Imaging apparatus
AssigneeOlympus Optical Co., Ltd.
InventorsJunzo Sakurai, Takayuki Kijima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to a driving method for an interline type CCD imaging device, the voltage level to be applied to a channel electrode in a vertical charge transfer line to which at least one photodiode is connected is controlled to form a shallower potential well just in the channel. At least the voltage levels applied to channel electrodes in the VCCD connected to the PDs are controlled such that potential wells formed within respective channels becomes shallower.
Claims14
An imaging apparatus comprising:
- a lens;
- a photoelectric conversion device to generate and accumulate electric charges corresponding to light amount of an object inputted through said lens, said photoelectric conversion device having photoelectric conversion element which are arranged two-dimensionally;
- a vertical charge transfer line which vertically transfers the electric charges generated in said photoelectric conversion device;
- a read gate which transfers electric charges accumulated in said photoelectric conversion device to said vertical charge transfer line;
- a read gate electrode to control said read gate;
- a vertical transfer electrode, constructed as an m-phase group (m is an integer of 2 or more), to cause said vertical charge transfer line to transfer said electric charges therein;
- a horizontal charge transfer line which horizontally transfers said electric charges transferred through said vertical charge transfer line;
- horizontal transfer electrodes to cause said horizontal charge transfer line to transfer said electric charges therein;
- and
- a driving circuit which applies a driving pulse to said vertical transfer electrodes and said horizontal transfer electrodes, wherein
- said read gate is connected to a predetermined vertical transfer electrode among said m-phase vertical transfer electrodes and a voltage applied to said predetermined vertical transfer electrode, connected to said read gate, is set to be a low voltage during a horizontal transfer period so as not to form a potential well at least under said predetermined vertical transfer electrode connected to said read gate.
An imaging apparatus comprising:
- a lens;
- a photoelectric conversion device to generate and accumulate electric charges corresponding to light amount of an object inputted through said lens, said photoelectric conversion device having photoelectric conversion element which are arranged two-dimensionally;
- a vertical charge transfer line which vertically transfers the electric charges generated in said photoelectric conversion device;
- a read gate which transfers electric charges accumulated in said photoelectric conversion device to said vertical charge transfer line;
- a read gate electrode to control said read gate;
- a vertical transfer electrode, constructed as an m-phase group (m is an integer of 2 or more), to cause said vertical charge transfer line to transfer said electric charges therein;
- a horizontal charge transfer line which horizontally transfers said electric charges transferred through said vertical charge transfer line;
- horizontal transfer electrodes to cause said horizontal charge transfer line to transfer said electric charges therein;
- and
- a driving circuit which applies a driving pulse to said vertical transfer electrodes and said horizontal transfer electrode, wherein
- said read gate is connected to a predetermined vertical transfer electrode among said m-phase vertical transfer electrodes and a voltage applied to said predetermined vertical transfer electrode, connected to said read gate, is set to be a low voltage while electric charges are accumulated in said photoelectric conversion device so as not to form a potential well at least under said predetermined vertical transfer electrode connected to said read gate.
A drive unit for driving a solid-state imaging device having a photoelectric converting portion, vertical/horizontal charge transfer lines and a read gate to read out electric charges accumulated in said photoelectric converting portion, wherein
- said read gate is connected to a predetermined vertical transfer electrode among a m-phase (m is an integer of 2 or more) vertical transfer electrodes composing said vertical charge transfer line, and
- during a vertical charge transfer line driving stop period, the voltage applied to said predetermined vertical transfer electrode connected to said read gate is set to be a low voltage so as not to form a potential well at least under said predetermined vertical transfer electrode connected to said read gate.
A method of driving an interline type CCD imaging device which comprises a plurality of photodiodes arrayed in rows and columns, one horizontal charge transfer line, a plurality of vertical charge transfer lines arranged among columns of the photodiodes driven in at least two phases, and a read gate, and in which the read gate connects the photodiodes to a channel electrode of at least one vertical charge transfer line driven in a specific phase, wherein
- during at least any one operation of photoelectric charge accumulation in said photodiode and execution of the horizontal transfer operation, the voltage level applied to said channel electrode in the vertical charge transfer line at least to which said photodiode is connected is controlled to form a shallower potential well just in said channel.
A method of driving an interline type CCD imaging device which comprises a plurality of photodiodes arrayed in rows and columns, one horizontal charge transfer line, a plurality of vertical charge transfer lines driven in at least two phases, and a read gate, and in which the read gate connects the photodiodes to a channel electrode of at least one vertical charge transfer line driven in a specific phase, wherein
- during at least any one operation of photoelectric charge accumulation in said photodiode and execution of the horizontal transfer operation, the voltage level applied to said channel electrode in the vertical charge transfer line at least to which said photodiode is connected is controlled to form a higher potential barrier formed just under said read gate.
A method of driving an interline type CCD imaging device which comprises a plurality of photodiodes arrayed in rows and columns, one horizontal charge transfer line, a plurality of vertical charge transfer lines driven in at least two phases, and a read gate, and in which the read gate connects the photodiodes to a channel electrode of at least one vertical charge transfer line driven in a specific phase, wherein
- in the vertical charge transfer line stop period, the voltage level applied to said channel electrode in the vertical charge transfer line at least to which said photodiode is connected is controlled to form a shallower potential well just in said channel.
A method of driving an interline type CCD imaging device which comprises a plurality of photodiodes arrayed in rows and columns, one horizontal charge transfer line, a plurality of vertical charge transfer lines driven in at least two phases, and a read gate, and in which the read gate connects the photodiodes to a channel electrode of at least one vertical charge transfer line driven in a specific phase, wherein
- in the vertical charge transfer line stop period, the voltage level applied to said channel electrode in the vertical charge transfer line at least to which said photodiode is connected is controlled to form a higher potential barrier just under said read gate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.