Back to results
US 10,380,453 B2Granted
Imaging apparatus and imaging system having multiple comparators
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHideo Kobayashi, Kei Ochiai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An imaging apparatus includes a first reset signal line which is commonly connected to multiple first comparator circuits and through which a first reset signal to reset a threshold value of each of the multiple first comparator circuits is transmitted, a second reset signal line which is commonly connected to multiple second comparator circuits and through which a second reset signal to reset a threshold value of each of the multiple second comparator circuits is transmitted, and a shield line. The distance between the first reset signal line and the shield line and the distance between the second reset signal line and the shield line are smaller than the distance between the first reset signal line and the second reset signal line.
Claims25
An imaging apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of pixels;
- and
- a plurality of comparator circuits each outputting a comparison signal,
- wherein a pixel signal based on outputs from the pixels and a reference signal are input into each of the plurality of comparator circuits, a level of the comparison signal when a difference between the pixel signal and the reference signal is smaller than a threshold value is different from a level of the comparison signal when the difference between the pixel signal and the reference signal is greater than the threshold value, and
- wherein a plurality of first comparator circuits, among the plurality of comparator circuits, and a plurality of second comparator circuits, among the plurality of comparator circuits, are arranged in line, the imaging apparatus further comprising:
- a first reset signal line which is commonly connected to the plurality of first comparator circuits and through which a first reset signal to reset a threshold value of each of the plurality of first comparator circuits is transmitted;
- a second reset signal line which is commonly connected to the plurality of second comparator circuits and through which a second reset signal to reset a threshold value of each of the plurality of second comparator circuits is transmitted;
- and
- a shield line,
- wherein a distance between the first reset signal line and the shield line and a distance between the second reset signal line and the shield line are smaller than a distance between the first reset signal line and the second reset signal line.
7 more elements
An imaging apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of pixels;
- and
- a plurality of comparator circuits each outputting a comparison signal,
- wherein a pixel signal based on outputs from the pixels and a reference signal are input into each of the plurality of comparator circuits, and
- wherein a plurality of first comparator circuits, among the plurality of comparator circuits, and a plurality of second comparator circuits, among the plurality of comparator circuits, are arranged in line, the imaging apparatus further comprising:
- a first signal line commonly connected to the plurality of first comparator circuits;
- a second signal line commonly connected to the plurality of second comparator circuits;
- and
- a fixed electric potential line through which fixed electric potential is supplied,
- wherein each of the plurality of comparator circuits includes a comparator, a first transistor, and a second transistor,
- wherein one of a source and a drain of the first transistor is connected to an input terminal corresponding to the pixel signal of the comparator and the other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is connected to an output terminal through which the comparison signal of the comparator is output,
- wherein a gate of the first transistor of each of the plurality of first comparator circuits is connected to the first signal line,
- wherein a gate of the first transistor of each of the plurality of second comparator circuits is connected to the second signal line,
- wherein one of a source and a drain of the second transistor is connected to an input terminal corresponding to the reference signal of the comparator and the other of the source and the drain of the second transistor is connected to an output terminal through which an inversion signal of the comparison signal of the comparator is output,
- wherein a gate of the second transistor of each of the plurality of first comparator circuits is connected to the first signal line,
- wherein a gate of the second transistor of each of the plurality of second comparator circuits is connected to the second signal line, and
- wherein a distance between the first signal line and the fixed electric potential line and a distance between the second signal line and the fixed electric potential line are smaller than a distance between the first signal line and the second signal line.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.