Global shuttering, first rolling readout and second rolling readout employed with an imaging apparatus, imaging method, and imaging program

An imaging method with an imager

• that has a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element, and a charge holder holding a charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion element such that a signal corresponding to the charge is read out by a readout circuit,
• that comprises a plurality of pixel rows including the plurality of pixels arranged in one direction, and
• that discharges charges of the photoelectric conversion element and the charge holder to a charge discharge region of the readout circuit such that a reset of each of the photoelectric conversion element and the charge holder is performed, the imaging method comprising:
• an imaging control step of performing
• a global reset drive of simultaneously resetting the photoelectric conversion element of each of the plurality of pixels to start exposure of the plurality of pixels,
• a global shutter drive of simultaneously transferring, to the charge holder, the charges accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element of each of the plurality of pixels by the exposure to end the exposure,
• a first rolling readout drive of sequentially reading out, for each of the pixel rows, the signal corresponding to the charge held in the charge holder by the global shutter drive,
• a rolling shutter drive of sequentially performing, while changing the pixel rows, processing of transferring, to the charge holder, the charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element of the pixel row for which the exposure has been started to end the exposure of the pixel row, and
• a second rolling readout drive of sequentially reading out, while changing the pixel rows, the signal corresponding to the charge held in the charge holder of the pixel row by the rolling shutter drive,
• wherein in the imaging control step, a first imaging control is performed, in which after the global reset drive, the global shutter drive, and the first rolling readout drive are sequentially performed, the rolling shutter drive is performed to sequentially end, for each of the pixel rows, the exposure of the pixels started by the global shutter drive, and the second rolling readout drive is performed to read out the signal corresponding to the charge held in the charge holder of the pixel row for which the exposure has been ended.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing an imaging program causing a computer to execute an imaging method using an imager

• that has a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element, and a charge holder holding a charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion element such that a signal corresponding to the charge is read out by a readout circuit,
• that comprises a plurality of pixel rows including the plurality of pixels arranged in one direction, and
• that discharges charges of the photoelectric conversion element and the charge holder to a charge discharge region of the readout circuit such that a reset of each of the photoelectric conversion element and the charge holder is performed,
• the imaging method comprising:
• an imaging control step of performing
• a global reset drive of simultaneously resetting the photoelectric conversion element of each of the plurality of pixels to start exposure of the plurality of pixels,
• a global shutter drive of simultaneously transferring, to the charge holder, the charges accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element of each of the plurality of pixels by the exposure to end the exposure,
• a first rolling readout drive of sequentially reading out, for each of the pixel rows, the signal corresponding to the charge held in the charge holder by the global shutter drive,
• a rolling shutter drive of sequentially performing, while changing the pixel rows, processing of transferring, to the charge holder, the charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element of the pixel row for which the exposure has been started to end the exposure of the pixel row, and
• a second rolling readout drive of sequentially reading out, while changing the pixel rows, the signal corresponding to the charge held in the charge holder of the pixel row by the rolling shutter drive,
• wherein in the imaging control step, a first imaging control is performed, in which after the global reset drive, the global shutter drive, and the first rolling readout drive are sequentially performed, the rolling shutter drive is performed to sequentially end, for each of the pixel rows, the exposure of the pixels started by the global shutter drive, and the second rolling readout drive is performed to read out the signal corresponding to the charge held in the charge holder of the pixel row for which the exposure has been ended.