Patent ID: 7136097

Claim:
A camera for high-speed image processing, comprising: a photodetector array having a plurality of photodetectors, which are arranged two-dimensionally in a plurality of rows and in a plurality of columns and which are divided into a plurality of blocks, the photodetector array repeatedly receiving optical images and generating output signals for optical images in a plurality of consecutive frames at a predetermined frame rate; an analog-to-digital converter array receiving, from the photodetector array, the output signals for the optical images in the plurality of consecutive frames and generating digital signals in the plurality of consecutive frames, the analog-to-digital converter array including a plurality of analog-to-digital converters in one-on-one correspondence with the plurality of blocks in the photodetector array, each analog-to-digital converter performing analog-to-digital conversion of the output signals which are read sequentially from the photodetectors in a corresponding block; an image-processing unit performing predetermined processes on the plurality of consecutive frames of the digital signals, which are successively transferred from the analog-to-digital converter array and which correspond to the signals outputted from the photodetectors, thereby generating processed result signals, other than the output signals for the optical signals, indicating results of the processes on the plurality of consecutive frames; a selector selecting, among the plurality of consecutive frames, at least one frame based on the processed result signals for the plurality of consecutive frames obtained by the image-processing unit; a signal converter converting, into an image signal of a desired frame rate, at least one of the processed result signal and the digital signal from the analog-to-digital converter array, the signal converter outputting the image signal; and a signal conversion controller controlling the signal converter to perform the converting for the at least one frame selected by the selector.