Signal processing circuit and signal processing method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHiroyuki Muto, Yusuke Yamamoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A signal processing circuit includes a detection unit configured to detect generation of a peak in an analog signal based on an input of a photon, an A/D conversion unit configured to perform A/D conversion of a signal value into digital data of bits by determining a value of each of the bits from an upper bit to a lower bit, and a control unit configured to control the A/D conversion unit so that, in a case in which the generation of a second peak of the analog signal is detected during the A/D conversion of a signal value of a first peak of the analog signal, the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak will be interrupted and the A/D conversion of a signal value of the second peak will be started.
Claims17
A signal processing circuit comprising:
- a detection unit configured to detect generation of a peak in an analog signal whose signal value changes in accordance with an input of a photon;
- an A/D conversion unit configured to perform A/D conversion of a signal value of a peak of the analog signal into digital data of a plurality of bits by determining a value of each of the plurality of bits from an upper bit to a lower bit;
- and
- a control unit configured to control the A/D conversion unit so that, in a case in which the generation of a second peak of the analog signal is detected during a period between a timing of starting the A/D conversion of a signal value of a first peak of the analog signal and a timing of ending the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak of the analog signal, the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak will be interrupted and the A/D conversion of a signal value of the second peak will be started,
- wherein in a case in which the generation of the second peak of the analog signal is detected during the period between the timing of starting the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak of the analog signal and the timing of ending the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak of the analog signal, the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak is interrupted after a value of a first bit is determined in the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak and before a value of a second bit lower than the first bit is determined in the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak.
A signal processing method comprising:
- detecting generation of a peak in an analog signal whose signal value changes in accordance with an input of a photon;
- and
- performing A/D conversion of a signal value of a peak of the analog signal into digital data of a plurality of bits by determining a value of each of the plurality of bits from an upper bit to a lower bit,
- wherein in the performing the A/D conversion, in a case in which the generation of a second peak of the analog signal is detected during a period between a timing of starting the A/D conversion of a signal value of a first peak of the analog signal and a timing of ending the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak of the analog signal, the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak will be interrupted and the A/D conversion of a signal value of the second peak will be started, and
- wherein in a case in which the generation of the second peak of the analog signal is detected during the period between the timing of starting the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak of the analog signal and the timing of ending the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak of the analog signal, the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak is interrupted after a value of a first bit is determined in the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak and before a value of a second bit lower than the first bit is determined in the A/D conversion of the signal value of the first peak.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.