Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Kentaro Tsukida

Daisuke Kobayashi

Noriyuki Shikina

Yoichi Wada

Takenori Kobuse

Yasushi Iwakura

Masaki Sato

Takanori Yamashita

Koichiro Iwata

Shintaro Takenaka

Yu Arishima

Yukio Araoka

Kazuho Tsukui

A photoelectric conversion device includes pixels each including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements and arranged in a matrix, and a control circuit that controls the pixels on row-by-row. Each pixel may output a first signal corresponding to charge generated by the first photoelectric conversion element and a second signal corresponding to charge generated by the first and second photoelectric conversion elements. The control circuit performs a first reset operation and a first readout operation for reading out the second signal on pixels in a first row, and performs a second reset operation, a second readout operation for reading out the first signal, and a third readout operation for reading out the second signal on pixels in a second row. The control circuit performs a third reset operation on pixels of any one of rows in a period one before a period during which the second reset operation is performed.

Photoelectric conversion device and method of driving photoelectric conversion device

An imaging arrangement comprising: a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix; and a signal processing arrangement. A first and a second line of the matrix each comprise a light-receiving pixel and a reference pixel, the light-receiving pixels each receive incident light and output a light signal based on the incident light, and each reference pixel outputs a pixel signal for forming an address signal. The processing arrangement provides a first address signal and a second address signal, wherein: the first address signal indicates the position of the first line and comprises a signal value based on the pixel signal from the first line; and the second address signal indicates the position of the second line and comprises a signal value based on the pixel signal from the second line; and the signal value of the first address signal is different to the signal value of the second address signal.

Imaging apparatuses, systems, and moving imaging objects

In order to provide an imaging device that includes an amplifier performing amplification with a plurality of gains for each signal from a pixel unit and can further reduce a noise component, an imaging device included in an imaging apparatus has the pixel unit in which unit pixels are arranged in a matrix and generates a signal voltage by photoelectric conversion. A column amplifier can amplify a photoelectrically converted signal with a plurality of gains. After an amplified signal is subjected to analog/digital conversion by a column ADC, a signal processing circuit subtracts a noise signal from a pixel signal. A noise signal read out after resetting a floating diffusion section included in the pixel unit and a pixel signal read out immediately thereafter are acquired by being multiplied by a first gain, and a pixel signal read out thereafter is acquired by being multiplied by a second gain. The first gain is set to a value larger than the second gain.

Imaging device, control method thereof, and imaging apparatus

In a photoelectric conversion apparatus, an amplification unit outputs a first amplified signal generated by amplifying a first signal using a first gain, a second amplified signal generated by amplifying the first signal using a second gain, a third amplified signal generated by amplifying a second signal using a third gain, and a fourth amplified signal generated by amplifying the second signal using a fourth gain to an analog to digital (AD) conversion unit in this order. The AD conversion unit generates first to fourth digital signals corresponding to the first to fourth amplified signals, respectively, and outputs the second digital signal and the third digital signal to an output unit prior to the first digital signal and the fourth digital signal.

Photoelectric conversion apparatus, signal processing circuit, image capturing system, and moving object

An imaging apparatus includes: pixel circuits () arranged in a matrix, each configured to generate a pixel signal by photoelectric conversion; readout circuits () each provided correspondingly to each column of the plurality of pixel circuits, and each configured to read out the pixel signals from the pixel circuits of a corresponding column; 2n first output lines (-to-) to which output terminals of every 2n columns of the readout circuits are commonly connected; and an adding unit configured to add the pixel signals from the pixel circuits arranged in different columns. Among the readout circuits on plural columns connected to the pixel circuits which are subjected to adding by the adding unit, only the readout circuit on one column performs the read out, and all of the 2n first output lines receives input of the pixel signals from one of the plural readout circuits.

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Yokohama, Japan

Kentaro Tsukida