Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Kazuhiro Sonoda

Shintaro Takenaka

Tomoyuki Noda

Atsushi Furubayashi

Daisuke Yoshida

Seiji Hashimoto

Hirofumi Totsuka

Yasushi Matsuno

Masaru Fujimura

Takashi Muto

Takeru Suzuki

Koichiro Iwata

Takeshi Akiyama

Kazunari Kitani

Takuro Yamamoto

Kazumichi Morita

Hideo Kobayashi

Hiroki Hiyama

Tetsuya Itano

Kazuo Yamazaki

Yukihiro Kuroda

Masami Iseki

Hiroaki Kameyama

Yasuji Ikeda

Hidetoshi Hayashi

Pixels output a first signal based on signal charge of a part of photoelectric conversion units of multiple photoelectric conversion units, and a second signal based on signal charge of multiple photoelectric conversion units. An imaging apparatus outputs signals based on the first signals and signals based on the second signals by reducing the number of signals based on the first signals as compared to the number of signals based on the second signals.

Imaging apparatus, and imaging system having a plurality of pixels for outputting a signal based on a generated signal charge

Imaging apparatus, imaging system, imaging apparatus driving method, and imaging system driving method

A solid-state imaging apparatus includes: a pixel unit () configured to perform imaging of a plurality of frames by a photoelectric conversion; an exposure amount calculating unit () configured to calculate exposure amounts of the plurality of frames imaged in a flicker cycle of a light source; and a control unit () configured to control the exposure amount of each of the frames imaged by the pixel unit based on the exposure amounts of the plurality of frames calculated by the exposure amount calculating unit.

Solid-state imaging apparatus and method of operating solid-state imaging apparatus to set a pluratlity of charge accumulation periods in accordance with a flicker period

Imaging apparatus, imaging system, imaging apparatus driving method, and imaging system driving method using pixels outputting signal based on at least part of photoelectric conversion units

Provided is a solid-state image pickup apparatus which includes a plurality of groups, each including an output line to which the pixel signals are output from pixels in a corresponding column and an AD conversion unit configured to perform AD conversion on the pixel signals output to the output line for some of the plurality of rows to generate a digital signal. An adjustment period for ensuring a difference in length between a first horizontal period and a second horizontal period and executing an operation of the AD conversion unit is set in a period excluding a period from first timing at which the output of the pixel signals to the output line starts, to second timing at which the AD conversion unit starts the AD conversion.

Solid-state image pickup apparatus and image pickup system setting horizontal periods for reading signals of different groups of horizontal rows

In a period in which a pixel signal of another pixel is read out from the pixel, a transistor connected to a floating diffusion region of a pixel not performing reading out of a pixel signal from the pixel is turned off.

Driving method of imaging apparatus, imaging apparatus, and imaging system

Solid-state imaging apparatus and driving method of solid-state imaging apparatus

An image pickup apparatus, a method for driving the image pickup apparatus, an image pickup system, and a method for driving the image pickup system output a digital signal based on a difference between signals output from a plurality of pixels and a digital signal based on the sum of the signals output from the pixels.

Image pickup apparatus, method for driving image pickup apparatus, image pickup system, and method for driving image pickup system

There is provided an image pickup apparatus which outputs a digital signal based on a comparison result signal that changes the signal value at Nth (where N is an integer of 1 or higher) among comparison result signals output by a plurality of comparators.

Image pickup apparatus, method for driving image pickup apparatus, image pickup system

A driving method of an imaging apparatus comprises: horizontally transferring, by a horizontal scanning circuit, a signal based on a photoelectric conversion portion of a first pixel unit held in a signal holding capacitor to a common line; before ending of the horizontal transfer; applying, by a reset switch of a second pixel unit, a selection reset voltage to a floating diffusion region of the second pixel unit; and after the horizontal transfer, transferring, by a transfer switch of the second pixel unit, a signal of a photoelectric conversion portion of the second pixel unit to the floating diffusion region of the second pixel unit and amplifying, by an amplification transistor of the second pixel unit, a signal of the floating diffusion region of the second pixel unit to output the signal to an output line.

Driving an image apparatus by simultaneous application of two reset voltages

An imaging apparatus includes a pixel unit, an amplifying transistor, and a control unit. The pixel unit includes a first photoelectric conversion unit generating a first charge based on incident light of a first color, a second photoelectric conversion unit generating a second charge based on incident light of the first color, and a third photoelectric conversion unit generating a third charge based on incident light of a second color. The amplifying transistor is provided in common to the first to third photoelectric conversion units, and outputs a signal based on the first, second, and third charges generated by the first, second, and third photoelectric conversion units, respectively. The control unit sets the pixel unit to a selected state or a non-selected state according to an electric potential of a control terminal of the amplifying transistor.

Imaging apparatus, an imaging system, and a driving method of an imaging apparatus using correction data applied to pixels of same color

In a solid-state image pickup apparatus including a pixel array having pixels each including photoelectric conversion element arranged in a matrix, a synchronization signal generation unit generates a horizontal synchronization signal to define a first horizontal period and a second horizontal period different in length from the first horizontal period. Based on the horizontal synchronization signal, a reset scanning circuit sequentially selects and resets pixels in rows of the pixel array, and a readout scanning circuit sequentially selects pixels and reads a pixel signal therefrom. In each pixel, the charge is accumulated in a charge accumulation period starting when the resetting is performed and ending when the pixel signal is read. In one vertical period, the first horizontal period and the plurality of second horizontal period both appear a plurality of times, wherein the second horizontal period appears periodically.

Solid-state image pickup apparatus and image pickup system

The present invention reduces differences in the influence of electric charge leakage from a non-read out region into multiple read out regions adjacent to a non-read out region. Reset scanning of that row in the non-read out region which adjoins the first or second read out region is started before read out scanning of the first and second read out regions.

Solid-state imaging apparatus, imaging system, and driving method of imaging apparatus

In a solid-state imaging apparatus, if the total read out time of all pixels is shortened when effective pixels are thinned out without thinning out OB pixels, then the rows have different reset time periods, and the problem of uneven charge accumulation time periods arises. An improvement by the present invention is that, if no signals are read out from a part of the rows in an effective pixel region to skip the rows, then the time period in which the rows to be skipped are selected is made shorter than that in which the rows from which signals are read out are selected, and the pixels in the optical black pixel region and those in the effective pixel region are driven by the drive pulses of patterns different from each other.

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Yokohama, Japan

Kazuhiro Sonoda