Imaging device with boosting circuit

An imaging device having a standby mode and an imaging mode, the imaging device comprising:

• a boosting circuit for boosting an input voltage to generate a boosted voltage;
• a solid state imaging device connected to the boosting circuit to receive the boosted voltage and generate the image signal;
• a drive circuit connected to the boosting circuit and the solid state imaging device to generate a drive clock signal with the boosted voltage, wherein the drive circuit provides the solid state imaging device with the drive clock signal to generate the image signal;
• a clock signal generation unit connected to the boosting circuit to determined a timing for generating the image signal in correspondence with a vertical synchronization signal and a horizontal synchronization signal and to generate a boosting clock signal for operating the boosting circuit, wherein there is a blanking period for the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals, wherein the clock signal generation unit includes,
• a boosting clock signal generation circuit for generating the boosting clock signal, the boosting clock signal generation circuit generating the boosting clock signal during the blanking period of one of the vertical synchronization signal and the horizontal synchronization signal, and
• a timing signal generation circuit coupled to the drive circuit, for providing a timing signal that sets a timing for providing the solid state imaging device with the drive clock signal from the drive circuit;
• and
• a control circuit connected to the clock signal generation circuit and the timing signal generation circuit, for controlling the clock signal generation circuit to continuously generate a plurality of boosting clock signals during a predetermined period from when the standby mode is switched to the imaging mode before the blanking period, wherein the predetermined period is longer than the blanking period of the vertical synchronization signal or the horizontal synchronization signal, and wherein the control circuit controls the timing signal generation circuit to start providing the drive circuit with the timing signal when the predetermined period has elapsed.

A method for controlling an imaging device that performs an imaging operation to generate an image signal, the imaging device including a boosting circuit, which boosts an input voltage in accordance with a boosting clock signal to generate a boosted voltage, and a solid state imaging device, which receives the boosted voltage and generates the image signal in correspondence with a vertical synchronization signal and a horizontal synchronization signal, a drive circuit, which provides the solid state imaging device with a drive clock signal to generate the image signal in response to a timing signal, wherein there is a blanking period for the vertical and horizontal synchronization signals, the method comprising:

• validating a start trigger signal to have the imaging device start the imaging operation;
• starting continuous generation of a plurality of boosting clock signals when the start trigger signal is validated;
• stopping the continuous generation of the plurality of boosting clock signal after a predetermined period from when the start trigger signal is validated, wherein the predetermined period is longer than the blanking period of the vertical synchronization signal or the horizontal synchronization signal;
• starting providing the drive circuit with the timing signal when the predetermined period has elapsed;
• and
• after the predetermined period, generating a boosting clock signal during the blanking period of one of the vertical synchronization signal and the horizontal synchronization signal.