# US 10,321,081 B2 · Solid-state imaging device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,321,081 B2 - Document ID: US10321081B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/873,240 - Filed: 2018-01-17 - Published: 2018-06-14 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-23 - Assignees: Olympus Corporation - Applicants: Olympus Corporation - Inventors: Nobuyuki Watanabe; Toru Kondo; Kosei Tamiya - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10321081B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/77: Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components - H04N 25/443: by reading pixels from selected two-dimensional [2D] regions of the array, e.g. for windowing or digital zooming - H04N 25/46: by combining or binning pixels - H04N 25/47: Image sensors with pixel address output; Event-driven image sensors; Selection of pixels to be read out based on image data - H04N 25/707: Pixels for event detection - H04N 25/771: comprising storage means other than floating diffusion - H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters - H10F 39/12: Image sensors - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract A solid-state imaging device includes n first photoelectric conversion elements configured to photoelectrically convert incident light, n first reading circuits configured to output corresponding first pixel signals, m second photoelectric conversion elements configured to photoelectrically convert incident light, m second reading circuits configured to sequentially output corresponding second pixel signals, and a reading control circuit, wherein each of the second reading circuits includes a detection circuit configured to output an event signal when a change in a second charge signal is detected and a pixel signal generation circuit configured to add address information to an event signal, and the reading control circuit causes the first pixel signal to be output by determining a reading region corresponding to address information, and n and m are natural numbers greater than or equal to 2. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A solid-state imaging device comprising: n first photoelectric conversion elements configured to photoelectrically convert incident light and generate first charge signals; n first reading circuits corresponding to the n first photoelectric conversion elements and configured to output signal voltages as first pixel signals, according to the first charge signals generated by the corresponding first photoelectric conversion elements; m second photoelectric conversion elements configured to photoelectrically convert incident light and generate second charge signals; m second reading circuits corresponding to the m second photoelectric conversion elements and configured to sequentially output second pixel signals according to changes in the second charge signals generated by the corresponding second photoelectric conversion elements, and a reading control circuit configured to control reading of the first pixel signals corresponding to the first photoelectric conversion elements arranged in predetermined reading regions within the first photoelectric conversion elements, wherein each of the m second reading circuits includes a detection circuit configured to detect a change over time in the second charge signal generated by the corresponding second photoelectric conversion element and output an event signal indicating the change when the change exceeding a predetermined threshold value is detected; and a pixel signal generation circuit configured to output the second pixel signal which is made by adding address information indicating a position at which the corresponding second photoelectric conversion element is arranged to the event signal, wherein the reading control circuit determines a region according to a position at which the second photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the address information included in the second pixel signal is arranged as the reading region for reading the first pixel signal, and causes each of the first reading circuits corresponding to each of the first photoelectric conversion elements arranged in the determined reading region to output the first pixel signal, wherein n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, and wherein m is a natural number greater than or equal to 2. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the reading control circuit determines, a rectangular region generated on the basis of a position at which the second photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the address information included in the second pixel signals output in the same period are distributed, as the reading region. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the reading control circuit determines, a rectangular region including a region in which the second photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the address information included in the second pixel signals output in the same period are distributed, as the reading region. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the reading control circuit determines a rectangular region according to a magnitude of a distribution of the second photoelectric conversion elements as the reading region if the magnitude of the distribution of the second photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the address information included in the second pixel signals output in the same period is greater than a predetermined threshold value, and wherein the reading control circuit does not determine the reading region if the magnitude of the distribution of the second photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the address information included in the second pixel signals output in the same period is less than or equal to the threshold value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the reading control circuit determines the reading region corresponding to the second photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the address information if the number of second photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the address information included in the second pixel signals output in the same period is greater than a predetermined threshold value, and wherein the reading control circuit does not determine the reading region if the number of second photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the address information included in the second pixel signals output in the same period is less than or equal to the threshold value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the reading control circuit divides an entire region in which the n first photoelectric conversion elements are arranged into a plurality of blocks segmented in a predetermined size and determines the reading region for each division block. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein each of the n first photoelectric conversion elements and each of the m second photoelectric conversion elements are periodically arranged in a region of the same plane of a first semiconductor substrate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the pixel signal generation circuit is arranged in a second semiconductor substrate stacked on a surface of the first semiconductor substrate, the surface being opposite to a side on which light is incident. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 8, further comprising: a connection section formed between the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate and configured to electrically connect a circuit element of the first semiconductor substrate and a circuit element of the second semiconductor substrate, wherein the connection section electrically connects the detection circuit provided in each of the m second reading circuits and the corresponding second photoelectric conversion element. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9, wherein a charge signal in which s first charge signals generated by s first photoelectric conversion elements are designated as one unit is also used as the second charge signal generated by the second photoelectric conversion element, wherein s is a natural number greater than or equal to 1, and wherein the total number of the first photoelectric conversion elements configured to output the first charge signals also used as the second charge signals is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to n. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 10, wherein m is less than n, wherein s is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, wherein each of the m second reading circuits further includes an addition circuit configured to sum the s first charge signals generated by the s first photoelectric conversion elements corresponding thereto as one unit, and wherein the detection circuit detects a change in the first charge signal after summation by the addition circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein each of the n first photoelectric conversion elements is periodically arranged on a first semiconductor substrate on which light is incident, wherein each of the m second photoelectric conversion elements is periodically arranged on a second semiconductor substrate stacked on a surface of the first semiconductor substrate, the surface being opposite to a side on which light is incident, and wherein each of the m second photoelectric conversion elements generates the second charge signal obtained by photoelectrically converting light passing through the first semiconductor substrate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9, wherein each of the second reading circuits further includes an addition circuit configured to designate t second photoelectric conversion elements as one unit and sum second charge signals generated by the t second photoelectric conversion elements, wherein the detection circuit detects a change in the second charge signal after summation by the addition circuit, and wherein t is a natural number greater than or equal to 2.