Hamamatsu-photonics K.k.

Hamamatsu Photonics Kabushiki Kaisha

Yukinobu Sugiyama

Seiichiro Mizuno

Haruyoshi Toyoda

Munenori Takumi

Tasuku Joboji

Yoshinori Matsui

Naohisa Mukozaka

Keisuke Uchida

Kazuhiro Nakamura

Kazutaka Suzuki

Keisuke Nakao

Tetsuya Abe

Atsushi Ihori

Takashi Suzuki

Tetsuya Taka

Katsuhiro Ishii

Takayuki Kurashina

Yuta Suzuki

Hidetoshi Yoshimura

Ken-Ichi Kitayama

Kenta Endo

A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array unit, a row control unit, a row readout unit, a column control unit, and a column readout unit. The pixel array unit includes MN pixels each including a photodiode for generating charges by receiving light and arrayed two-dimensionally in M rows and N columns. The pixel inputs an m-th row control signal output from the row control unit to an m-th row control line, inputs an n-th column control signal output from the column control unit to an n-th column control line, and selects whether the charges generated in the photodiode are output to an m-th row output line or an n-th column output line based on a logical value of each of the m-th row control signal and the n-th column control signal.

Solid-state imaging device by compressive sensing technique

A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array unit and a current source array unit. The pixel array unit includes N pixel units arrayed in a first direction. Each pixel unit includes a photodiode and an amplification MOS transistor. The current source array unit includes N current sources. Each current source includes a first MOS transistor, a second MOS transistor, a third MOS transistor, a fourth MOS transistor, and a setting circuit. The setting circuit sets ON/OFF of the third MOS transistor on the basis of a voltage of the signal line, thereby suppressing fluctuations in an amount of current flowing from a Vr supply line to a ground potential supply terminal via a common node and the first MOS transistor.

Solid-state imaging device

A plurality of pixels are arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix and individually include a first photosensitive portion and a second photosensitive portion. A plurality of first wirings connect a plurality of first photosensitive portions to each other for every row. A plurality of second wirings connect a plurality of second photosensitive portions to each other for every column. A first reading unitis arranged to read signal data through at least some of the plurality of first wirings. A second reading unitis arranged to read signal data through at least some of the plurality of second wirings. The first reading unithas a reading pixel setting unitarranged to set, based on signal data read in the first frame, a pixel group for reading signal data in a second frame subsequent to a first frame from the plurality of pixels.

Light detection device and light detection method

A plurality of pixels are arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix and individually include a first photosensitive portion and a second photosensitive portion. A plurality of first wirings connect a plurality of first photosensitive portions to each other for every row. A plurality of second wirings connect a plurality of second photosensitive portions to each other for every column. A first reading unit is arranged to read signal data through at least some of the plurality of first wirings. A second reading unit is arranged to read signal data through at least some of the plurality of second wirings. The first reading unit has a reading pixel setting unit arranged to set, based on signal data read in the first frame, a pixel group for reading signal data in a second frame subsequent to a first frame from the plurality of pixels.

A solid-state imaging device includes a photodetecting unit, a row control unit, a column control unit, and a signal readout unit. The photodetecting unit includes M&#xd7;N pixel units P() to P(M,N) two-dimensionally arrayed in M rows and N columns. Each pixel unit P(m,n) includes a photodiode PD, an amplifying transistor Tr, a transfer transistor Tr, a readout transistor Tr, a first initialization transistor Tr, and a second initialization transistor Tr. One of the transfer transistor Trand the first initialization transistor Trperforms an on/off operation based on a control signal output from the row control unit, and the other performs an on/off operation based on a control signal output from the column control unit.

A solid-state imaging device () includes a light receiving unit (), a row selection unit (), a holding unit (), a column selection unit (), a reading unit (), and a control unit (). The light receiving unit () includes M&#xd7;N pixel units (Pto P). The holding unit () includesN hold circuits (Hto H). In a first operation mode, the hold circuits (Hand H) of the holding unit () operate in parallel to alternately perform data sampling and alternately perform data output. The reading unit () outputs data Dout according to an amount of light incident on a photodiode of the pixel unit (P) based on the data alternately output from the hold circuits (Hand H) of the holding unit ().

The solid-state imaging deviceincludes an imaging photodetecting section, a trigger photodetecting section, a row selection section, a column selection section, a holding section, a pixel data output section, a trigger data output section, and a control section. In a shutter method of the solid-state imaging device, the start of a charge accumulation period is common to all rows of the imaging photodetecting section, while the end of the charge accumulation period varies row by row of the imaging photodetecting section, and there is a signal readout period subsequent to the charge accumulation period in each row of the imaging photodetecting section. Accordingly, a solid-state imaging device that can perform high-accuracy imaging even when the incident period of light to be imaged is considerably short is realized.

Solid-state imaging device including an imaging photodetecting section with a two dimensional array of pixel units and an operation control section

The solid-state imaging deviceincludes an imaging photodetecting section, a trigger photodetecting section, a row selection section, a column selection section, a holding section, a pixel data output section, a trigger data output section, and a control section. The control section, when an absolute value of trigger data has changed into a state of being in excess of a first threshold, and then the state has continued for a predetermined time &#x3c4;or more, judges it as a start of a light incidence, and starts a charge accumulating operation for each pixel unit, and when an absolute value of trigger data has changed into a state of being less than a second threshold, and then the state has continued for a predetermined time &#x3c4;or more, judges it as an end of a light incidence, and causes a charge transferring operation and a data outputting operation to be performed for each pixel unit. Accordingly, a solid-state imaging device that can perform accurate imaging even for various applications and light incidence patterns is realized.

Solid-state imaging device haing a control section controlling initializing operation of pixel units based on an absolute value of trigger data output

A solid-state imaging deviceaccording to an embodiment of the invention includes: pixel units P(x, y) each of which includes a photoelectric conversion element and an amplifying unit for a pixel unit and which are two-dimensionally arranged; at least one row of optical black units Pob(x, y) each of which includes a photoelectric conversion element, an amplifying unit for a pixel unit, and a light shielding film that covers the photoelectric conversion element, the photoelectric conversion element and the amplifying unit for a pixel unit being the same as those of the pixel unit P(x, y); and at least one row of optical gray units Pog(x, y) each of which includes an amplifying unit for a pixel unit which is the same as that of the pixel unit and to which a reference voltage is input. The value of the reference voltage is less than the value of the output signal from the photoelectric conversion element in a saturated state.

A solid-state imaging deviceincludes a light receiving section, a first row selecting section, a second row selecting section, and the like. The first row selecting sectioncauses each pixel unit of any m-th row in the light receiving sectionto output data corresponding to an amount of charge generated in a photodiode to a readout signal line L. The second row selecting sectioncauses each pixel unit of any m-th row in the light receiving sectionto output data corresponding to an amount of charge generated in a photodiode to a readout signal line L. The solid-state imaging devicecauses each pixel unit of any m-th row in the light receiving sectionto accumulate charge generated in a photodiode in a charge accumulating section. m1 and m2 are different from each other.

A solid-state image pickup deviceincludes a light receiving section, a first row selecting section, a second row selecting section, a first readout section, a second readout section, and a control section. Data of pixel units of rows in the light receiving sectionselected by the first row selecting sectionare output by the first readout sectionto obtain image pickup data, and further, data of the pixel units of rows in the light receiving sectionselected by the second row selecting sectionare output by the second readout sectionto obtain communication data.

Solid-state image pickup device

A blinking-signal deviceincludes a light receiving section, a row selecting section, a readout section, a detecting section, and a control section. By the row selecting section, charge generated in its photodiode of each pixel unit Pof the (2i&#x2212;1)-th row in the light receiving sectionis accumulated in its charge accumulating section during a first period, and charge generated in its photodiode of each pixel unit Pof the 2i-th row in the light receiving sectionis accumulated in its charge accumulating section during a second period. With the detecting section, it is detected whether or not light reaching the pixel units Pand Pis a blinking signal on the basis of a difference between data Dand Dof the pixel units Pand Poutput from the readout section

Blinking-signal detecting device

A determination unitdetermines whether there is incident light, based on an output value from an integrating circuit, and generates a determinated signal indicating a determinated result. A control unitcontrols charge accumulating portions of an imaging light-receiving unitwhether or not to start accumulation of an electric charge, based on the determinated signal, and changes a charge accumulation capacitance value of the integrating circuitof an output unit. Specifically, the control unitvaries the capacitance value for accumulation of an electric charge generated in a trigger light-receiving unit, depending upon the detection result on the presence/absence of incident light, to switch the sensitivity of the integrating circuitto the trigger PD, thereby enabling optimal utilization of the trigger PD.

Solid-state imaging device including imaging photodetecting arrangement and trigger photodetecting arrangement and imaging method

The present invention relates to a distortion detecting system and a distortion detecting method having a structure for efficiently detecting distortion of a projected image that is projected onto a projected surface by a projector. The distortion detecting system includes a photodetecting apparatus, and an analyzing apparatus. When a reference brightness image is projected onto the projected surface by the projector, the photodetecting apparatus forms the projected image on the projected surface onto the photosensitive surface of the photodetector, and outputs light intensity profile data that indicates a one-dimensional distribution of incident light intensity in each of a first direction and a second direction on an image for inspection formed on the photosensitive surface. The analyzing apparatus detects distortion of the projected image by analyzing the light intensity profile data in the respective first direction and second direction outputted from the photodetecting apparatus based on known information concerning the reference brightness image.

Distortion detection system and distortion detection method

The present invention relates to, for example, an image pickup system having a structure capable of imaging a subject at a low power consumption and a low cost even when the subject may be dark. The image pickup system comprises an image pickup device, a peak position detecting section, a partial image acquiring section, and a partial image operating section. The image pickup device outputs image data that represents the two-dimensional intensity distribution of light incident on a photodetecting section, and outputs light intensity profile data that represents the one-dimensional intensity distribution of the incident light in each of first and second directions in the photodetecting section. The peak position detecting section detects a light intensity peak position in the two-dimensional intensity distribution of the light incident on the photodetecting section in the image pickup device, based on the light intensity profile data outputted from the image pickup device. The partial image acquiring section acquires a partial image from an entire image that can be imaged by the image pickup device so that the light intensity peak position detected by the peak position detecting section is made a specific position for the partial image in the entire image. The partial image operating section integrates the acquired partial image.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Yukinobu Sugiyama