US 2022/0103773 A1 · IMAGING APPARATUS INCLUDING UNIT PIXEL, COUNTER ELECTRODE, PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION LAYER, AND VOLTAGE SUPPLY CIRCUIT

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes a unit pixel including a pixel electrode, a charge accumulation region electrically connected to the pixel electrode, and a signal detection circuit electrically connected to the charge accumulation region; a counter electrode facing the pixel electrode; a photoelectric conversion layer disposed between the electrodes; and a voltage supply circuit configured to selectively apply any one of first, second, and third voltages between the electrodes. The photoelectric conversion layer exhibits first and second wavelength sensitivity characteristics in a wavelength range when the voltage supply circuit applies the first and second voltages between the electrodes, respectively, and becomes insensitive to light in the wavelength range when the voltage supply circuit applies the third voltage between the electrodes.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

an imaging apparatus that includes a pixel array having a sensitivity in a first wavelength band and a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band, light in the first wavelength band being infrared light and invisible to a human eye, the imaging apparatus being configured to output a first image of the first wavelength band and a second image of the second wavelength band;
and
a processor, wherein:
the processor
reads out, from the first image of a product, information which is related to the product and is invisible to the human eye, and
inspects an appearance of the product on the basis of the second image of the product, and
the pixel array includes photoelectric conversion layers, the photoelectric conversion layers including:
a first photoelectric conversion layer which has a first absorption spectrum and a sensitivity in the first wavelength band;
and
a second photoelectric conversion layer which has a second absorption spectrum different from the first absorption spectrum and a sensitivity in the second wavelength band.

7 more elements

A method comprising:

acquiring a first image of a product and a second image of the product by an imaging apparatus, the imaging apparatus including a pixel array having a sensitivity in a first wavelength band and a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band, light in the first wavelength band being infrared light and invisible to a human eye, the imaging apparatus being configured to output the first image of the first wavelength band and the second image of the second wavelength band;
reading out, from the first image of the product, information which is related to the product and is invisible to the human eye;
and
inspecting an appearance of the product based on the second image of the product,
wherein the pixel array includes photoelectric conversion layers, the photoelectric conversion layers including:
a first photoelectric conversion layer which has a first absorption spectrum and a sensitivity in the first wavelength band;
and
a second photoelectric conversion layer which has a second absorption spectrum different from the first absorption spectrum and a sensitivity in the second wavelength band.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

17/549,035Filed 13 Dec 2021

Priority

JP 2017-0187693 Feb 2017

Published

31 Mar 2022

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

H04N 25/76
SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith: addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
H04N 25/131
Characterised by the spectral characteristics of the filter elements: including elements passing infrared wavelengths
H04N 25/532
Control of the integration time: by controlling global shutters in CMOS SSIS
H04N 25/78
Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors: readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters

Family

Application15/872,016Continuation · filed 16 Jan 2018

Application16/241,714Continuation · filed 7 Jan 2019

Application16/437,975Continuation · filed 11 Jun 2019

Application17/549,035Continuation

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