Intermittent driving type imaging device for portable terminal

An imaging device, comprising:

• an imaging element configured to accumulate charges obtained by photoelectric conversion of incident light providing an image of a subject, said imaging element transmitting accumulated charges to an output terminal in response to a vertical transfer clock and a horizontal transfer clock, and outputting said accumulated charges from said output terminal;
• a picked-up image signal processor having an input terminal connected to said output terminal of said imaging element, and first and second output terminals, said picked-up image signal processor performing predetermined signal processings on said accumulated charges received at said input terminal thereof, and outputting a resultant signal as a picked-up image signal from said first output terminal thereof, said picked-up image signal processor further outputting a signal from said second output terminal thereof, said signal being obtained in the course of said predetermined signal processings and required for determining brightness level of said subject;
• an imaging system controller having an input terminal and an output terminal, said imaging system controller outputting a control signal from said output terminal thereof, said control signal giving a command to generate and output said vertical transfer clock and said horizontal transfer clock in a signal transmission period, a command to suspend output of said vertical transfer clock and said horizontal transfer clock in an idle period subsequent to said signal transmission period, and a command to periodically repeat said signal transmission period and said idle period a number of times corresponding to the number of horizontal lines of said imaging element;
• a timing generator having an input terminal connected to said output terminal of said imaging system controller, and an output terminal connected to said imaging element, said timing generator generating and outputting said vertical transfer clock and said horizontal transfer clock from said output terminal thereof in said signal transmission period, and suspending output of said vertical transfer clock and said horizontal transfer clock in said idle period in response to said control signal received at said input terminal thereof;
• and
• a signal level detector having an input terminal connected to said second output terminal of said picked-up image signal processor and an output terminal connected to said input terminal of said imaging system controller, said signal level detector detecting said brightness level of said subject on the basis of said signal received at said input terminal thereof, and outputting a result of detection from said output terminal thereof, wherein
• the length of said idle period is n times (n is an integer of 0 or more) the length of said signal transmission period, and
• said imaging system controller controls the length of said idle period on the basis of said result of detection received at said input terminal thereof.

An imaging device, comprising:

• an imaging element for accumulating charges obtained by photoelectric conversion of incident light providing an image of a subject, said imaging element transmitting accumulated charges to an output terminal in response to a vertical transfer clock and a horizontal transfer clock, and outputting said accumulated charges from said output terminal;
• picked-up image signal processing means having an input terminal connected to said output terminal of said imaging element, and an output terminal, said picked-up image signal processing means performing predetermined signal processings on said accumulated charges received from said input terminal thereof, and outputting a resultant signal as a picked-up image signal from said output terminal thereof;
• imaging system control means having an output terminal, said imaging system control means outputting a control signal from said output terminal thereof, said control signal giving a command to generate and output said vertical transfer clock and said horizontal transfer clock in a signal transmission period, a command to suspend output of said vertical transfer clock and said horizontal transfer clock in an idle period subsequent to said signal transmission period, and a command to periodically repeat said signal transmission period and said idle period a number of times corresponding to the number of horizontal lines of said imaging element;
• and
• timing generating means having an input terminal connected to said output terminal of said imaging system control means, and an output terminal connected to said imaging element, said timing generating means generating and outputting said vertical transfer clock and said horizontal transfer clock from said output terminal thereof in said signal transmission period, and suspending output of said vertical transfer clock and said horizontal transfer clock in said idle period in response to said control signal received at said input terminal thereof, wherein
• the length of said idle period is n times (n is a natural number) the length of said signal transmission period.