Photoelectric conversion apparatus and photoelectric conversion system
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTOMOYA SASAGO, YASUHARU OTA
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Abstract
A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a plurality of APDs, a first control circuit configured to set the plurality of APDs in a photon-detectable state in accordance with a first control signal, a plurality of shaping circuits supplied with outputs of the plurality of APDs, respectively, a logic circuit configured to generate a second control signal by calculating a logical sum of outputs of the plurality of shaping circuits, a counter configured to perform a count operation in a case where the second control signal is generated, and a second control circuit configured to set the plurality of APDs in an avalanche non-occurrence state in a case where the second control signal is generated.
Claims20
A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of APDs;
- a first control circuit configured to set the plurality of APDs in a photon-detectable state in accordance with a first control signal;
- a plurality of shaping circuits supplied with outputs of the plurality of APDs, respectively;
- a logic circuit configured to generate a second control signal by calculating a logical sum of outputs of the plurality of shaping circuits;
- a counter configured to perform a count operation in a case where the second control signal is generated;
- and
- a second control circuit configured to set the plurality of APDs in an avalanche non-occurrence state in a case where the second control signal is generated.
A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising:
- first to fourth APDs;
- a first control circuit configured to set the first to fourth APDs in a photon-detectable state in accordance with a control signal;
- first to fourth shaping circuits configured to generate detection signals in accordance with outputs of the first to fourth APDs, respectively;
- a first counter configured to perform a count operation in a case where the detection signal is generated by one of the first shaping circuit and the second shaping circuit;
- a second counter configured to perform a count operation in a case where the detection signal is generated by one of the third shaping circuit and the fourth shaping circuit;
- a third counter configured to perform a count operation in a case where the detection signal is generated by one of the first shaping circuit and the third shaping circuit;
- a fourth counter configured to perform a count operation in a case where the detection signal is generated by one of the second shaping circuit and the fourth shaping circuit;
- and
- a second control circuit configured to set the second APD and the third APD in an avalanche non-occurrence state in a case where the detection signals are generated by the first shaping circuit and the fourth shaping circuit, and set the first APD and the fourth APD in an avalanche non-occurrence state in a case where the detection signals are generated by the second shaping circuit and the third shaping circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.