Patent ID: 7034872

Claim:
An image processing apparatus for processing image data supplied from an image sensor, comprising: a delay circuit having a first input for receiving image data sequentially supplied from the image sensor, a first function circuit for delaying the received image data by a time required for defect correction process, and a first output for supplying each of the delayed image data; a memory having a first field for storing image data of one frame and a second field for storing position data of a defective pixel of the image sensor; a counter for counting the number of pixels of image data sequentially transferred from the image sensor; and a defect correction circuit having a second input for receiving the image data supplied from the image sensor, a second function circuit for forming corrected image data for each pixel from the image sensor based on image data of pixels adjacent to a pixel of interest, and a second output for supplying each of the corrected image data; and control means for writing the image data supplied from the second output of said defect correction circuit in the first field of said memory at a storage location corresponding to the defect pixel, if a count of said counter becomes coincident with a number corresponding to the position data of the defective pixel in the second field of said memory, and writing the image data supplied from the first output of the delay circuit in the first field, if the count is not coincident with the number corresponding to the position data of the defective pixel.