Imaging device
AssigneePanasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
InventorsKazuko Nishimura, Tokuhiko Tamaki, Masashi Murakami
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Abstract
An imaging device including: a first photoelectric converter that generates a first signal by photoelectric conversion; a first transistor having a gate configured to be electrically coupled to the first photoelectric converter; a second photoelectric converter that generates a second signal by photoelectric conversion; a capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal being configured to be electrically coupled to second photoelectric converter, a first potential being applied to the second terminal; and a switch element provided between the gate of the first transistor and the first terminal of the capacitor.
Claims18
An imaging device comprising:
- a first imaging cell including a first photoelectric converter that generates a first signal by photoelectric conversion;
- a second imaging cell including:
- a second photoelectric converter that generates a second signal by photoelectric conversion;
- and
- a capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal being configured to be electrically coupled to the second photoelectric converter, a first potential being applied to the second terminal;
- a first transistor having a gate electrically coupled to the first photoelectric converter;
- and
- a switch element coupled between the gate of the first transistor and the first terminal of the capacitor, wherein
- an area of the first photoelectric converter is greater than an area of the second photoelectric converter,
- the first imaging cell has a first number of saturation charges, and the second imaging cell has a second number of saturation charges,
- a number of saturation charges due to the first photoelectric converter in the first number of saturation charges is greater than a number of saturation charges due to the second photoelectric converter in the second number of saturation charges, and
- the capacitor has capacitance that causes the second number of saturation charges of the second imaging cell to become greater than the first number of saturation charges of the first imaging cell.
An imaging device comprising:
- a first imaging cell including:
- a first photoelectric converter that generates a first signal by photoelectric conversion;
- and
- a first node that receives the first signal;
- a second imaging cell including:
- a second photoelectric converter that generates a second signal by photoelectric conversion;
- a second node that receives the second signal;
- and
- a capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal being electrically coupled to the second node, a first potential being applied to the second terminal;
- a first transistor having a gate electrically coupled to the first node;
- and
- a switch element coupled between the first node and the second node, wherein
- an area of the first photoelectric converter is greater than an area of the second photoelectric converter, and
- the first imaging cell has a first number of saturation charges, and the second imaging cell has a second number of saturation charges,
- a number of saturation charges due to the first photoelectric converter in the first number of saturation charges is greater than a number of saturation charges due to the second photoelectric converter in the second number of saturation charges, and
- the capacitor has capacitance that causes the second number of saturation charges of the second imaging cell to become greater than the first number of saturation charges of the first imaging cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.