Imaging device
AssigneeTianma Japan, Ltd.
InventorHiroyuki Sekine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An imaging device supplies a first constant potential and a second constant potential to a photodiode through a first line and a second line to put the photodiode in a reverse-bias state. The imaging device reads a signal corresponding to the potential at the other end of the photodiode changed by light incident on the photodiode in the reverse-bias state. The imaging device supplies a potential that changes with time to a capacitive element through a control line so that a forward current flows through the photodiode disposed between the capacitive element and the first line after reading the signal.
Claims7
An imaging device comprising:
- pixels;
- and
- a control circuit,
- wherein a circuit configuration of each pixel includes:
- a photodiode;
- a first line to supply a first constant potential to one end of the photodiode;
- a second line to supply a second constant potential to the other end of the photodiode;
- a capacitive element one end of which is connected with the other end of the photodiode;
- and
- a control line to supply a control signal to the other end of the capacitive element, and
- wherein the control circuit is configured to:
- supply the first constant potential and the second constant potential to the photodiode through the first line and the second line to put the photodiode in a reverse-bias state;
- read a signal corresponding to the potential at the other end of the photodiode changed by light incident on the photodiode in the reverse-bias state;
- supply a potential that changes with time to the capacitive element through the control line so that a forward current flows through the photodiode disposed between the capacitive element and the first line after reading the signal;
- and
- supply the first constant potential and the second constant potential to the photodiode through the first line and the second line to put the photodiode in the reverse-bias state after supplying the potential that changes with time to the capacitive element through the control line so that a forward current flows through the photodiode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.