Olympus Corporation

Seisuke Matsuda

Yuichi Gomi

Yukihiro Kuroda

Keiichi Mori

Toru Kondo

Yoshio Hagihara

Shigeru Hosokai

Hiroshi Itoh

Masataka Ide

Naoto Fukuoka

Taishin Yoshida

A solid-state imaging apparatus including: a pixel section having pixels two-dimensionally arranged into rows and columns each pixel containing a photoelectric converter, an amplifier for amplifying and outputting as pixel signal a signal electric charge of the photoelectric converter, and a reset circuit for resetting signal electric charges accumulated at the amplifier; a vertical scanning section for selecting a row to be read out of the pixel section; a vertical signal line provided column by column for outputting the signal from the pixel section; and a sample-and-hold type bias section connected to the vertical signal line containing at least a hold circuit for setting an electric current flowing into the amplifier. The sample-and-hold type bias section causes to generate an electric current corresponding to a voltage set at the hold circuit when signal electric charges accumulated at the photoelectric converter is read out from the amplifier.

Solid-state imaging apparatus

A camera system at least including: a MOS imaging device at least having a pixel section having a plurality of pixels two-dimensionally arrayed in row and column directions, each having a photoelectric conversion section for generating electrical signal corresponding to a quantity of incident light, an accumulation section for accumulating signal generated at the photoelectric conversion section, a transfer switch means for controlling transfer of signal from the photoelectric conversion section to the accumulation section, a reset switch means for resetting signal of the photoelectric conversion section, an amplification section for outputting a voltage value corresponding to signal of the accumulation section, and a select switch for selecting output of the amplification section, wherein an exposure period is determined by simultaneously resetting signals of the photoelectric conversion section for all pixels and effecting signal transfer from the photoelectric conversion section to the accumulation section after a predetermined time, and readout of signal from the pixels is sequentially effected at later time; and an incident light quantity suppressing means for suppressing the quantity of light incident to the MOS imaging device during read operation of signal from each pixel of the MOS imaging device.

Camera system for suppressing spurious signal

An imaging device comprises a pixel array, a reading unit, a pixel signal addition unit, and a display unit. A plurality of pixels including a first pixel and a second pixel are arranged in two dimensions in the pixel array. The first and second pixels have a photoelectric conversion elements and output pixel signals according to the quantities of incident light to the photoelectric conversion elements. The reading unit reads a first pixel signal from the first pixel and reads a second pixel signal from the second pixel. The pixel signal addition unit adds the first pixel signal read from the first pixel with a plurality of different timings and adds the second pixel signal read from the second pixel with a plurality of different timings. The display unit displays the first pixel signal added by the pixel signal addition unit and the second pixel signal added by the pixel signal addition unit sequentially with different timings.

Imaging device for adding pixel signals having different timing

A solid-state imaging apparatus including: a pixel section having a plurality of pixels, each pixel containing an amplification section for outputting onto an output signal line, and a reset section for resetting an accumulation section; a noise suppressing section with using a first signal being an output from the pixel at the time of resetting for suppressing noise components contained in a second signal corresponding to the signal electric charges; and a control section for, of the outputs onto the output signal line of a first pixel being subject of the noise suppressing operation, respectively limiting the first signal and the second signal to a first electric potential and to a second electric potential with using an output resulting from reset operation onto the output signal line from a second pixel different from the first pixel and connected to the same one output signal line as the first pixel.

A solid-state imaging apparatus including: a pixel section having pixels two-dimensionally arranged into row direction and column direction, each pixel containing a photoelectric conversion section, an accumulation section for accumulating output of the photoelectric conversion section, an amplification section for amplifying output of the photoelectric conversion section accumulated at the accumulation section and outputting it as pixel signal, and a reset section for effecting reset of the accumulation section; a vertical scanning section for selecting row to be read out of the pixel section; vertical signal lines provided correspondingly to columns of the pixel section, onto which pixel signals of pixels arranged in column direction are outputted; a column amplifier section for effecting suppression of dark current component of the pixels contained in pixel signals inputted through the vertical signal line and for amplifying the pixel signals after the suppression; a horizontal scanning section for selecting the pixel signal amplified by the column amplifier section and outputting it onto a horizontal signal line; and a dark current correction signal generation section for generating and applying on the column amplifier section a signal for suppressing the dark current component based on the pixel signal from the horizontal signal line.

A solid-state imaging apparatus including: a pixel section having a plurality of pixels arranged into a matrix, each pixel containing a reset section for resetting an accumulation section by supplying a potential retained at a reset line; a correlation double sampling circuit for suppressing a noise signal contained in the pixel signal; and a control section where, of a first one of the pixels and a second one of the pixels connected to the same one of a signal output line, when the first pixel is determined as a pixel subject to reset operation for obtaining an output of the pixel signal corresponding to a first potential supplied by the reset section, a voltage level of the same one signal output line at the time of the reset operation is set with using a pixel signal corresponding to a second potential supplied by the reset section of the second pixel.

In an XY address type solid-state imager apparatus comprising a solid-state imager having a plurality of pixels two-dimensionally arranged, and horizontal and vertical scanning circuits to read signals of the pixels, the scanning circuits each have a progressive scanning circuit to progressively read pixel signals by a first scanning control signal, and an interlace scanning circuit to read pixel signals with an interlaced manner by a second scanning control signal different from the first scanning control signal, and arbitrarily carries out combining of progressive reading and interlace reading in one frame in accordance with a combination of the respective scanning control signals, and reads pixel signals.

Solid-state imager apparatus which carries out both progressive scanning and interlace scanning in one frame by an arbitrary combination, and a camera using the solid-state imager apparatus

A solid-state image sensing apparatus having output channels CHand CHhas first and second driving modes in which pixel signals of pixels in the same image sensing area are read out. The number of output channels to be used is changed between the first driving mode and the second driving mode. In at least one of the two modes, the phase of the read timing of pixel signals of pixels adjacent in the horizontal direction is shifted by a predetermined amount.

Solid-state image sensing apparatus and method of reading image signal using a plurality of output channels

A solid-state imaging apparatus including: a pixel section having a plurality of pixels two-dimensionally arranged in rows and columns; a vertical scanning section; a noise suppressing section having clamp capacitors each connected at one end thereof to output ends of the pixels and a mixing switch for connecting in parallel a plurality of the clamp capacitors in the row direction, for effecting noise suppression of signal associated with the pixel; a horizontal scanning section for outputting those signals associated with the pixels after the noise suppression; and a mode control section having in a selective manner a first mode where the noise suppressing section is caused to execute the noise suppression with the mixing switch turned OFF, and a second mode where the noise suppressing section is caused to execute the noise suppression with the mixing switch turned ON after a turning OFF of the clamp setting signal.

Solid-state imaging apparatus using an amplification-type MOS sensor

A pixel portion of an image pick-up device having a pixel portion of pixels arranged in matrix converting a subject image to an electric signal, and a scanning unit of sub-scanning circuits outputting a video signal, a first scanning circuit selecting a pixel position in a first matrix direction and a second scanning circuit selecting a pixel position in a second direction intersecting the first direction. One of the first and second scanning circuits shares the signal lines. The image pick-up device includes a scanning control circuit controlling the first and second scanning circuits. The pixel area structures of the pickup device are uniform, the wirings are uniform, and the vertical and horizontal driving systems and an output system are uniform. Thus, pixel signals outputted from two output systems have no property differences and image quality is improved.

Image pick-up device

An image pick-up apparatus includes an image pick-up device and a filter circuit. The image pick-up device includes a pixel portion for converting a subject image into an electric signal, a scanning circuit for dividing the pixel portion into a plurality of areas, for non-linearly dividing the boundary of the areas of at least one side of the adjacent areas based on the unit of pixel, and a plurality of output circuits for individually outputting video signals. The filter circuit performs filter processing of the video signals outputted from the plurality of output circuits for the pixels near the boundary of the areas. Thus, the image quality can be improved in the multi-channel output system.

Image pick-up apparatus

Disclosed herein is a solid-state imaging apparatus including: a pixel section having unit pixels disposed two-dimensionally in rows and columns, each pixel containing a photoelectric conversion section and an amplifying section for amplifying output of the photoelectric conversion section to output a pixel signal; a vertical scanning section for selecting a row to be read out of the pixel section; a noise suppressing section having a noise suppressing function where a noise suppression of the pixel signal is effected unit pixel by unit pixel and a signal mixing function where a plurality of the pixel signal are mixed along a predetermined direction; a horizontal scanning section for causing the pixel signals along a horizontal direction processed through the noise suppressing section to be sequentially outputted from a horizontal signal line; and a mode control section for effecting a control in accordance with each mode of a first mode where pixel signals after the noise suppression are outputted onto the horizontal signal line and a second mode where pixel signals after a parallel processing combining the noise suppression and the signal mixing are outputted onto the horizontal signal line.

Imaging apparatus having pixel sensor

Image apparatus, driving method, and camera

A solid-state image sensing apparatus of an aspect of this invention can appropriately correct the black level of a video signal even when a high-luminance state or spotlight exists. The apparatus includes an effective pixel unit to receive object light, and a light-shielded light-shielded pixel unit to output an optical black level equivalent signal. In addition to the output from the effective pixel unit, one of the output from the light-shielded pixel unit and a predetermined reference voltage is selectively output.

Solid-state image sensing apparatus including a noise suppressing circuit

A camera controller is provided wherein a variance in CMOS analog circuits can be corrected and degradation in characteristics prevented without incurring an increase in cost. In a camera controller, a microcomputer, a measuring circuit for a camera and a characteristic alteration circuit are fabricated on a single semiconductor chip. The microcomputer causes the characteristic alteration circuit to alter characteristics of the measuring circuit. The microcomputer activates the measuring circuit and controls the camera on the basis of a measurement output from the measuring circuit.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Seisuke Matsuda