Solid state imaging device and method of driving the solid state imaging device
AssigneePanasonic Corporation
InventorsKeijirou Itakura, Kenichi Shimomura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A row scanner selects an arbitrary row in an pixel array unit. Per-column AD converters separately convert voltage signals respectively outputted from a column of a plurality of unit pixels in the selected arbitrary row into digital signals. A column scanner sequentially outputs the digital signals by a column-scanning operation thereof. An AD conversion result adjuster judges whether or not the digital signals reach a predetermined judgment value or the status equivalent to the digital signals reaching the predetermined judgment value is generated, and fixes the digital signals to digital pixel values set in accordance with the predetermined judgment value when a result of the judgment is positive.
Claims23
A solid state imaging device comprising:
- a pixel array unit where unit pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element are two-dimensionally arrayed in a matrix shape;
- a row scanner for selecting an arbitrary row in the pixel array unit;
- a plurality of column-by-column AD converters for separately converting voltage signals respectively outputted from the plurality of unit pixels in the selected arbitrary row into digital signals;
- a column scanner for sequentially column-scanning the digital signals outputted by the plurality of column-by-column AD converters and outputting them;
- a controller for timing-controlling the row scanner, the column-by-column AD converters and the column scanner;
- and
- an AD conversion result adjuster for judging whether or not the digital signals reach a predetermined judgment value or the status equivalent to the digital signals reaching the predetermined judgment value is generated, and converting the digital signals into digital pixel values set in accordance with the predetermined judgment value when a result of the judgment is positive.
A method of driving a solid state imaging device including:
- a selecting step for selecting unit pixels on a row-by-row basis in a pixel array unit where the unit pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element are two-dimensionally arrayed in a matrix shape;
- a converting step for converting voltage signals outputted respectively from a column of the plurality of unit pixels in the row selected in the selecting step into digital signals;
- and
- an outputting step for sequentially outputting the digital signals by a column-scanning operation thereof, wherein
- in the converting step, it is judged whether or not the digital signals reach a predetermined judgment value or the status equivalent to the digital signals reaching the predetermined judgment value is generated, and the digital signals are fixed to digital pixel values set in accordance with the predetermined judgment value when a result of the judgment is positive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.