The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 01, 2011
Filed:
Sep. 17, 2007
Hirokazu Kobayashi, Asaka, JP;
Mitsuru Iwata, Asaka, JP;
Hirokazu Kobayashi, Asaka, JP;
Mitsuru Iwata, Asaka, JP;
Fujifilm Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A solid-state image pickup apparatus selects, in a first image pickup circumstance in which dark current is liable to occur in vertical transfer paths of an array of photo-sensors, a first transfer mode in which the potential well capacity in the vertical transfer paths is relatively small, and, in a second image pickup circumstance in which the dark current is small in quantity, a second transfer mode which is greater in potential well capacity than the first transfer mode. As a positive voltage applied to the read-out gates of the photo-sensors, a first voltage mode indicating a relatively low positive voltage that suppresses impact ionization is set in the first image pickup circumstance, and, a second voltage mode indicating a positive voltage higher than in the first voltage mode is set in the second image pickup circumstance so as to cause the impact ionization.