Photoelectric conversion device and camera system
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsDaisuke Inoue, Tomohisa Kinugasa, Hirofumi Totsuka
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Abstract
A photoelectric conversion device includes a common output line, a sensor cell unit which outputs a signal to the common output line, a transfer circuit unit which is connected to the common output line, holds a signal from the common output line in a transfer capacitor, and transfers the signal, first, second and third memory cell units each of which stores a signal from the common output line in a memory capacitor, inverts and amplifies the signal in the memory capacitor, and outputs the signal to the common output line.
Claims15
A photoelectric conversion device comprising:
- a common output line;
- a sensor cell unit configured to output a signal obtained by photoelectric conversion in a photoelectric converter, to said common output line;
- a transfer circuit unit connected to said common output line;
- a first memory cell unit connected to said common output line;
- a second memory cell unit connected to said common output line;
- and
- a third memory cell unit connected to said common output line,
- wherein said first memory cell unit holds a reset noise signal originating from resetting of the photoelectric converter, wherein said third memory cell unit holds a reset noise signal, the reset noise signal being a reset noise signal held by said first memory cell unit and output from said first memory cell unit,
- wherein said second memory cell unit holds a reset noise signal, that reset noise signal being a reset noise signal held by said third memory cell unit and output from said third memory cell unit, and
- wherein said transfer circuit unit holds a signal obtained by adding a reset noise signal held by and output from said second memory cell unit to a signal output from said sensor cell unit.
A photoelectric conversion device comprising:
- a sensor cell unit operable in a low sensitivity mode and a high sensitivity mode;
- a first memory cell unit;
- a second memory cell unit;
- and
- a third memory cell unit, wherein
- the sensor cell unit is set to the low sensitivity mode, and the first memory cell unit is caused to hold a reset noise signal originating from resetting of the photoelectric converter in the low sensitivity mode,
- the sensor unit cell is set to the high sensitivity mode, and the second memory cell unit and the third memory cell unit are caused to hold a reset noise signal in the high sensitivity mode, and
- thereafter, the sensor cell unit starts an accumulation in the high sensitivity mode, and in case the sensor cell unit is switched to the low sensitivity mode, a reset noise signal corresponding to the reset noise signal held by the first memory cell unit is written in the third memory cell unit.
A driving method of a photoelectric conversion device that comprises a sensor cell unit operable in a low sensitivity mode and a high sensitivity mode, a first memory cell unit, and second and third memory cell units, wherein the method comprises:
- setting the sensor cell unit to the low sensitivity mode, and causing the first memory cell unit to hold a reset noise signal originating from resetting of the photoelectric converter in the low sensitivity mode;
- setting the sensor unit cell to the high sensitivity mode, and causing the second memory cell unit and the third memory cell unit to hold a reset noise signal in the high sensitivity mode;
- and
- thereafter, starting an accumulation by the sensor cell unit in the high sensitivity mode, and in a case where the sensor cell unit is switched to the low sensitivity mode, writing, in the third memory cell unit, a reset noise signal corresponding to the reset noise signal held by the first memory cell unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.