Patent ID: 7050096

Claim:
Control apparatus for use with (a) image capturing apparatus including an image capture device, (b) at least one memory device of varying size for storing image sensor frames generated by the image capture device, and (c) an image subsystem for reading image data from said memory device and for processing said read data, said control apparatus being for controlling the storage of image sensor frames of unknown size and rate into said at least one memory device before they are required by said image subsystem, the memory device having a storage capacity for more than one but less than two image sensor frames, the control apparatus being arranged to issue a signal while an image sensor frame is being read from said image capture device causing another image sensor frame to be read from said image capture device and stored in said memory device only if and when there is sufficient storage capacity available therein to store an entire image sensor frame, and to selectively drop image sensor frames from an incoming image sequence during periods when said image subsystem is unable to read the image data from the memory device at a required rate, thereby maintaining the most recent complete image in the memory device.