Solid-state imaging element, imaging device, and method for controlling solid-state imaging element
AssigneeSony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
InventorsCHIHIRO OKADA, KOUJI MATSUURA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a solid-state imaging element in which an ADC is disposed, deterioration of conversion accuracy of the ADC caused by a dark current is inhibited. A signal voltage sample-and-hold circuit samples and holds, as a sample signal voltage, a voltage obtained by dividing a difference between a voltage of a vertical signal line corresponding to a light reception amount in a pixel and a predetermined variable reference voltage. An analog-to-digital converter converts an analog signal corresponding to the sample signal voltage to a digital signal. A reference voltage control section performs control to modulate a value of the variable reference voltage according to a dark current amount in the pixel.
Claims9
A solid-state imaging element comprising:
- a signal voltage sample-and-hold circuit that samples and holds, as a sample signal voltage, a voltage obtained by dividing a difference between a voltage of a vertical signal line corresponding to a light reception amount in a pixel and a predetermined variable reference voltage;
- an analog-to-digital converter that converts an analog signal corresponding to the sample signal voltage to a digital signal;
- and
- a reference voltage control section that performs control to modulate a value of the variable reference voltage according to a dark current amount in the pixel.
An imaging device comprising:
- a signal voltage sample-and-hold circuit that samples and holds, as a sample signal voltage, a voltage obtained by dividing a difference between a voltage of a vertical signal line corresponding to a light reception amount in a pixel and a predetermined variable reference voltage;
- an analog-to-digital converter that converts an analog signal corresponding to the sample signal voltage to a digital signal;
- a reference voltage control section that performs control to modulate a value of the variable reference voltage according to a dark current amount in the pixel;
- and
- a digital signal processing circuit that processes the digital signal.
A method for controlling a solid-state imaging element, the method comprising:
- a signal voltage sampling-and-holding procedure of sampling and holding, as a sample signal voltage, a voltage obtained by dividing a difference between a voltage of a vertical signal line corresponding to a light reception amount in a pixel and a predetermined variable reference voltage;
- an analog-to-digital converting procedure of converting an analog signal corresponding to the sample signal voltage to a digital signal;
- and
- a reference voltage controlling procedure of performing control to modulate a value of the variable reference voltage according to a dark current amount in the pixel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.