| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080239127 | Method and apparatus for processing a pixel signal - An NchMOS transistor Q | 10-02-2008 |
| 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 |
| 20080303931 | Data transfer circuit, solid-state imaging device and camera system - Disclosed herein is a data transfer circuit including, a plurality of data transfer lines, a plurality of data outputting sections, a plurality of data holding sections, a data-acquiring-clock supplying section a clock supplying section, and a column scan section. | 12-11-2008 |
| 20090027536 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, PIXEL-SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD, ANALOG-SIGNAL TRANSFERRING DEVICE, AND ANALOG-SIGNAL TRANSFERRING METHOD - A solid-state imaging device including:
| 01-29-2009 |
| 20090046188 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, PIXEL-SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD, ANALOG-SIGNAL TRANSFERRING DEVICE, AND ANALOG-SIGNAL TRANSFERRING METHOD - From a pixel array where imaging pixels are arranged, pixel signals of respective columns on a selected row are read in parallel in a horizontal blanking period of a horizontal period. The pixel signals of the respective columns are output to horizontal signal lines in an effective period of the horizontal period via charge integrating amps provided respectively for the columns, i.e., provided respectively for vertical signal lines, and are thereby transferred horizontally. In the charge integrating amps, it is possible to enter a standby state while holding the pixel signals by a holding voltage. Furthermore, in the charge integrating amps, a reference potential for precharging feedback capacitors for amps at the time of a reading operation is automatically controlled based on a black level. Furthermore, pixel signals from the respective charge integrating amps are horizontally transferred in parallel using a plurality of horizontal signal lines. | 02-19-2009 |
| 20090066823 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND CLAMP CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR - In an analog front end (FE) IC chip having a CDS (Correlated Double Sampling) function and an AGC (Automatic Gain Control) function, a clamp circuit for clamping an output signal during a black reference signal period is equipped with a mechanism for suppressing the effect of noises contaminated from a power source, external circuits, etc. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090086049 | PIXEL DRIVE CIRCUIT, IMAGE CAPTURE DEVICE, AND CAMERA SYSTEM - A pixel drive circuit includes a plurality of pixel circuits each including a photoelectric converting unit for converting an incident light into an electric charge and accumulating the converted electric charge, the plurality of pixel circuits being arranged in a matrix shape, an address decoder for selecting the pixel circuits to be controlled which are arranged on an identical line, a storage circuit for storing operation information to be executed by the pixel circuits selected by the address decoder, and a control circuit for controlling an operation of the pixel circuits selected by the address decoder in accordance with a storage state of the storage circuit. The control circuit controls a charge discharging operation of discharging an electric charge remaining in the photoelectric converting unit of each of the pixel circuits. The storage circuit holds the storage state until the charge discharging operation is completed. | 04-02-2009 |
| 20100110249 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, PIXEL-SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD, ANALOG-SIGNAL TRANSFERRING DEVICE, AND ANALOG-SIGNAL TRANSFERRING METHOD - From a pixel array where imaging pixels are arranged, pixel signals of respective columns on a selected row are read in parallel in a horizontal blanking period of a horizontal period. The pixel signals of the respective columns are output to horizontal signal lines in an effective period of the horizontal period via charge integrating amps provided respectively for the columns, i.e., provided respectively for vertical signal lines, and are thereby transferred horizontally. In the charge integrating amps, it is possible to enter a standby state while holding the pixel signals by a holding voltage. Furthermore, in the charge integrating amps, a reference potential for precharging feedback capacitors for amps at the time of a reading operation is automatically controlled based on a black level. Furthermore, pixel signals from the respective charge integrating amps are horizontally transferred in parallel using a plurality of horizontal signal lines. | 05-06-2010 |
| 20100128153 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE AND DRIVING METHOD THEREFOR - A solid-state imaging device in which the potential of a signal line, which is obtained before a pixel has an operating period, is fixed to an intermediate potential between a first power-supply potential and a second power-supply potential. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100182469 | IMAGE SENSOR - The present invention relates to an image sensor capable of obtaining a good-quality image with a simple configuration. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20100182472 | IMAGING DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND CAMERA - An imaging device includes: a pixel section having a plurality of pixel circuits arranged in a matrix form; and a signal processing section that processes an output signal read from the pixel section. The pixel section includes a first output signal line, at least one first color pixel circuit connected to the first output signal line, a second output signal line, and at least one second color pixel circuit adjacent to the first color pixel circuit in a row direction thereof and connected to the second output signal line. The signal processing section includes a first signal processing circuit, a second signal processing circuit, a selection circuit, a first current source, a second current source, a current source selection circuit, a first connection node, and a second connection node. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20110019025 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE SENSOR DEVICE HAVING SIGNAL NOISE REDUCTION CIRCUITRY - A solid-state image sensor includes a pixel array unit including a plurality of pixels arranged in the form of an array, column signal lines adapted to transmit pixel signals output from pixels in respective columns, a noise adding unit adapted to add temporally constant and two-dimensional spatially random noise to the pixel signals transmitted via the column signal lines, and an analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert a signal level and a reference level of each pixel signal including the noise added thereto by the noise adding unit. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110115958 | Solid-State imaging device and load current source circuit - Disclosed herein is a solid-state imaging device including: a plurality of pixel circuits each of which converts an optical signal into a pixel signal; a load current source circuit adapted to supply a load current, used to read out the pixel signal from the plurality of pixel circuits, to the pixel circuits on a column-by-column basis; a signal readout circuit adapted to read out a reference signal and the pixel signal from the pixel circuits on a row-by-row basis and output the difference between the reference and pixel signals that have been read out; and a control signal generation circuit adapted to generate a maintenance control signal used to maintain the load current constant during a readout period that lasts from when the reference signal is read out by the signal readout circuit to when the pixel signal is read out by the signal readout circuit. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110141324 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE SENSOR AND IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS - A solid-state image sensor includes a pixel array unit including a plurality of pixels arranged in the form of an array, column signal lines adapted to transmit pixel signals output from pixels in respective columns, a noise adding unit adapted to add temporally constant and two-dimensional spatially random noise to the pixel signals transmitted via the column signal lines, and an analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert a signal level and a reference level of each pixel signal including the noise added thereto by the noise adding unit. | 06-16-2011 |
| 20110149124 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A PIXEL SIGNAL - An NchMOS transistor Q | 06-23-2011 |
