Komatsu Corporation

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Tomoya Kumagai

Takanori Yamashita

Makoto Yomogita

Yasuyuki Suzuki

Shinya Ichino

Hideki Tsuji

Yutaka Tanaka

Masayuki Mukaino

David Andrews

Kazumasa Fukazawa

Mitsutaka Nakamura

Shingo Hidaka

Tohru Naitou

Yuuichi Matsuo

Hiroki Hiyama

Junji Iwata

Koichiro Iwata

Hiroaki Kameyama

Takamasa Sakuragi

Keisuke Ota

Yasuhiro Oguro

Seiichi Fuchita

Akihide Namura

Masahito Shinohara

Jin Yogita

Kouhei Miyazaki

Takeo Ootsuka

Junsei Tanaka

Kouji Uematsu

Yuuji Shiomoto

Toshinori Kan

An apparatus includes a readout line, and a plurality of pixel cells each including a conversion unit, an output unit configured to output a signal corresponding to a charge generated by the conversion unit, and a selection switch provided on a pathway between the output unit and the readout line. The apparatus includes a first switch provided on a pathway between the readout line and a first potential line, a second switch provided on a pathway between the pixel cell and the readout line, and a control unit configured to bring the second switch into an off state during a first period during which the first switch is in an on state.

Imaging apparatus, and method with increased readout speed

A photoelectric conversion device includes a pixel region in which unit pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit are arranged to form rows and columns, output lines arranged at least two in each column and each connected to the unit pixel of the corresponding column, column circuits provided corresponding to each of the output lines, and a control circuit configured to control connections between the output lines and the column circuits. The control circuit is configured to connect a first output line to a corresponding first column circuit and disconnect a second output line arranged in the same column as the first output line from a corresponding second column circuit when no pixel signal is output to the second output line at a timing when a pixel signal is output to the first output line.

Photoelectric conversion device and method of driving photoelectric conversion device

A device of the disclosure comprises pixels including photoelectric converters generating charge, transistors having nodes receiving signals based on the charge, and transistors supplying reset voltage; and lines along the columns, wherein: in a first period, the node is disconnected from the converter, and signals based on the reset voltage is output from a pixel in a first row to a line, in a second period, signals based on the reset voltage and the charge transferred to the node are output from the pixel in the first row to a line, in a third period, signals based on the charge is output from a pixel in a second row to a line, in a fourth period, signals based on the charge is output from a pixel in a third row to a line, and the first period is prior to the second period, and between the third and fourth periods.

Photoelectric conversion device, method of driving photoelectric conversion device, and imaging system

A photoelectric conversion device includes pixels forming columns, an amplifier, signal holding capacitors, switches, and a control unit. The pixels forming columns are configured to amplify, at multiple gains, a signal based on charge generated by a photoelectric converter of the pixel. The signal holding capacitors are provided in association with the columns. The switches control sample-and-hold operations to the signal holding capacitors on corresponding columns. The control unit supplies a control signal that controls the switches. The control unit supplies the control signal whose settling time when the switches transition from an on-state to an off-state is a first length and a second length when the signal amplified at a first gain and a second gain, respectively, is held in the signal holding capacitor. The second gain is higher than the first gain.

Photoelectric conversion device and imaging system

A photoelectric conversion device includes pixels arranged to form columns, comparator circuits for respective columns, and a control circuit that controls the comparator circuits. Each comparator circuit includes a first comparator circuit connected to a first pixel of a first color, a second comparator circuit arranged on a column adjacent to the first comparator circuit and connected to a second pixel of a second color, and a third comparator circuit arranged on a column adjacent to the second comparator circuit and connected to a third pixel of the first color. Each comparator circuit compares a pixel signal on a corresponding column with a reference signal changing with time and outputs a comparison signal indicating a different level whether a difference between these signals is smaller or larger than a threshold. The control circuit controls the threshold to change stepwise in order of the first, third, and second comparator circuits.

An imaging device includes a pixel circuit configured to generate an analog signal; an amplification circuit including a feedback capacitor and its reset switching element; a sample and hold circuit for the amplified analog signal; an A/D conversion circuit for the analog signal held in the sample and hold circuit; a memory circuit configured to store the digital signal; a reading circuit configured to read the digital signal stored in the memory circuit; and a control circuit configured to perform a rise and a fall of the control signal such that the rise and the fall do not overlap a conversion period of the analog signal by the A/D conversion circuit and do not overlap a reading period of the digital signal by the reading circuit, when the switching element is off during a sampling period of the analog signal.

Imaging device, semiconductor device and camera

An imaging device includes a pixel array unit including a plurality of pixels each including a plurality of photoelectric converters, and a signal processing unit including an analog-digital conversion unit, wherein a part of the pixels outputs a first analog signal based on electric charge generated at N photoelectric converters, and a second analog signal based on electric charge generated at M (M is an integer larger than N) photoelectric converters including the N photoelectric converters, other part of the pixels outputs the second analog signal, the number of the second analog signals output to the signal processing unit is larger than the number of the first analog signals output to the signal processing unit, and the signal processing unit receives the first and the second analog signals from each of the part of the pixels before the analog-digital conversion unit ends analog-digital conversion of the first analog signal.

Imaging device and method of driving imaging device

An imaging apparatus includes: a first signal processing circuit arranged in a first direction to process a signal from a first group of pixels; a second signal processing circuit arranged in a second direction to process a signal from a second group of pixels; a first external connecting terminal arranged in the first direction to supply a first potential to the first signal processing circuit; a second external connecting terminal arranged in the second direction to supply the first potential to the second signal processing circuit; a third external connecting terminal arranged in the first direction to supply a second potential to the first group of pixels; and a fourth external connecting terminal arranged in the second direction to supply the second potential to the second group of pixels.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Tomoya Kumagai