Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080273101 | IMAGE CAPTURING SYSTEM, SIGNAL PROCESSING CIRCUIT, AND SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD - An image capturing system includes a signal correction unit which corrects a signal output from a defective pixel in an optical black region based on a signal output from a normal pixel. The optical black region has a plurality of pixel blocks. Each of the plurality of pixel blocks has a plurality of pixels each including one or more elements which have the same functions as in the remaining pixels and which have relative positions different from the remaining pixels. The signal correction unit corrects the signal output from the defective pixel in the optical black region based on a signal output from a normal pixel which is included in another pixel block different from the pixel block of the defective pixel in the optical black region and includes one or more elements having the same functions and same relative positions as in the defective pixel. | 11-06-2008 |
20080291290 | IMAGING APPARATUS AND PROCESSING METHOD THEREOF - An imaging apparatus is provided having: a pixel unit including an effective pixel region of multiple pixels accumulating charges generated according to incident light to output signals and an ineffective pixel region of multiple pixels outputting signals not dependent on incident light; a plurality of vertical signal lines provided for each column of pixels of pixel unit; a vertical scanning circuit that scans and selects pixels of pixel unit in row units to output signals of selected pixels of same row to plurality of vertical signal lines; and a horizontal scanning circuit that scans and selects signals of plurality of vertical signal lines to output signals of selected vertical signal lines; wherein the vertical scanning circuit selects pixels of same row of effective pixel region in row units once during one frame and selects pixels of same row of ineffective pixel region in row units multiple times during one frame. | 11-27-2008 |
20090167913 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND DRIVING METHOD THEREFOR - A solid-state image pickup device includes an effective pixel portion in which effective pixels are arranged in a matrix, the effective pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit and outputting a first signal, a non-effective pixel portion in which non-effective pixels are arranged in at least one row, the non-effective pixels each including no photoelectric conversion unit and outputting a second signal, a vertical scanning unit for selecting each row of pixels in the effective and non-effective pixel portions, and an input section for externally receiving a third signal used to change a driving mode of the solid-state image pickup device. The vertical scanning unit begins electronic shutter scanning upon pixels in the effective pixel portion and causes each of pixels in the non-effective pixel portion to output the second signal after the input section has received the third signal and before the first signal is output. | 07-02-2009 |
20090180014 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND DRIVE METHOD OF SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - The present invention is directed to provide a solid-state imaging apparatus and a method of driving the solid-state imaging apparatus. If the total read out time of all of the pixels is shortened when effective pixels are thinned out to be read out without thinning out OB pixels, then the reset time period of each row is different from each other, and the problem of uneven charge accumulation time periods is caused. An improvement by the present invention is that, if no signals are read out from a part of the rows of the pixels in an effective pixel region to skip the rows, then the time period in which the rows to be skipped are selected is made to be shorter than the time period in which the rows from which signals are read out are selected, and the pixels in the optical black pixel region and the pixels in the effective pixel region are driven by the drive pulses of patterns different from each other. | 07-16-2009 |
20090219424 | IMAGE SENSING APPARATUS AND IMAGING SYSTEM - An image sensing apparatus comprising on a single semiconductor substrate: a pixel array; a vertical scanning unit; a horizontal scanning unit; a counter which starts a counting operation to count the number of the clocks before a start of the first period, and stops the counting operation before a start of the second period during the first period; and a generation unit which generates a first control signal for causing the vertical scanning unit to drive a pixel, the generation unit including a signal generation unit which generates a second control signal in accordance with the counted value output from the counter, and a delay unit which delays the second control signal to generate the first control signal and output the first control signal to the vertical scanning unit. | 09-03-2009 |
20090256936 | METHOD OF DRIVING SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - When a horizontal skipping operation is performed in a solid-state imaging apparatus that includes an A/D converting circuit in each column and that applies an arithmetic operation process to a digitalized signal and an arithmetic operation is performed with signals held by a plurality of register circuits, A/D converters and register circuits in columns in which signals are skipped, or not read out, are not involved in the operations. A more consideration is needed in terms of the use efficiency of circuits. A unit for connecting a register circuit of a certain column and a register circuit of a different column is arranged. | 10-15-2009 |
20100201856 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND DRIVING METHOD OF IMAGING APPARATUS - The present invention reduces differences in the influence of electric charge leakage from a non-read out region into multiple read out regions adjacent to a non-read out region. Reset scanning of that row in the non-read out region which adjoins the first or second read out region is started before read out scanning of the first and second read out regions. | 08-12-2010 |
20110007173 | DRIVING METHOD OF SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS, SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS, AND IMAGING SYSTEM - In an amplifying type MOS sensor having a 3-transistor construction, when a frame rate is raised, an accumulation time of a frame just after the switching of a drive mode becomes short. When a gain correction is made to compensate a lack of accumulation time, a deterioration in picture quality is caused. A read out scan and a reset scan are executed in parallel in the frame before the switching of the drive mode, thereby preventing that a time period for resetting a pixel is overlapped with a time period for holding a pixel signal into a holding unit. | 01-13-2011 |
20110228122 | IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM - When a conventional circuit is used in an image sensor which employs a pixel sharing technique, selection of pixels is not properly performed, that is, an invalid operation may be performed. To address this problem, a first storage unit which stores an address of a reading row, a second storage unit which stores an address of a shutter row, and a third storage unit for controlling an element shared by a plurality of pixels are provided in a row selection unit. | 09-22-2011 |
20110242383 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND METHOD OF DRIVING THE SAME - Provided is a solid-state image pickup device that includes: a pixel portion having a plurality of pixels that are arranged in a two-dimensional array and generate pixel signals; a readout row counter that generates row addresses for reading the pixel portion; a first reset row counter that generates a row address for resetting a first field of the pixel portion; a second reset row counter that generates a row address for resetting a second field of the pixel portion; a selector that selects one of the row addresses generated by the readout row counter, the first reset row counter, and the second reset row counter; and pixel driving units that respectively select two rows: an odd-numbered row and a neighboring even-numbered row of the pixel portion corresponding to the selected row address. | 10-06-2011 |
20110267513 | IMAGING APPARATUS AND PROCESSING METHOD THEREOF - An imaging apparatus is provided having: a pixel unit including an effective pixel region of multiple pixels accumulating charges generated according to incident light to output signals and an ineffective pixel region of multiple pixels outputting signals not dependent on incident light; a plurality of vertical signal lines provided for each column of pixels of pixel unit; a vertical scanning circuit that scans and selects pixels of pixel unit in row units to output signals of selected pixels of same row to plurality of vertical signal lines; and a horizontal scanning circuit that scans and selects signals of plurality of vertical signal lines to output signals of selected vertical signal lines; wherein the vertical scanning circuit selects pixels of same row of effective pixel region in row units once during one frame and selects pixels of same row of ineffective pixel region in row units multiple times during one frame. | 11-03-2011 |
20110285887 | IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS, IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM, AND DRIVING METHOD OF IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS - In a conventional image pickup apparatus, a plurality of reset methods for resetting a photodiode cannot be set. A row selection unit is provided with a first storage unit for storing an address of a read row, a second storage unit for storing an address of a shutter row, and further a third storage unit for storing an address of a row in which potential of photodiode is fixed. | 11-24-2011 |
20120013778 | METHOD OF DRIVING SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - When a horizontal skipping operation is performed in a solid-state imaging apparatus that includes an A/D converting circuit in each column and that applies an arithmetic operation process to a digitalized signal and an arithmetic operation is performed with signals held by a plurality of register circuits, A/D converters and register circuits in columns in which signals are skipped, or not read out, are not involved in the operations. A more consideration is needed in terms of the use efficiency of circuits. A unit for connecting a register circuit of a certain column and a register circuit of a different column is arranged. | 01-19-2012 |
20120033111 | IMAGE CAPTURING SYSTEM, SIGNAL PROCESSING CIRCUIT, AND SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD - An image capturing system includes a signal correction unit which corrects a signal output from a defective pixel in an optical black region based on a signal output from a normal pixel. The optical black region has a plurality of pixel blocks. Each of the plurality of pixel blocks has a plurality of pixels each including one or more elements which have the same functions as in the remaining pixels and which have relative positions different from the remaining pixels. The signal correction unit corrects the signal output from the defective pixel in the optical black region based on a signal output from a normal pixel which is included in another pixel block different from the pixel block of the defective pixel in the optical black region and includes one or more elements having the same functions and same relative positions as in the defective pixel. | 02-09-2012 |
20120081585 | DRIVE CIRCUIT OF SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE, METHOD OF DRIVING SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM OF SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE - There is provided a drive circuit of a solid-state image pickup device capable of generating pulse for vertical scanning the interval of which changes non-linearly and pulse other than the pulse for vertical scanning without increasing a circuit size and communication time for setting an electronic shutter. There is provided a drive circuit of a solid-state image pickup device including a polynomial arithmetic operation unit for carrying out an arithmetic operation of first or higher order of polynomial; an arithmetic operation controller of generating a variable of the polynomial to control an arithmetic operation in the polynomial arithmetic operation unit; and a pulse generator of generating a pulse based on a result of an arithmetic operation on a polynomial of the polynomial arithmetic operation unit. | 04-05-2012 |
20120097841 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND DRIVE METHOD OF SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - In a solid-state imaging apparatus, if the total read out time of all pixels is shortened when effective pixels are thinned out without thinning out OB pixels, then the rows have different reset time periods, and the problem of uneven charge accumulation time periods arises. An improvement by the present invention is that, if no signals are read out from a part of the rows in an effective pixel region to skip the rows, then the time period in which the rows to be skipped are selected is made shorter than that in which the rows from which signals are read out are selected, and the pixels in the optical black pixel region and those in the effective pixel region are driven by the drive pulses of patterns different from each other. | 04-26-2012 |
20120145881 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS AND IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM - In a solid-state image pickup apparatus including a pixel array having pixels each including photoelectric conversion element arranged in a matrix, a synchronization signal generation unit generates a horizontal synchronization signal to define a first horizontal period and a second horizontal period different in length from the first horizontal period. Based on the horizontal synchronization signal, a reset scanning circuit sequentially selects and resets pixels in rows of the pixel array, and a readout scanning circuit sequentially selects pixels and reads a pixel signal therefrom. In each pixel, the charge is accumulated in a charge accumulation period starting when the resetting is performed and ending when the pixel signal is read. In one vertical period, the first horizontal period and the plurality of second horizontal period both appear a plurality of times, wherein the second horizontal period appears periodically. | 06-14-2012 |
20120314097 | IMAGING DEVICE AND IMAGING SYSTEM - An imaging device comprising an imaging unit that outputs digital data of a pixel value indicating one of colors for each pixel and a conversion unit that outputs from ports I pieces of the digital data that has been input from the imaging unit in a first mode and output from part of the ports J (J | 12-13-2012 |
20130308024 | IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS, METHOD FOR DRIVING IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS, IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM - There is provided an image pickup apparatus which outputs a digital signal based on a comparison result signal that changes the signal value at Nth (where N is an integer of 1 or higher) among comparison result signals output by a plurality of comparators. | 11-21-2013 |
20130321683 | IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS, METHOD FOR DRIVING IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS, IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR DRIVING IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM - An image pickup apparatus, a method for driving the image pickup apparatus, an image pickup system, and a method for driving the image pickup system output a digital signal based on a difference between signals output from a plurality of pixels and a digital signal based on the sum of the signals output from the pixels. | 12-05-2013 |
20140078358 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS AND DRIVING METHOD OF SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - A solid-state imaging apparatus includes: a pixel unit ( | 03-20-2014 |