Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080211951 | IMAGING DEVICE AND CAMERA - An imaging device is disclosed. The device includes: a unit pixel that outputs an analog electric signal in accordance with a signal charge; a local voltage supply circuit that generates a local voltage different from an operation voltage; a reference signal generation section that generates a reference signal based on the local voltage provided by the local voltage supply circuit; and a processing section that converts, by referring to the reference signal generated by the reference signal generation section, the analog signal provided by the unit pixel into a digital signal. In the imaging device, the reference signal generation section keeps constant a load current of the local voltage supply circuit in an operating state. | 09-04-2008 |
20080284886 | Image pickup circuit, CMOS sensor, and image pickup device - Disclosed herein is an image pickup circuit including: amplifying means for amplifying a charge corresponding to an amount of light received by a photodetector, and outputting a pixel signal; ramp signal generating means for generating a ramp signal whose voltage drops with a fixed slope from a predetermined initial voltage; and comparing means for comparing the pixel signal output by the amplifying means with the ramp signal output by the ramp signal generating means. A reference potential of the pixel signal output by the amplifying means and a reference potential of the ramp signal output by the ramp signal generating means are at a same level. | 11-20-2008 |
20090033759 | REFERENCE VOLTAGE CIRCUIT AND IMAGE-CAPTURE CIRCUIT - A reference voltage circuit for generating a reference voltage to be referred when a pixel signal is digitally converted, includes ramp voltage generating means for generating a ramp voltage which drops from a predetermined initial voltage at a certain gradient, a transistor for forming, together with the ramp voltage generating means, a current mirror circuit, and gain change means for changing a current value of a current flowing from a predetermined power supply via the transistor to change the gradient of the ramp voltage generated by the ramp voltage generating means. | 02-05-2009 |
20100231574 | IMAGING DEVICE, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE IMAGING DEVICE, AND CAMERA USING THE IMAGING DEVICE - An imaging device that can not only reduce noises including shading but also read out a pixel at high speed, a method for controlling the imaging device, and a camera using the imaging device are provided. In a 3-transistor-driven pixel circuit | 09-16-2010 |
20110013050 | Solid-state imaging device, control method therefor, and camera system - A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel section having pixels performing photoelectric conversion arranged in a matrix form; a pixel signal reading unit including an AD converting part that reads pixel signals in a unit of pixels, and compares a reference signal as a ramp waveform with the pixel signals to perform AD conversion; a clamp unit clamping the signal line with a clamp voltage such that the pixel signals are held at or greater than a set voltage; a correction bias circuit generating a clamp voltage according to a clamp voltage set value supplied and supplies the clamp voltage to the clamp unit; and a correction bias selecting unit selecting the clamp voltage set value such that the clamp voltage is generated in association with slope determining information for determining a slope of the reference signal, and supplies the clamp voltage set value to the correction bias circuit. | 01-20-2011 |
20110074994 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, IMAGING DEVICE, ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, A/D CONVERTER AND A/D CONVERSION METHOD - In a reference signal comparison AD conversion scheme, a reference signal SLP_ADC and each of P and D phases of a pixel signal voltage Vx are compared. A count clock CKcnt | 03-31-2011 |
20110221931 | Temperature information output apparatus, imaging apparatus, method of outputting temperature information - A temperature information output apparatus includes: a first comparison unit provided to match with a specific row in a pixel array unit and receiving and comparing an analog pixel signal output from a pixel and a reference signal having a ramp waveform having a predetermined inclination and a signal period; a first count unit carrying out a count operation during a count period within a reset period and a count period within a signal period; a first data output unit outputting the pixel data based on a count value obtained by the first count unit; a local voltage/temperature signal generating unit generating a local voltage and a temperature signal; a second comparison unit receiving and comparing the temperature signal and the reference signal; a second count unit carrying out a count operation during a count period within a reset period and a count period within a signal period; and a second data output unit outputting temperature data based on a count value obtained by the second count unit. | 09-15-2011 |
20120120287 | IMAGE OUTPUTTING APPARATUS, IMAGE OUTPUTTING METHOD, IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS - The present disclosure provides an image outputting apparatus, including, an image pickup section, an error correction code calculation section adapted to calculate an error correction code using pixel data, which configure an image obtained by image pickup by the image pickup section, as an information word, and an outputting section adapted to output coded data, which are data of a codeword obtained by adding the error correction code to the pixel data, to an image processing apparatus provided in an apparatus in which the image outputting apparatus is provided. | 05-17-2012 |
20120120289 | IMAGE OUTPUTTING APPARATUS, IMAGE OUTPUTTING METHOD, IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM, DATA STRUCTURE AND IMAGING APPARATUS - An image outputting apparatus includes a header production section for producing a header including header information formed from first and second frame information regarding whether pixel data included in a payload are of first and last lines of one frame, respectively, first line information regarding whether or not the pixel data included in the payload are valid, and second line information regarding a line number of a line formed from the pixel data included in the payload, and an error detection code for use for detection of an error of the header information. A packet production section produces a packet which includes, in the payload thereof, pixel data for one line which configure an image obtained by imaging by an imaging section and to which the header is added. An outputting section outputs the produced packet to an image processing apparatus. | 05-17-2012 |
20130107082 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND CAMERA SYSTEM | 05-02-2013 |
20130193949 | REFERENCE VOLTAGE CIRCUIT AND IMAGE-CAPTURE CIRCUIT - A reference voltage circuit for generating a reference voltage to be referred when a pixel signal is digitally converted, includes ramp voltage generating means for generating a ramp voltage which drops from a predetermined initial voltage at a certain gradient, a transistor for forming, together with the ramp voltage generating means, a current mirror circuit, and gain change means for changing a current value of a current flowing from a predetermined power supply via the transistor to change the gradient of the ramp voltage generated by the ramp voltage generating means. | 08-01-2013 |
20130293754 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, IMAGING DEVICE, ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, A/D CONVERTER AND A/D CONVERSION METHOD - In a reference signal comparison AD conversion scheme, a reference signal SLP_ADC and each of P and D phases of a pixel signal voltage V | 11-07-2013 |
20130341750 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS - There is provided a solid-state imaging device including a plurality of pixels which are arranged in a two-dimensional array form and in each of which color separation is performed in a substrate depth direction. The solid-state imaging device includes a pixel addition section which performs addition, when pixel signals of the plurality of pixels are added up to be outputted, by setting addition regions of pixel signals of a first color component to be shifted from addition regions of pixel signals of a second color component at regular intervals. | 12-26-2013 |
20140117210 | IMAGE PICKUP CIRCUIT, CMOS SENSOR, AND IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE - Disclosed herein is an image pickup circuit including: amplifying means for amplifying a charge corresponding to an amount of light received by a photodetector, and outputting a pixel signal; ramp signal generating means for generating a ramp signal whose voltage drops with a fixed slope from a predetermined initial voltage; and comparing means for comparing the pixel signal output by the amplifying means with the ramp signal output by the ramp signal generating means. A reference potential of the pixel signal output by the amplifying means and a reference potential of the ramp signal output by the ramp signal generating means are at a same level. | 05-01-2014 |
20140160334 | IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS - The present disclosure relates to an image pickup device, a control method, and an image pickup apparatus, which can implement more various data outputs. | 06-12-2014 |
20140211055 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, IMAGING DEVICE, ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, A/D CONVERTER AND A/D CONVERSION METHOD - In a reference signal comparison AD conversion scheme, a reference signal SLP_ADC and each of P and D phases of a pixel signal voltage Vx are compared. A count clock CKcnt | 07-31-2014 |
20140293103 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE SENSOR AND CAMERA SYSTEM - There is provided a solid-state image sensor including a pixel array unit in which pixels are arrayed, the pixel including a photodiode converting an optical signal into an electrical signal, and a readout unit which reads out an analog image signal from the pixel to a signal line and processes the read out analog pixel signal in a unit of column. The readout unit includes a ΔΣ modulator which has a function to convert the analog pixel signal in to a digital signal, and an amplifier which is arranged on an input side of the ΔΣ modulator and amplifies the analog pixel signal read out to the signal line using a set gain to input the signal to the ΔΣ modulator. | 10-02-2014 |