Sony Corporation

Osamu Yoshioka

Seisuke Yamanaka

Isao Kajino

Takeshi Ikeda

Masatoshi Sase

Futao Yamaguchi

In a signal level control circuit a gain of a current obtained by converting an input signal is controlled by an external control signal in order to automatically control the level of the input signal. The potential of a resistor with a temperature characteristic is set by a voltage determined by the product of an external reference current and an internal resistance so that the temperature characteristic of a current output through the resistor with the temperature characteristic can be removed.

Control circuit for signal level

A solid state image pick-up device comprises a matrix of first and second photo-sensitive elements, vertical shift registers disposed parallel to each other to shift charges from the first and second elements, respective transfer gates between each first and second element and the adjacent vertical shift register, and a horizontal shift register connected to one end of each of the vertical shift registers. An optical shutter is controlled such that the first and second elements are simultaneously exposed to incident light, and a system controller controls the transfer gates and the vertical and horizontal shift registers whereby equal predetermined maximum intervals are available for charging each of the first and second elements, the predetermined intervals being at least two frame periods long, but the starting time for charging for the first and second elements being relatively shifted by a predetermined interval, and reading of the signals from the first and second elements being performed sequentially in a frame period subsequent to closure of the shutter.

Solid state image pick-up devices

A clamp circuit is disclosed, which clamps the black level of output signal of an image pick-up section with an optical black-detecting portion in the horizontal direction provided in an ineffective picture area corresponding to the horizontal blanking interval of the output signal of the section for each horizontal scanning interval. The pulse width at least one clamp pulse immediately after the vertical blanking interval is made greater than that of the other clamp pulses, within the horizontal blanking interval.

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Kagoshima, Japan

Osamu Yoshioka