US 6,650,369 B2Granted

Image sensing apparatus, signal detection apparatus, and signal accumulation apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsToru Koizumi, Tetsunobu Kochi

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

There is provided an image sensing apparatus comprising a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit, an amplification unit for amplifying a signal from the photoelectric conversion unit, a transfer unit for transferring the signal from the photoelectric conversion unit to the photoelectric conversion unit, and a read control unit for controlling a read of the signal from the amplification unit under control of the voltage level of the input portion of the amplification unit.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An image pickup apparatus comprising:

a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion device, and an amplification device arranged to amplify a signal from said photoelectric conversion device;
a common output line to which signals from said plurality of pixels are read out sequentially from said amplification devices;
a load device arranged to function as a load of the amplification devices which are connected to said common output line;
and
a control circuit arranged to supply a first voltage to an input portion of a said amplification device included in a selected pixel from which a signal is selected to be read and to supply a second voltage which is greater than zero and lower than the first voltage, to the input portion of amplification devices included in the non-selected pixels from which signals are not selected to be read,
wherein in case that a voltage of the input portion of the amplification device included in the selected pixel falls below a predetermined voltage due to a signal accumulated in said photoelectric conversion device, the signal read to said common output line appears to be based on the second voltage supplied to the input portion of the amplification device included in the non-selected pixels.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/163,343Filed 30 Sep 1998
Priority: JP 9-2725786 Oct 1997
Published: US 2003/0137594 A124 Jul 2003
Granted: 18 Nov 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04N 25/77
Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors: pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components
H04N 25/616
Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise: involving a correlated sampling function, e.g. correlated double…
H04N 25/623
For the control of blooming: by evacuation via the output or reset lines
H04N 25/766
Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors: comprising control or output lines used for a plurality of functions, e.g. for pixel output, driving,…

Family

US 2003/0137594 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 Jul 2003
US 6,650,369 B2This patent

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Abstract

Facts

Application

09/163,343Filed 30 Sep 1998

Priority

JP 9-2725786 Oct 1997

Published

US 2003/0137594 A124 Jul 2003

Granted

18 Nov 2003

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04N 25/77
Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors: pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components
H04N 25/616
Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise: involving a correlated sampling function, e.g. correlated double…
H04N 25/623
For the control of blooming: by evacuation via the output or reset lines
H04N 25/766
Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors: comprising control or output lines used for a plurality of functions, e.g. for pixel output, driving,…