Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Tsuyoshi Hasuka

Ryoichi Nagayoshi

Toshiya Fujii

Yoshiaki Kato

Keijirou Itakura

Izumi Shimizu

Shinji Yamamoto

Kazuyuki Inokuma

Akiyoshi Kohno

Yoshiaki Sone

Kazuya Yonemoto

Shinichi Tashiro

Katsumi Takeda

Keijiro Itakura

Junji Tokumoto

A drive unitsets a saturation amount in a read period in which charges generated in pixels are read to vertical CCDs to be lower in a combination mode than in an individual mode (see Vsub in count valuestoin FIG.). As a result, excess charges in the pixels are drained to an n-type substrate. The drive unitalso sets an accumulation period to be shorter in combination mode than in individual mode (see Vsub in each mode in FIG.).

Driving apparatus for driving an imaging device

A driving method is applied to a solid-state imaging apparatus having photoelectric conversion portions, transfer portion for reading out signal charges, and an excess charge draining portion for draining charges exceeding a saturation charge amount that is set by a reference voltage. One of driving modes is selected from a full pixel mode in which accumulated signal charges are detected individually for each pixel and a pixel mixing mode in which signal charges of a predetermined number of pixels are mixed to be detected. In the full pixel mode, the draining portion is supplied with the reference voltage having the same value during a charge accumulation period and a read transfer period for read transferring charges. In the pixel mixing mode, the draining portion is supplied with the reference voltage having a low level during the charge accumulation period and the reference voltage having a high level during the read transfer period. An appropriate driving for the pixel mixing mode can be performed by avoiding a limitation of a substrate voltage, without deteriorating the spectral characteristics, the sensitivity, nor the linearity.

Method for driving solid-state imaging apparatus and solid-state imaging apparatus

A solid-state imaging device, and a camera provided with this device, that can output high quality images at high speed are realized by preventing improper OB clamping in a solid-state imaging device that performs pixel mixing in the horizontal direction. Vertical final stages, which are the transfer stages closest to a horizontal transfer component, are provided with provided with independent transfer electrodes V-, V-, V-, V-, V-, and V-that are independent of other columns in a region between the horizontal transfer component and an effective pixel region, and a common transfer electrode that is common to all of the columns in the region between the horizontal transfer componentand the OB region. Further, in the vertical final stages, the entire region between the OB region and the horizontal transfer component, or the region minus openings formed for the wiring of V-and V-in the columns closest to the effective pixel region, is covered with a light blocking film.

Solid-state imaging device with OB region and camera provided with the same

The present invention provides a solid-state image sensing device that can reduce at least the number of pixels arranged in the horizontal direction and can output high quality picture signals at high speed without generating moire or alias. The solid-state image sensing device includes vertical transfer partsin which signal charges read out from photoelectric conversion partsarranged bidimensionally are transferred in the vertical direction stage by stage, a horizontal transfer partin which signal charges received from the vertical transfer partsare transferred in the horizontal direction, and a control unit that controls transfer operations of the vertical transfer partsand horizontal transfer part, wherein vertical last stages of the vertical transfer partshave transfer electrodes formed to have identical configurations repeated every 2n+1 (n denotes an integer of 1 or higher) columns, and vertical last stages of columns other than one column among the 2n+1 columns or all vertical stages are provided with transfer electrodes that are independent of those of the other vertical last stages.

Solid-state image sensing device and camera using the same

A timing generator, includes: a first memory circuit that stores timing generation information; a first register for holding the timing generation information in the first memory circuit; a first external input part for accessing to the first register so as to rewrite data therein; a selector that selects one of the first memory circuit and the first external input part in order to conduct writing of data in the first register; and a pulse generation part that generates a pulse timing in accordance with the timing generation information held in the first register so as to output a single or a plurality of pulses. A pulse timing required for driving a solid-state imaging device and the like can be generated easily and the timing generation can be rewritten externally.

Timing generator, solid-state imaging device and camera system

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Tsuyoshi Hasuka