Image pickup apparatus, image pickup system, image pickup method and computer readable recording medium implementing synchronization for image pickup operations

摘要

Plural image pickup apparatuses can take images in accurate synchronization. An image pickup apparatus is provided with an image pickup unit for obtaining image data, a communication unit for communicating with another image pickup apparatus in synchronization, a synchronous signal generating unit for generating a synchronous signal having a predetermined cycle and synchronized with a timing of a synchronous operation by the communication unit, an image-pickup synchronous signal generating unit for generating an image-pickup synchronous signal having a predetermined cycle and synchronized with the synchronous signal generated by the synchronous signal generating unit, and an image-pickup controlling unit for determining in accordance with the image-pickup synchronous signal generated by the image-pickup synchronous signal generating unit, image-pickup timings at which the image pickup unit obtains image data.

主权项

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:
an image pickup sensor for taking an image to obtain image data; a communication device for communicating with another image pickup apparatus in synchronization, wherein the communication device generates, based on a timing of a synchronous operation, a synchronous signal for performing communication between the image pickup apparatus and the another image pickup apparatus at a same timing, and outputs the synchronous signal; an image-pickup synchronous signal generator for obtaining the synchronous signal generated and output by the communication device and for generating, by using the obtained synchronous signal, an image-pickup synchronous signal which has a predetermined cycle and which is also separately generated by the another image pickup apparatus at a same timing, wherein the image-pickup synchronous signal is synchronized with the synchronous signal obtained from the communication device; and an image-pickup controlling circuit for determining, in accordance with the image-pickup synchronous signal generated by the image-pickup synchronous signal generator, image-pickup timings at which the image pickup sensor obtains image data.