the vertical level mix circuit 210. As a result, the signals of the pixels 201 in the other rows are cut off.

Next, when the horizontal selection pulse (ΦHST) is supplied to the leftmost register of the shift register which constitutes the horizontal scanning circuit 203, the horizontal selection switch 204 connected to the output of this register becomes active. As a result, the signal of the lowermost pixel 201 having the read potential (VRD) among the pixels 201 in the column connected to the leftmost horizontal selection line 202 is read out from the output signal line 205. The horizontal scanning circuit 203 sequentially transfers the horizontal selection pulse (ΦHST) in the right direction by the horizontal drive pulse (ΦH1 and ΦH2), and thereby the signal of the pixel 201 in the bottom row, which is at the read potential (VRD). Are read in order from the left.

During the horizontal blanking period after the reading of all the pixels 201 in the selected row is completed, the vertical level mix circuit 210 sets the gate potential of the pixels 201 in the selected row to the reset potential and is connected to the vertical selection line 207. The electric charges of all the pixels 201 in the row are discharged. In addition, at this timing, the vertical level mix circuit 210 applies an overflow potential to the gate of the pixel 201 in the non-selected row, and the excess charge is discharged.

When the reading and resetting operation of the selected row is completed, the vertical scanning circuit 208 sequentially sends the vertical selection pulse (ΦVST) upward by the vertical driving pulse (ΦV1 and ΦV2) to repeat the above-mentioned horizontal scanning operation. As a result, the CMD image sensor 104 can sequentially read all the pixels 201 from the lower left pixel to the upper right pixel.

"Explanation of Operation at Block Scan" Next, CM
The operation of the D image sensor 104 during block scanning will be described. This block scanning is realized by two modes. One is designation of a start position of block reading, and the other is reading.

First, designation of the start position of block reading will be described. A horizontal selection pulse (ΦHST) and a vertical selection pulse (ΦVST) are applied to the horizontal scanning circuit 203 and the vertical scanning circuit 208, respectively, and each is transferred to an arbitrary position where block reading is desired to start.
Here, the state of the transfer pulse (horizontal selection pulse) of the horizontal scanning circuit 203 is stored in the horizontal storage unit 206 by the horizontal scanning start position storage pulse (ΦHTB). Also,
Similarly, in the vertical scanning circuit 208, the vertical scanning circuit 208 receives the vertical scanning start position storage pulse (ΦVTB).
The state of the transfer pulse (vertical selection pulse) of the vertical storage unit 2
It is stored in 09.

Next, when reading is performed, instead of the horizontal selection pulse (ΦHST) at the time of scanning all pixels described above,
By applying the horizontal scanning start position load pulse (ΦHLD), the start position information stored in the horizontal storage unit 206 is loaded into the horizontal scanning circuit 203, so that the reading can be performed from the storage position when the start position is designated. And
When the scanning is ended at an arbitrary position, the horizontal scanning circuit clear pulse (ΦHCL) is applied to clear all the stages of the horizontal scanning circuit, so that the scanning can be ended at that position. Further, the vertical scanning circuit 208 can be similarly scanned by using the vertical scanning start position load pulse (ΦVLD) and the vertical scanning circuit clear pulse (ΦVCL). Thereby, the CMD image sensor 104 can realize block reading from any position to any position within the photoelectric conversion region.

[Explanation of operation during skip scanning] Next, CM
The operation of the D image sensor 104 during skip scanning will be described. FIG. 3 shows the circuit configuration of the shift register of the horizontal scanning circuit 203 and the vertical scanning circuit 208. First, at the time of scanning all pixels, in FIG. 3, by alternately activating the clock type inverters 311, 312, ... Connected to Φ1 and the clock type inverters 321, 322 ,. Input selection pulses are sequentially transferred. By this, ΦSRn, ΦSR
(N + 1), ΦSR (n + 2), ...

On the other hand, during the skip scanning, the shift register is driven not by the drive pulses Φ1, Φ2 but by the drive pulses Φ1, Φ3. The clock type inverters 331, 332, ... To which Φ3 is applied are connected to the clock type inverters four stages ahead, so that the output is Φ.
Outputs are sequentially made from SRn, ΦSR (n + 4), ΦSR (n + 8), ....

Skip scanning can be realized by performing the above-mentioned driving method for each scanning circuit of the horizontal scanning circuit 203 and the vertical scanning circuit 208. Further, by adding Φ4 and Φ5 to the shift register, it is possible to easily realize a shift register that transitions to 8 stages ahead or 16 stages ahead. As a result, the CMD image sensor 104 can realize skip driving with an arbitrary number of pixels. That is, the thinning rate can be made variable.

[Description of Drive Unit] Next, the drive unit 111 in this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the drive unit 111 in FIG. In order to perform each reading of the CMD image sensor 104 described above, the drive unit 111 is provided with a block scan drive signal generation unit 402, a skip scan drive signal generation unit 403, and an all-pixel scan drive signal generation unit 404 corresponding to each. There is. Then, in each drive signal generator, the horizontal and vertical drive pulses (Φ
H1 to ΦH3, ΦV1 to ΦV3), horizontal and vertical selection pulses (ΦHST, ΦVST), horizontal and vertical scan circuit clear pulses (ΦHCL, ΦVCL), horizontal and vertical scan start position storage pulses (ΦHTB, ΦVTB), horizontal and vertical Scan start position load pulse (ΦHLD, ΦVLD)
Is generated. These drive pulses are selected by the drive signal switching circuit 401 according to the drive mode signal from the system controller 110, and the drive pulse signal according to the drive mode is output.

The above all-pixel scanning drive signal generator 4
Reference numeral 04 generates a pulse for performing exposure in response to an exposure start instruction from the system controller 110. Further, the all-pixel scanning drive signal generation unit 404 outputs a signal indicating the end of exposure when the exposure is completed to the system controller 1.
Send to 10.

On the other hand, the shutter control section 405 responds to an instruction from the system controller 110, and the shutter 102
An open / close signal for opening / closing is generated. This open / close signal is sent to the shutter 102. Sync signal generator 406
Generates a synchronization signal in response to an instruction from the system controller 110. This synchronization signal is sent to the signal processing unit 10
5, sent to the recording unit 106 and the display signal processing unit 107. The synchronization signal generator 406 is the system controller 1
In response to the instruction from 10, the reference signal based on the synchronizing signal in the synchronizing signal generating section 406 is generated. This reference signal is sent to the filter control unit 112.

[Description of Filter Control Unit] Next, the filter control unit 112 in this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the filter control unit 112 in FIG. PLL (Pu
(lse Locked Loop) unit 501 detects a phase shift from the reference signal from the driving unit 111 and the detection signal from the sensor of the rotary filter plate 102, and is a signal for synchronously rotating the rotary filter plate 102 in accordance with the reference signal. To generate.
The step controller 502 is the system controller 110.
A signal for stepping the rotary filter plate 102 so that the specified type of filter is set is generated in accordance with the filter specifying signal from

The drive switching unit 503 switches to the designated system (continuous rotation system or intermittent rotation system) according to the rotation system designation signal from the system controller 110. Further, the drive switching unit 503 generates a signal for causing the rotary filter plate 102 to perform a predetermined rotary operation by the above-described rotary system, based on the signal from the PLL unit 501 and the signal from the step controller 502. The motor drive unit 504 drives the motor of the rotary filter plate 102 based on the signal from the drive switching unit 503.

[Description of Rotating Filter Plate] Next, the rotating filter plate 102 in this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the structure of the rotary filter plate 102 in FIG. The red filter R, the green filter G, and the blue filter B are arranged on the rotary filter plate 102 at equal intervals. Each filter is
It has a fan shape extending in the rotation direction so that the opening time can be sufficiently long during rotation. Further, cutout portions corresponding to the respective filters are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the rotary filter plate 102. These notches are detected by a photo sensor (not shown). When these cutouts are detected, the time when the opening of the filter is started can be obtained.

[Description of Operation of Imaging Device] Next, the operation of the imaging device according to the first embodiment will be described. In the following description, the processing procedure of the system controller 110 will be the main focus. In this embodiment, a case where the imaging device is driven by a block scan and a case where the imaging device is driven by a skip scan are described, respectively, and then a case where a transition to full-pixel scanning is performed when the imaging device is driven by these scanning systems will be described.

First, the processing procedure of block scanning will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
Host computer 108 to system controller 1
An instruction is issued to 10 to drive the image pickup apparatus by block scanning. In response to this, the system controller 110 performs the following processing.

The system controller 110 commands the filter controller 112 to set the rotary mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the "continuous mode" (step S).
101). In response to this, the filter control unit 112 synchronously rotates the rotary filter plate 102 at a predetermined speed. next,
The system controller 110 sets the shutter 103 to the "open" state (step S102). Here, the open state is set in order to obtain the moving image output after the drive mode is set to “skip”. Then, the system controller 110 commands the drive unit 111 to set the drive mode of the CMD image sensor 104 to "block" (step S103). In response to this, the drive unit 111 drives the CMD image sensor 104 with a block scan drive signal (timing pulse). At this time,
The block size and its position are specified at the same time as the "block" is set.

As described above, according to the above processing procedure, when the image pickup device is driven by block scanning, the rotary filter plate 102 is continuously rotated.

After this, the system controller 110
The input from the trigger switch 109 is awaited (step S104). At this time, when the operator presses the trigger switch to capture a still image, the system controller 110 responds to this and starts the recording operation described in detail later (step S105).

In the above processing, for example, block scanning is performed on 512 × 512 pixels in the central portion of the screen,
The frequency when scanning is the same as when scanning all pixels (10
MHz), the read time for this scan is about 26 ms, and the frame rate is about 38 frames /
Seconds.

Next, the processing procedure of skip scanning will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
Host computer 108 to system controller 1
An instruction is issued to 10 to drive the image pickup apparatus by skip scanning. In response to this, the system controller 110 performs the following processing.

The system controller 110 commands the filter controller 112 to set the rotation mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the "continuous mode" (step S).
201). In response to this, the filter control unit 112 synchronously rotates the rotary filter plate 102 at a predetermined speed. next,
The system controller 110 brings the shutter 103 into the "open" state (step S202). Here, the open state is set in order to obtain the moving image output after the drive mode is set to “skip”. Then, the system controller 110 commands the drive unit 111 to set the drive mode of the CMD image sensor 104 to "skip" (step S203). In response to this, the drive unit 111 drives the CMD image sensor 104 with a skip scan drive signal (timing pulse). The drive unit 111 responds to this by a skip scan drive signal (timing pulse).
The CMD image sensor 104 is driven by. At this time, the thinning rate is also specified at the same time as the setting of "skip".

As described above, according to the above processing procedure, when the image pickup apparatus is driven by the skip scanning, the rotary filter plate 102 is continuously rotated.

Incidentally, the subsequent steps S204 and S2
The process of 05 includes steps S104 and S105 of FIG.
Since these are the same as those in the above, their description will be omitted.

In the above processing, if skip scanning is performed to read one pixel out of four pixels in each of the horizontal and vertical directions, the number of pixels to be read out is 512 × 512 pixels as in the case of the block scanning described above. Then, even in this scanning, the frame rate is about 38 frames / sec.

Next, the operation of the image pickup apparatus when driven by the block scan or the skip scan as described above will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG.

Sync signal generator 406 in driver 111
Generates a synchronization signal that clocks at a constant interval and sends it to the signal processing unit 105, the recording unit 106, and the display signal processing unit 107. On the other hand, the reference signal generator 407 in the driver 111 adjusts the opening start time of each of the red filter R, the green filter G, and the blue filter B based on the vertical synchronization signal generated from the synchronization signal generator 406. A reference signal is generated and sent to the filter controller 112.

The filter controller 112 receives this reference signal and the sensor signal from the photosensor of the rotary filter plate 102, and the rotary filter plate 10 is started so that the opening of the red filter R is started at the timing of t101.
The motor of No. 2 is driven and controlled. The opening time of the red filter R is from t101 to t104. During this time,
The driving unit 111 employs a line reset method and an interlaced scanning method, and for this reason, exposure and reading are performed for odd fields during the first t101 to t103, and during t102 to t104. Are exposed and read for even fields.

Next, the filter control section 112 makes t10.
The motor of the rotary filter plate 102 is drive-controlled so that the opening of the green filter G is started at the timing of 5.
The opening time of the green filter G is from t105 to t1.
Up to 08. During the first t105 to t107, exposure and reading are performed for odd fields, and t
During 106 to t108, exposure and reading are performed for even fields.

Next, the filter control section 112 makes t10
The motor of the rotary filter plate 102 is drive-controlled so that the opening of the blue filter B is started at the timing of 9.
The opening time of the blue filter B is from t109 to t1.
Up to 12. During the first t109 to t111, exposure and reading are performed for odd fields, and t
During 110 to t112, exposure and reading are performed for even fields.

After that, the above operation is repeated.

Next, the details of the recording operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the operator presses the trigger switch to capture a still image while the imaging device is driven by block scanning or skip scanning, the system controller 110 responds to this by causing the filter control unit 112 to rotate the filter plate. 10
An instruction is issued to set the rotation mode of No. 2 to the "intermittent mode" (step S301). Also, the system controller 1
The command 10 instructs the filter control unit 112 to set its position so that the red filter R first performs filtering (step S302). In response to this, the filter control unit 112 drives the motor of the rotary filter plate 102 to move the red filter R to the position where it is in the open state. As a result, the red filter R is opened.

The system controller 110 includes the drive unit 1
11 is instructed to set the shutter 103 to the “blocking” state (initial state) (step S303). In response to this, the drive unit 111 puts the shutter 103 in the “blocking” state. Next, the system controller 110 commands the drive unit 111 to set the current drive mode of the CMD image sensor 104 to "all pixels" (step S).
304). In response to this, the drive unit 111 drives the CMD image sensor 104 by scanning all pixels.

As a result, the CMD image pickup device 104 performs the exposure process by the red filter R (step S305), and the green filter G subsequently, as will be described later.
Exposure process (step S306) and the blue filter exposure process (step S307).

Next, the details of the exposure processing by the filters of the respective colors will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The system controller 110 issues an exposure start command to the drive unit 111 to start exposure in the CMD image sensor 104 (step S401). Specifically, an exposure start command signal is input to the all-pixel scanning drive signal generation unit in the drive unit 111, and the shutter 10
A command signal for opening 3 is input to the shutter control unit 405. As a result, the drive unit 111 opens the shutter 103 and starts exposure.

Then, the system controller 110
A state of waiting for the end of exposure is set (step S402). Then, when the driving unit 111 closes the shutter and ends the exposure, the drive unit 111 notifies the system controller 110 of the end of the exposure. Specifically, a signal indicating the end of exposure is sent to the system controller 110 from the all-pixel scanning drive signal generation unit in the drive unit 111. The CMD image sensor 1
In 04, the readout is continued for the line for which the exposure has been completed.

When the system controller 110 receives the notification of the end of exposure, the system controller 110 instructs the filter controller 112 to
The currently set filter instructs the next filter to step (step S403). In response to this, the filter control unit 112 drives the motor of the rotary filter plate 102 so that the filter makes one step.

As described above, according to the above processing procedure, the rotary filter plate 102 is rotated intermittently when the image pickup device is driven by all-pixel scanning.

Next, the operation of the image pickup device in the case of driving by all pixel scanning as described above will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG.

Now, the rotary filter plate 102 is set to the intermittent mode, the open state of the red filter R is set, and the shutter 103 is set to the "blocking" state. The synchronization signal generation unit 406 in the drive unit 111 generates a synchronization signal that clocks the clock at regular intervals and outputs the synchronization signal.
5, it is sent to the recording unit 106 and the display signal processing unit 107.

When the reading by the CMD image pickup element 104 is completed at the timing of t203, the drive section 111
In order to clear the accumulated charges, the reset is completed by t204 by the collective reset signal. Then, the drive unit 111 opens the shutter 103 at the timing of t204 and starts the exposure by the red shutter R. Next, the driving unit 111 causes the shutter 104 to be at the timing of t205.
Is closed, and the exposure is finished and the reading is started at the same time.
On the other hand, when the exposure is completed, the filter control unit 112 releases the open state at the timing of t206, and causes the current red filter R to step to the green filter G. And
The green filter G is opened at the timing of t207.

When the reading by the CMD image pickup element 104 is completed at the timing of t208, the driving section 111
In order to clear the accumulated charges, the batch reset signal completes the reset by t209. Then, the drive unit 111 opens the shutter 103 at the timing of t209 and starts the exposure by the green shutter G. Next, the drive unit 111 causes the shutter 104 to be at the timing of t210.
Is closed, and the exposure is finished and the reading is started at the same time.
On the other hand, when the exposure is completed, the filter control unit 112 releases the open state at the timing of t211 and causes the current green filter G to step to the blue filter B to step. And
The blue filter B is opened at the timing of t212.

When the reading by the CMD image sensor 104 is completed at the timing of t213, the drive section 111
In order to clear the accumulated charges, the reset is completed by t214 by the collective reset signal. Then, the drive unit 111 opens the shutter 103 at the timing of t214 and starts the exposure by the blue shutter B. Next, the drive unit 111 causes the shutter 104 to be operated at the timing of t215.
Is closed, and the exposure is finished and the reading is started at the same time.
On the other hand, when the exposure is completed, the filter control unit 112 releases the open state at the timing of t216, and causes the current blue filter B to be stepped to the red filter R. And
The red filter R is opened at the timing of t217. After that, the above operation is repeated.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the rotary filter plate is continuously rotated during driving by block scanning or skip scanning. On the other hand, the rotating filter plate is intermittently rotated during driving by scanning all pixels.

Therefore, good monitoring and high-resolution still images can be realized at the same time without increasing the drive frequency of the image pickup device. Further, by using the shutter, proper exposure for still image shooting can be performed, and good monitoring can be performed by keeping the shutter open during monitoring.

Since the field rate of all-pixel scanning is generally slower than that of other scanning methods, if the rotary filter plate is continuously rotated as in the conventional case when driving by all-pixel scanning, the filter intervals other than the exposure time are increased. The time and the like for moving the vehicle will be wasted. Therefore, as shown in the first embodiment, by switching the rotary filter plate intermittently during driving by all-pixel scanning, the filters are switched quickly after the exposure is completed, so that the field rate is increased. This makes it possible to reduce the time required for frame sequential still image shooting.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described. The configuration of the imaging device according to the second embodiment is
It is similar to that shown in FIG. 1 referred to in the first embodiment.
The same applies to the configurations of the CMD image sensor, the drive unit and the filter control unit, and the structure of the rotary filter plate shown in FIGS. 2 to 6. Therefore, the description of the configuration is omitted in the present embodiment.

The second embodiment is different from the above-mentioned embodiments in the function of the reference signal generator 407 in the driver 111. The function of the reference signal generator 407 will be described below.

The reference signal generator 407 can generate its own reference signal that does not depend on the signal generated from the synchronization signal generator 406. A reference signal adjustment unit (not shown) is provided inside the reference signal generation unit 407.

This adjusting unit is the system controller 11
When it receives a signal designating the size of a block (area) related to block scanning from 0, it has a function of setting the pulse cycle of the reference signal to be generated to a value corresponding to the size. In this case, the pulse period of the reference signal is set to increase as the size of the block increases. Therefore, when the reference signal generation unit 407 generates a reference signal having a long cycle while the rotary filter plate is continuously rotating, the filter control unit 1 that has received this reference signal
12 rotates the rotary filter plate 102 at a low speed.

Further, when receiving a signal designating the thinning rate for block scanning from the system controller 110, the adjusting section sets the pulse period of the reference signal to be generated to a value corresponding to the thinning rate. It has a function. In this case, the pulse cycle of the reference signal is set to increase as the thinning rate increases. Therefore, when the reference signal generation unit 407 generates a reference signal having a long cycle while the rotary filter plate is continuously rotating, the filter control unit 112 that receives the reference signal moves the rotary filter plate 102 at a low speed. It will be rotated.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the rotation speed of the continuously rotating rotary filter plate is
It becomes smaller as the size of the block involved in the block scanning becomes larger. Therefore, regardless of the size of the block, a clear image without R, G, and B color shifts is always provided to the user, and an image pickup apparatus with good usability is provided.
The rotation speed of the rotating filter plate that is continuously rotating is
It decreases as the thinning rate for skip scanning increases. Therefore, regardless of the value of the thinning rate, a clear image with no color shift in R, G, and B is always provided to the user, and an image pickup apparatus with good usability is provided.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described. The configuration of the image pickup apparatus according to the third embodiment is
It is similar to that shown in FIG. 1 referred to in the first embodiment.
The same applies to the configurations of the CMD image sensor, the drive unit and the filter control unit, and the structure of the rotary filter plate shown in FIGS. 2 to 6. Therefore, the description of the configuration is omitted in the present embodiment.

The third embodiment is different from the above-mentioned embodiments in the function of the system controller 110. Less than,
The function of the system controller 110 will be described.

The system controller 110 includes the drive unit 1
When instructing 11 to set the drive mode of the CMD image sensor 104 to “block”, it is determined whether the size of the block instructed by the host computer 108 is larger than a predetermined value. Further, the system controller 110 causes the drive unit 111 to perform the CMD image pickup device 10 operation.
When instructing to set the drive mode of No. 4 to “skip”, it is determined whether the thinning rate instructed by the host computer 108 is larger than a predetermined value.

If it is larger than the predetermined value, the filter control unit 112 is instructed to set the rotation mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the "intermittent mode". On the other hand, if it is smaller than the predetermined value, the rotation mode is set. Command to enter "continuous mode".

The operation of the image pickup apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, a case where the imaging device is driven by block scanning and a case where the imaging device is driven by skip scanning will be described.

First, the processing procedure of block scanning will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
Host computer 108 to system controller 1
An instruction is issued to 10 to drive the image pickup apparatus by block scanning. In response to this, the system controller 110 performs the following processing.

The system controller 110 includes the drive unit 1
11 is instructed to set the drive mode of the CMD image sensor 104 to “block” (step S502).
In response to this, the drive 111 sets the drive mode to “block”. At this time, the size of the block and the position of the block are designated at the same time as the setting of the “block”.

Next, the system controller 110 judges whether or not the size of the block is larger than a predetermined value (step S503). If it is larger than the predetermined value, the system controller 110 commands the filter control unit 112 to set the rotation mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the "intermittent mode" (step S504). On the other hand, if it is smaller than the predetermined value, the system controller 1
10 instructs the filter control unit 112 to set the rotation mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the "continuous mode" (step S504). In response to this, the filter control unit 112 sets the rotation mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the corresponding mode.

As described above, according to the above processing procedure, when the image pickup device is driven by block scanning and the size of the block is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the rotary filter plate 102 rotates intermittently.

Incidentally, the subsequent steps S506 and S5.
The processing of 07 is performed in steps S104 and S105 of FIG.
Since these are the same as those in the above, their description will be omitted.

Next, the processing procedure of skip scanning will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
Host computer 108 to system controller 1
An instruction is issued to 10 to drive the image pickup apparatus by skip scanning. In response to this, the system controller 110 performs the following processing.

The system controller 110 includes the drive unit 1
11 is instructed to set the drive mode of the CMD image sensor 104 to “skip” (step S602).
In response to this, the drive 111 sets the drive mode to "skip". At this time, the thinning rate of pixels is also specified at the same time as the setting of “skip”.

Next, the system controller 110 determines whether or not the thinning rate is higher than a predetermined value (step S603). If it is larger than the predetermined value, the system controller 110 commands the filter control unit 112 to set the rotation mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the "intermittent mode" (step S604). On the other hand, if it is smaller than the predetermined value, the system controller 110 commands the filter control unit 112 to set the rotation mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the “continuous mode” (step S604). In response to this, the filter control unit 112 sets the rotation mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the corresponding mode.

As described above, according to the above processing procedure, when the image pickup device is driven by skip scanning and the thinning rate is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the rotary filter plate 102 rotates intermittently.

It should be noted that the subsequent steps S606 and S6.
The processing of 07 is performed in steps S104 and S105 of FIG.
Since these are the same as those in the above, their description will be omitted.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, when the image pickup apparatus is driven by block scanning and the block size is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the rotary filter plate 102 rotates intermittently, When the image pickup device is driven by skip scanning and the thinning rate is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the rotary filter plate 102 rotates intermittently.

The block scan generally has a slow field rate when the block is large. Therefore, when the rotary filter plate is continuously rotated as in the conventional case when driving by the block scan, movement between filters other than the exposure time is moved. Will be wasted time. On the other hand, in skip scanning, the field rate is generally slow when the thinning rate is large, so if the rotary filter plate is continuously rotated as in the conventional case when driving by block scanning,
The time for moving between filters other than the exposure time is wasted.

Therefore, as shown in the third embodiment, when the size of the block is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value or when the thinning rate is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the rotary filter plate is intermittently rotated to end the exposure. For example, the filters can be switched quickly, so that the field rate can be increased, and a user-friendly imaging device is provided that does not give a feeling of discomfort to the user when the subject is monitored by the display device.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The configuration of the image pickup apparatus according to the fourth embodiment is
It is similar to that shown in FIG. 1 referred to in the first embodiment.
The same applies to the configurations of the CMD image sensor, the drive unit, and the filter control unit illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5. For this reason,
In the present embodiment, description of the configuration will be omitted.

The difference between the fourth embodiment and the above-described embodiments is the structure of the filter 102. The structure of the rotary filter plate 102 will be described below with reference to FIG. 7. The rotary filter plate 102 in the fourth embodiment further includes a transparent color (clear or transparent) filter Cl in addition to the red filter R, the green filter G, and the blue filter B. The transparent color filter Cl is a filter for obtaining a monochrome image. These four types of filters are arranged at equal intervals, and the outer peripheral edge of the rotary filter plate 102 is provided with notches corresponding to these four types of filters, respectively.

The operation of the image pickup apparatus according to the fourth embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, a case where the imaging device is driven by block scanning and a case where the imaging device is driven by skip scanning will be described.

First, the processing procedure of block scanning will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
Host computer 108 to system controller 1
An instruction is issued to 10 to drive the image pickup apparatus by block scanning. In response to this, the system controller 110 performs the following processing.

The system controller 110 commands the filter controller 112 to set the rotary mode of the rotary filter plate 102 to the "intermittent mode" (step S).
701). In response to this, the filter control unit 112 rotates the rotary filter plate 102 so that the transparent color filter is selectively set.
Is driven (step S702). Thereby, the aperture of the transparent color filter is set. Next, the system controller 110 sets the shutter 103 to the "open" state (step S703). Then, the system controller 110 causes the drive unit 111 to move to the CMD image sensor 104.
The drive mode is instructed to be "block" (step S704). In response to this, the drive unit 111 drives the CMD image sensor 104 with a block scan drive signal (timing pulse).

Incidentally, the subsequent steps S705 and S7.
The process of 06 is performed in steps S104 and S105 of FIG.
Since these are the same as those in the above, their description will be omitted.

Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 17, a skip scanning processing procedure will be described. First,
Host computer 108 to system controller 1
An instruction is issued to 10 to drive the image pickup apparatus by skip scanning. In response to this, the system controller 110 performs the following processing. Note that steps S801 to S
The process of 803 is performed in steps S701 to S703 of FIG.
Since these are the same as those in the above, their description will be omitted.

The system controller 110 includes the drive unit 1
11 is instructed to set the drive mode of the CMD image sensor 104 to “skip” (step S804).
In response to this, the drive unit 111 drives the CMD image sensor 104 with a skip scan drive signal (timing pulse).

Incidentally, the subsequent steps S805 and S8.
The process of 06 is performed in steps S705 and S706 of FIG.
Since these are the same as those in the above, their description will be omitted.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when the image pickup device is driven by the block scan or the skip scan, the exposure by the transparent color filter is performed.

In the fourth embodiment, it is not necessary to switch the filter among the red filter R, the green filter G, and the blue filter B as in the conventional case. Therefore, the field rate should be increased instead of obtaining a color image. Therefore, it is possible to provide an imaging device that is easy to use and does not give the user a feeling of strangeness when the subject is monitored by the display device.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. The configuration of the imaging device according to the fifth embodiment is
It is similar to that shown in FIG. 1 referred to in the first embodiment.
The same applies to the configurations of the CMD image sensor, the drive unit, and the filter control unit illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5. For this reason,
In the present embodiment, description of the configuration will be omitted.

The fifth embodiment is different from the above-mentioned embodiments in the structure of the filter 102. The structure of the rotary filter plate 102 will be described below with reference to FIG. 7. The rotary filter plate 102 in the fifth embodiment further includes an optical low pass filter LPF in addition to the red color filter R, the green color filter G, the blue color filter B and the transparent color (clear or transparent) filter Cl. The optical low pass filter LPF is a filter for passing a low frequency band of light. These five types of filters are arranged at equal intervals, and cutout portions corresponding to these five types of filters are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the rotary filter plate 102.

Next, the characteristics of the optical low pass filter LPF will be described with reference to FIG.

According to Nyquist's theorem, in order to ensure image reproducibility, it is necessary to perform sampling at a frequency fA that is at least twice the frequency fa desired to be reproduced with respect to the light input to the optical system. Therefore, it is preferable to sample at the highest possible frequency. However, since the sampling frequency depends on the thinning rate of pixels, the sampling frequency fX (for example, the thinning rate is 3/4) is lower in skip scanning than in all-pixel scanning. In this case, a moire component a'appears with respect to the component a of the frequency fa and aliasing occurs between fB and fa, resulting in poor reproducibility.

Further, for example, when performing skip scanning with a thinning rate of 1/4, the sampling frequency is fB, and therefore the frequency to be reproduced should be f in order to ensure reproducibility.
The frequency should be less than half of B, fb. Therefore, the optical low-pass filter according to the present embodiment has a characteristic of performing filtering so as to generate the component of the frequency fb.

The operation of the image pickup apparatus according to the fifth embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, a case where the imaging device is driven by block scanning and a case where the imaging device is driven by skip scanning will be described. Since the block scanning is the same as that shown in the flowchart of FIG. 16,
The description is omitted.

The processing procedure of skip scanning will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
Host computer 108 to system controller 1
An instruction is issued to 10 to drive the image pickup apparatus by skip scanning. In response to this, the system controller 110 performs the following processing. Note that steps S1001 to S1001
The processing of S1003 is the same as steps S801 to S8 of FIG.
Since it is the same as 03, description thereof will be omitted.

The system controller 110 includes the drive unit 1
11 is instructed to set the drive mode of the CMD image sensor 104 to “skip” (step S100).
4). In response to this, the drive unit 111 uses the skip scan drive signal (timing pulse) to output the CMD image sensor 104.
Drive.

Incidentally, the subsequent steps S1005 and S
The processing of 1006 includes steps S805 and S8 of FIG.
Since it is the same as 06, these explanations are omitted.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, when the image pickup device is driven by block scanning, the exposure is performed by the transparent color filter, and when it is driven by skip scanning, the optical low-pass filter is used. Exposure is performed.

In the fifth embodiment, the field rate can be increased and a clear image without moire can be obtained, and the user does not feel uncomfortable when monitoring the subject on the display device, which is convenient. An imaging device is provided.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the XY address type CMD image pickup device is used as the image pickup device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to the case of using another CCD image pickup device or the like.

(Summary of Embodiments) The following is a summary of the configuration and operational effects of the image pickup apparatus shown in the above-described embodiments.

(1) The image pickup apparatus shown in the embodiment is an image pickup optical system 10 for forming an incident light from a subject on an image pickup surface.
1, and a rotary filter plate 102 provided with a plurality of filters capable of switching the incident light for different wavelength bands,
An image sensor 104 that sequentially photoelectrically converts incident light that has passed through the filter plate 102 for each wavelength band into an image signal, and an all-pixel mode for scanning all pixels formed on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor 104. And the drive control of the image pickup device 104 so as to be switchable between a block mode for scanning pixels in a predetermined block among all pixels and a skip mode for thinning and scanning pixels at a predetermined thinning rate. And a drive circuit 111 for
Is rotated in the all-pixel mode, the rotary filter plate 102 rotates intermittently, and when the image sensor 104 is driven in either the block mode or the step mode, the rotary filter plate 102 continuously rotates. It is supposed to do.

With the above structure, the rotary filter plate 1 is driven when driving by block scanning or skip scanning.
02 is continuously rotated. On the other hand, the rotary filter plate 102 is intermittently rotated during driving by all-pixel scanning. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both good monitoring and high-definition still images without increasing the drive frequency of the image sensor 104.
Further, by using the shutter, proper exposure for still image shooting can be performed, and good monitoring can be performed by keeping the shutter open during monitoring. According to this embodiment, when driving by all-pixel scanning, the rotation filter plate 102 is intermittently rotated, so that the filters can be switched quickly after the exposure, so that the time for frame-sequential still image shooting can be shortened. can do.

(2) The image pickup device shown in the embodiment is the same as the image pickup device described in the above (1), wherein the speed during continuous rotation of the rotary filter plate 102 is one of the block size and the thinning rate. Becomes slower as becomes larger.

With the above arrangement, the rotational speed of the continuously rotating rotary filter plate 102 decreases as the size of the block involved in block scanning increases. Therefore, regardless of the size of the block, a clear image without R, G, and B color shifts is always provided to the user, and an image pickup apparatus with good usability is provided. Further, the rotation speed of the rotating filter plate 102 that is continuously rotating decreases as the thinning rate for skip scanning increases. Therefore, regardless of the value of the thinning rate, the user is always provided with a clear image with no color shift in R, G, and B.
An imaging device that is easy to use is provided.

(3) The image pickup device shown in the embodiment is the same as the image pickup device described in the above item (2), in which the rotary filter plate 102 is continuously rotated when the speed during continuous rotation becomes a predetermined value or less. It switches to intermittent rotation.

With the above arrangement, when the image pickup apparatus is driven by block scanning and the block size is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the rotary filter plate 102102 rotates intermittently, and the image pickup apparatus is driven by skip scanning. If the thinning rate is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the rotary filter plate 102102 rotates intermittently. As shown in this embodiment, when the block size is equal to or less than a predetermined value or when the thinning rate is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the rotary filter plate 102 is intermittently rotated to quickly switch the filters after the exposure is completed. As a result, the field rate can be increased, and a user-friendly imaging device that does not give a feeling of strangeness to the user when the subject is monitored by the display device is provided.

(4) The image pickup apparatus shown in the embodiment is an image pickup optical system 10 for forming incident light from a subject on an image pickup surface.
1, and a rotary filter plate 102 provided with a plurality of filters capable of switching the incident light for different wavelength bands,
An image sensor 104 that sequentially photoelectrically converts incident light that has passed through the filter plate 102 for each wavelength band into an image signal, and an all-pixel mode for scanning all pixels formed on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor 104. And the drive control of the image pickup device 104 so as to be switchable between a block mode for scanning pixels in a predetermined block among all pixels and a skip mode for thinning and scanning pixels at a predetermined thinning rate. And a drive circuit 111 for driving the image sensor 104. The rotary filter plate 102 has an optical optical path difference from other filters used when the image sensor 104 is driven in either a block mode or a step mode. Further, there is further provided a plain filter which becomes equal.

With the above arrangement, when the image pickup device is driven by block scanning or skip scanning, exposure is performed by the transparent color filter. In this embodiment, since it is not necessary to switch the filter among the red filter R, the green filter G, and the blue filter B as in the conventional case, it is possible to increase the field rate instead of obtaining a color image, and thus the object can be increased. A user-friendly image pickup device is provided, which does not give a feeling of strangeness to a user when the display device is monitored.

(5) The image pickup apparatus shown in the embodiment is an image pickup optical system 10 for forming incident light from a subject on an image pickup surface.
1, and a rotary filter plate 102 provided with a plurality of filters capable of switching the incident light for different wavelength bands,
An image sensor 104 that sequentially photoelectrically converts incident light that has passed through the filter plate 102 for each wavelength band into an image signal, and an all-pixel mode for scanning all pixels formed on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor 104. And the drive control of the image pickup device 104 so as to be switchable between a block mode for scanning pixels in a predetermined block among all pixels and a skip mode for thinning and scanning pixels at a predetermined thinning rate. The rotary filter plate 102 is provided with a drive circuit 111 for driving the image pickup device 104 in a block mode, and a transparent filter having an optical path difference equal to that of other filters. A low-pass filter used when the image pickup device 104 is driven in the skip mode and having an optical path difference equal to that of other filters. There has been become a thing that is further provided.

With the above configuration, when the image pickup device is driven by block scanning, exposure is performed by the transparent color filter, and when it is driven by skip scanning, exposure is performed by the optical low pass filter. Become. In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain a clear image without causing moire while increasing the field rate, and to provide a user-friendly imaging device that does not cause a user to feel uncomfortable when monitoring a subject on the display device. It

[0144]

As described in detail above, the present invention has the following effects.

(A) Since the field rate can be increased by intermittently rotating the rotary filter plate when driving by all-pixel scanning, it is possible to shorten the frame-sequential still image photographing time.

(B) Since the rotation speed of the continuously rotating rotary filter plate can be reduced as the size of the block involved in the block scanning increases, R is always R regardless of the size of the block. , G, B provide a user with a clear image with no color misregistration, and an image pickup apparatus with good usability is provided. Further, since the rotation speed of the continuously rotating rotary filter plate can be reduced as the thinning rate for skip scanning becomes larger, no matter what value the thinning rate is, there is always a clear R, G, B color deviation. A user-friendly image pickup device is provided, and an easy-to-use image pickup device is provided.

(C) When the block size is less than a predetermined value or the thinning rate is less than a predetermined value, the rotary filter plate is intermittently rotated so that the filters can be switched quickly after the exposure is completed. Thus, the field rate can be increased, and a user-friendly imaging device that does not give a feeling of strangeness to the user when the subject is monitored by the display device is provided.

(D) When driven by block scanning or skip scanning, since exposure can be performed by a transparent color filter, it is possible to increase the field rate instead of obtaining a color image, and A user-friendly image pickup device is provided, which does not give a feeling of strangeness to a user when the display device is monitored.

(E) While increasing the field rate,
Since it becomes possible to obtain a clear image without causing moire, a user-friendly image pickup device is provided that does not give a feeling of discomfort to the user when the subject is monitored by the display device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an image pickup apparatus according to first to fifth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the CMD image sensor shown in FIG.

3 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of a shift register which constitutes a horizontal scanning circuit and a vertical scanning circuit in the CMD image pickup device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a drive unit shown in FIG.

5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a filter control unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a structure of a rotary filter plate according to first to third embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the structure of a rotary filter plate according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the structure of a rotary filter plate according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining characteristics of an optical low-pass filter included in the rotary filter plate according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a block scanning process of the image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a skip scanning process of the image pickup apparatus according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a recording operation process of the image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an exposure process of the image pickup apparatus according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a block scanning process of the image pickup apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a skip scanning process of the image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a block scanning process of the image pickup apparatus according to the fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a skip scanning process of the image pickup apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a skip scan process of the image pickup apparatus according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a timing chart showing processing of block scanning or skip scanning of the image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a timing chart showing an all-pixel scanning process of the image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a conventional imaging device.

[Explanation of Codes] 101, 1101 Lens 102 Rotation Filter Plate 103 Shutter 104, 1102 CMD Image Sensor 105, 1104 Signal Processing Unit 106, 1105 Recording Unit 107, 1106 Display Signal Processing Unit 108 Host Computer 109 Trigger Switch 110, 1107 System Controller 111 driving unit 112 filter control unit 201 pixel 202 horizontal selection line 203 horizontal scanning circuit 204 horizontal selection switch 205 output signal line 206 horizontal storage unit 207 vertical selection line 208 vertical scanning circuit 209 vertical storage unit 210 vertical level mixing circuit 311, 312, Clock-type inverter 321,322, ... Clock-type inverter 331,332, ... Clock-type inverter 401 Drive signal switching circuit 402 Block scanning drive signal generation Part 403 skip scanning driving signal generation unit 404 all pixel scanning driving signal generation unit 405 shutter control unit 406 synchronization signal generation unit 407 reference signal generation unit 501 PLL 502 steps the controller 503 drive switching portion 504 motor driving portion 1108 trigger switch

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup optical system for forming incident light from a subject on an image pickup surface, a rotary filter plate provided with a plurality of filters capable of switching the incident light in different wavelength bands, and the filter plate. An image sensor that sequentially photoelectrically converts the incident light that has passed through each wavelength band into an image signal, an all-pixel mode for scanning all pixels formed on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor, and a predetermined pixel of all pixels A block mode for scanning the pixels in the block or a skip mode for thinning and scanning the pixels at a predetermined thinning rate, and a drive circuit for driving and controlling the image sensor, The rotary filter plate rotates intermittently when the element is driven in the all-pixel mode, and when the image sensor is driven in either the block mode or the step mode. Imaging device is serial rotary filter plate characterized by continuous rotation. 2. An image pickup optical system for forming incident light from a subject on an image pickup surface, a rotary filter plate provided with a plurality of filters capable of switching the incident light for different wavelength bands, and the filter plate. An image sensor that sequentially photoelectrically converts the incident light that has passed through each wavelength band into an image signal, an all-pixel mode for scanning all pixels formed on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor, and a predetermined pixel of all pixels A block mode for scanning pixels in the block or a skip mode for thinning and scanning pixels at a predetermined thinning rate, and a drive circuit for driving and controlling the image sensor, The filter plate is used when the image sensor is driven in either the block mode or the step mode, and has an optical path difference equal to that of other filters. An image pickup apparatus further comprising a through filter. 3. An imaging optical system for forming incident light from a subject on an imaging surface, a rotary filter plate provided with a plurality of filters capable of switching the incident light for different wavelength bands, and the filter plate. An image sensor that sequentially photoelectrically converts the incident light that has passed through each wavelength band into an image signal, an all-pixel mode for scanning all pixels formed on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor, and a predetermined pixel of all pixels A block mode for scanning the pixels in the block and a skip mode for thinning and scanning the pixels at a predetermined thinning rate, and a drive circuit for driving and controlling the image sensor, The rotary filter plate includes a through filter that is used when the image sensor is driven in the block mode and has an optical path difference equal to that of other filters, and the image sensor. An image pickup apparatus, further comprising: a low-pass filter used when driven in the skip mode so as to have an optical path difference equal to that of other filters.