Frame buffer architecture for storing sequential data in alternating memory banks

Claim 2

A digital buffer for storing data words of a sequential data stream, said digital buffer comprising: at least two data banks, each data bank including a plurality of memory devices coupled to an input data buss and each memory device having a write cycle time greater than the data rate of the data words of the sequential data stream, that are received from the input data buss and are each representative of a single image pixel, and less than the data rate multiplied by the number of data banks provided in the digital buffer; and a control means coupled to each data bank via control lines and an address buss for controlling the storage of the data words received directly in the memory banks from the input data buss wherein successive data words are stored in alternating data banks.

Claim 5

An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein each data bank includes a number of memory devices equal to the number of bits in the data word.

Claim 6

An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the memory devices comprise DRAMs.

Claim 7

An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the DRAMs have an X-Y addressing architecture and the X-Y addressing architecture is arranged in the form of a substantially square array having an equal number of columns and rows, and wherein data words are stored sequentially in the columns of the DRAMs under control of the control means.

Claim 10

An electronic camera comprising: an electronic imaging device that generates a sequential data stream including a plurality of data words each representative of individual image pixels in response to incident light; exposure means for exposing the electronic imaging device to incident light; a frame buffer including at least two data banks, each data bank including a plurality of memory devices having a plurality of storage locations, wherein the memory devices have write cycle times greater than a data rate of the sequential data stream and less than the data rate of the sequential data stream multiplied by the number of data banks provided in the frame buffer; an input data buss coupled directly to each of the memory devices and to the electronic imaging device for transferring data words from the electronic imaging device to the memory devices; and a control means coupled to the data bank for controlling the addressing of the data banks during a storage operation to store successive data words received directly from the input data buss in alternating data banks.

Claim 11

An electronic camera comprising: an electronic imaging device that generates a sequential data stream including a plurality of data words each representative of individual image pixels in response to incident light; exposure means for exposing the electronic imaging device to incident light; a frame buffer including at least two data banks, each data bank including a plurality of memory devices having a plurality of storage locations, wherein the memory devices have write cycle times greater than a data rate of the sequential data stream and less than the data rate of the sequential data stream multiplied by the number of data banks provided in the frame buffer; an input data buss coupled directly to each of the memory devices and to the electronic imaging device for transferring data words from the electronic imaging device to the memory devices; and a control means coupled to the data bank for controlling the addressing of the data banks during a storage operation to store successive data words received directly from the input data buss in alternating data banks.