Patent ID: 8159564
Filing Date: 2012-04-17
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A signal-processing method adapted to perform predetermined signal processing on at least one unit signal transmitted from at least one semiconductor device that includes at least two unit components arranged in a predetermined order, where each of the unit components includes at least one detection unit configured to detect change information responsive to a change in an incident physical quantity and at least one unit-signal-generation unit configured to generate the unit signal based on the change information, and that detects a distribution of the physical quantity, the signal-processing method comprising the steps of: receiving the unit signal and operation information of the semiconductor device from the semiconductor device in an external signal processing unit, said operation information relating to a least a zoom function of the semiconductor device; performing the predetermined signal processing on the unit signal, by the external signal processing unit, based on the operation information; and receiving, into the external signal processing unit, a thinning signal from the semiconductor device which indicates the meaning of the next unit signal sent from the semiconductor device, wherein,