Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080291304 | IMAGING DEVICE AND DRIVING METHOD THEREOF - There is provided an imaging device which eliminates complexity in reading an image in low resolution and reading an image in high resolution and realizes prevention of decrease in frame rate. The device includes a pixel region including a plurality of pixel elements and imaging an incident light of an object as an image and a reading unit for thinning out a pixel element from the pixel region to read a thinned out image in low resolution and reading a partial image in resolution higher than the thinned out image from a partial region of the pixel region (a horizontal shift register and a vertical shift register), wherein the reading unit reads the thinned out image and the partial image from mutually different pixel elements and reads the thinned out image and the partial image as different imaging frames. | 11-27-2008 |
20090021621 | IMAGE SENSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE CAPTURING SYSTEM - An image sensing apparatus comprises: a pixel array; a selection unit which selects a readout region in the pixel array; and a readout unit which reads out a signal from the readout region, wherein in thinning-out readout, the readout unit reads out signals from a first readout region corresponding to the whole pixel array at a first pixel density in a first frame period and reads out signals from a second readout region corresponding to a part of the pixel array at a second pixel density in a second frame period, the second pixel density being higher than the first pixel density, and in thinning-out readout, the selection unit causes pixels in the first readout region to perform a charge accumulation operation for a first accumulation period and causes pixels in the second readout region to perform the charge accumulation operation for a second accumulation period. | 01-22-2009 |
20090160947 | IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM, METHOD FOR DRIVING IMAGE PICKUP ELEMENTS, AND RECORDING MEDIUM - An image pickup system includes an image pickup element with an image pickup region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix, and a controller configured to control reading of signals from the pixels. The controller divides a first frame period in which a first image is read from the image pickup element into a plurality of divided frame periods, including first and second divided frame periods. When the number of pixels included in the first image is larger than the number of pixels included in a second image, a second frame period required for reading all signals from the pixels included in the second image is inserted between the first and second divided frame periods. A refresh cycle of the second image is shorter than a refresh cycle of the first image. | 06-25-2009 |
20090322903 | IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DRIVING THE SAME - An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging system capable of improving S/N ratio and increasing dynamic range and a method of driving the imaging system suited to the improvement and increase. An imaging system includes: a solid-state imaging device having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, column amplifiers each corresponding to each of columns of the pixels and an output portion for outputting an image signal based on an amplification by the column amplifier; and a signal processing portion receiving the image signal, wherein the column amplifier amplifies a signal output from the pixel by a gain q larger than 1, and the signal processing portion multiplies, by a factor less than 1, the image signal based on the signal amplified by the gain q. | 12-31-2009 |
20100157083 | IMAGING SYSTEM - An imaging system comprises: a pixel array; a vertical shift register; a readout unit; and a horizontal shift register, wherein the vertical shift register, when signals of some rows of all rows in the pixel array are read out to the readout unit, starts shift operation for skip scanning of the signals of non-readout rows before an operation to scan the readout unit by the horizontal shift register in a direction along a row is completed, and executes selection scanning of readout rows such that the signals are read out to the readout unit from the readout row selectively scanned by the vertical shift register after the operation to scan the readout unit by the horizontal shift register in the direction along the row is completed. | 06-24-2010 |
20100309348 | IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE, IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF DRIVING IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE - Integers n and k are set to be equal to or greater than 1, and reading of signals from pixels is controlled as follows. In a first frame, signals are output from pixels in every (n+1)th row of the pixel array, and in a second frame following the first frame, signals are output from pixels that are different from the pixels from which the signals are output in the first frame and that are located in a first set of rows defined by selecting every (k+1)th row of the pixel array. | 12-09-2010 |
20100321532 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF DRIVING SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE - The invention provides a solid state imaging device and imaging system, both capable of obtaining a good image suppressing the reduction of the SN ratio thereof, suppressing the increase of the chip size of the imaging device and suppressing the increase of power consumption of a sensor without performing complicated processing even if there are regions different in luminance mutually in an imaging plane. Variable gain units provided correspondingly to columns of pixels amplify the signals from the pixels by different gains group by group of the pixels each group including a plurality of pixels according to the signals from the outside. | 12-23-2010 |
20110058079 | IMAGING DEVICE AND DRIVING METHOD THEREOF - There is provided an imaging device which eliminates complexity in reading an image in low resolution and reading an image in high resolution and realizes prevention of decrease in frame rate. The device includes a pixel region including a plurality of pixel elements and imaging an incident light of an object as an image and a reading unit for thinning out a pixel element from the pixel region to read a thinned out image in low resolution and reading a partial image in resolution higher than the thinned out image from a partial region of the pixel region (a horizontal shift register and a vertical shift register), wherein the reading unit reads the thinned out image and the partial image from mutually different pixel elements and reads the thinned out image and the partial image as different imaging frames. | 03-10-2011 |
20110134295 | IMAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DRIVING THE SAME - An imaging apparatus comprising: a plurality of column amplifiers, each outputting, based on the same one pixel, first and second pixel signals derived by amplifying the signal by different amplifying factors p and q; a plurality of column A/D converters for performing analog to digital conversion of the first and second pixel signals obtained; a plurality of replacing units, each selecting the first pixel signal converted by the column A/D converter when the first pixel signal converted by the column A/D converter is smaller than a threshold value, and selecting the second pixel signal converted by the column A/D converter when the first pixel signal converted by the column A/D converter is equal to or larger than the threshold value; and a horizontal scanning circuit for successively selecting the first or second pixel signals selected by the replacing units. | 06-09-2011 |
20130033630 | IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DRIVING THE SAME - An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging system capable of improving S/N ratio and increasing dynamic range and a method of driving the imaging system suited to the improvement and increase. An imaging system includes: a solid-state imaging device having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, column amplifiers each corresponding to each of columns of the pixels and an output portion for outputting an image signal based on an amplification by the column amplifier; and a signal processing portion receiving the image signal, wherein the column amplifier amplifies a signal output from the pixel by a gain q larger than 1, and the signal processing portion multiplies, by a factor less than 1, the image signal based on the signal amplified by the gain q. | 02-07-2013 |
20130140439 | IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM, METHOD FOR DRIVING IMAGE PICKUP ELEMENTS, AND RECORDING MEDIUM - An image pickup system includes an image pickup element with an image pickup region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix, and a controller configured to control reading of signals from the pixels. The controller divides a first frame period in which a first image is read from the image pickup element into a plurality of divided frame periods, including first and second divided frame periods. When the number of pixels included in the first image is larger than the number of pixels included in a second image, a second frame period required for reading all signals from the pixels included in the second image is inserted between the first and second divided frame periods. A refresh cycle of the second image is shorter than a refresh cycle of the first image. | 06-06-2013 |
20130162874 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising a plurality of pixels generating a photoelectric conversion signal, a column amplifying unit corresponding to columns of the pixels, for outputting a first and second signals generated by amplifying the photoelectric conversion signal at a smaller first gain and larger second gain respectively, an analog to digital converter ( | 06-27-2013 |
20130228673 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - A solid-state imaging apparatus is provided which includes a plurality of pixels ( | 09-05-2013 |
20130271633 | IMAGING APPARATUS AND IMAGING SYSTEM - An AD converting unit compares an output signal from an amplifier circuit after reset of a pixel with a reference signal of time-variable, outputs a first digital value, when the output signal from the amplifier circuit in a non-reset state of the pixel is larger than a threshold, sets a gain of the amplifier circuit to a first gain, when the output signal is smaller than the threshold, sets the gain of the amplifier circuit to a second gain larger than the first gain, further after the gain of the amplifier circuit was set to the first or second gain, compares the output signal from the amplifier circuit in the non-reset state of the pixel with the reference signal of time-variable, and outputs a second digital value. When resolutions of the first and second digital values differ, a correcting unit corrects a difference between the resolutions. | 10-17-2013 |
20140140617 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD - A first interpolating image generating unit interpolates a first image acquired from a first pixel group including first pixels to generate a first interpolating image. A second interpolating image generating unit interpolates a second image acquired from a second pixel group including second pixels at the same exposure as that of the first image, using a signal of the second image, to generate a second interpolating image. A sensitivity characteristic converting unit converts the generated first interpolating image and second interpolating image into images having the same sensitivity characteristics. An image synthesizing unit synthesizes the first interpolating image and second interpolating image, having been converted to have the same sensitivity characteristics, to generate a synthesized image. | 05-22-2014 |
20140253752 | IMAGING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR DRIVING IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND DRIVING METHOD FOR IMAGING SYSTEM - An imaging apparatus includes: pixels ( | 09-11-2014 |
20150083895 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising a plurality of pixels generating a photoelectric conversion signal, a column amplifying unit corresponding to columns of the pixels, for outputting a first and second signals generated by amplifying the photoelectric conversion signal at a smaller first gain and larger second gain respectively, an analog to digital converter ( | 03-26-2015 |