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US 8,552,357 B2Granted
Photoelectric conversion apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHideo Kobayashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus includes a first photoelectric conversion element configured to convert light into a current by a photoelectric conversion, a first current amplification unit configured to amplify the current, a first current monitoring unit configured to monitor the amplified current amplified and output a monitor signal, and a first bias voltage setting unit configured to gain the monitor signal by a factor less than 1 and apply a reverse bias voltage to the first photoelectric conversion element according to the gained monitor signal.
Claims12
An apparatus comprising:
- a first photoelectric conversion element configured to convert light into a first current by a photoelectric conversion;
- a first current amplification unit configured to amplify the first current;
- a first current monitoring unit configured to monitor the amplified first current and output a first monitor signal;
- and
- a first bias voltage setting unit configured to gain the monitor signal by a factor less than 1 and apply a reverse bias voltage to the first photoelectric conversion element according to the gained monitor signal.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a bipolar transistor functioning as a phototransistor;
- a first field effect transistor (FET);
- and
- a second FET with same polarity as that of the first FET,
- the bipolar transistor being configured such that an emitter of the bipolar transistor is electrically connected to a source of the first FET, and a base of the bipolar transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second FET,
- the apparatus further comprising:
- a gain unit configured such that a gate of the first FET is electrically connected to a drain of the second FET via the gain unit;
- and
- a current source configured to supply a current to the gain unit.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.