Imaging device, and control method for solid imaging element
AssigneeOmron Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorYusuke Ukai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An imaging device capable of suppressing the complexity of a constitution and reducing the dispersion of brightness sensitivities of individual solid imaging elements to the temperature includes a solid imaging element, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature, and a temperature monitor for detecting the temperature of the solid imaging element with an output signal of the temperature sensor. On the basis of this detection result, the control values corresponding to the temperatures at different times are set in the register of the voltage control circuit. In accordance with the control values of the register, the voltage control circuit controls reset voltages to be fed to pixel cells.
Claims6
An imaging device comprising:
- a solid element including
- an imaging unit having a plurality of pixel cells having light receiving elements and MOS type transistors connected in series for operating said MOS type transistors in a weak inversion state to convert photo currents to flow through said light receiving elements in accordance with an incident light into voltages, thereby to output said voltages,
- a reset voltage generating circuit for generating reset voltages to initialize the output voltages of said light receiving elements, and
- decoders for feeding said reset voltages for a reset period to said plurality of pixel cells to initialize the output voltages of said light receiving elements, and for feeding drive voltages to operate said MOS type transistors for an exposure period in the weak inversion state to said plurality of pixel cells;
- and
- a temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of said solid imaging element,
- wherein said reset voltage generating circuit generates the reset voltages corresponding to the temperature at different times, on the basis of the detection results of said temperature detecting unit;
- a table stored with a plurality of temperatures of said solid imaging element and control values corresponding to individual temperatures;
- and
- a setting unit for reading the control values corresponding to the temperatures at the different times from said table, on the basis of the detection results of said temperature detecting unit thereby to set the read control values in said reset voltage generating circuit,
- wherein said reset voltage generating circuit generates the reset voltages in accordance with the control values set by said setting unit.
A control method for a solid imaging element, comprising:
- an imaging unit having a plurality of pixel cells having light receiving elements and MOS type transistors connected in series for operating said MOS type transistors in a weak inversion state to convert photo currents to flow through said light receiving elements in accordance with an incident light into a voltage, thereby to output said voltage;
- a reset voltage generating circuit for generating reset voltages to initialize the output voltages of said light receiving elements;
- and
- decoders for feeding said reset voltages for a reset period to said plurality of pixel cells to initialize the output voltages of said light receiving elements, and for feeding drive voltages to operate said MOS type transistors for an exposure period in the weak inversion state to said plurality of pixel cells,
- comprising a temperature detecting step of detecting, the temperature of said solid imaging element,
- wherein said reset voltage generating circuit generates the reset voltages corresponding to the temperatures at different times, on the basis of the detection results of said temperature detecting step;
- a table stored with a plurality of temperatures of said solid imaging element and control values corresponding to individual temperatures;
- and
- a setting step of reading the control values corresponding to the temperatures at the different times from said table, on the basis of the detection results of said temperature detecting step thereby to set the read control values in said reset voltage generating circuit,
- wherein said reset voltage generating circuit generates the reset voltages in accordance with the control values set by said setting step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.