Passive type image sensor and method including first and second anti-blooming transistors discharging electric charges while integrating electric charges
AssigneeDongbu HiTek Co., Ltd.
InventorHack-Soo Oh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A passive type image sensor and a method for operating the same. The passive type image sensor includes a photoelectric conversion section configured to receive light and integrate electric charges; a transfer section configured to transmit the integrated electric charges; an output section configured to received integrated electric charges from the transfer section and amplify and output the amplified electric charges; and an electric charge discharging section configured to discharge the electric charges flowing from the photoelectric conversion section to a common node through the transfer section while integrating the electric charge integration in the photoelectric conversion section.
Claims18
A passive type image sensor comprising:
- a photoelectric conversion section configured to receive light and integrate electric charges;
- a transfer section configured to transmit the integrated electric charges;
- an output section configured to receive integrated electric charges from the transfer section, amplify the received electric charges, and output the amplified electric charges;
- and
- an electric charge discharging section configured to activate a first anti-blooming transistor and inactivate a second anti-blooming transistor, wherein the first anti-blooming transistor and the second anti-blooming transistor are configured to discharge the electric charges flowing from the photoelectric conversion section to a common node through the transfer section while integrating the electric charges in the photoelectric conversion section.
A passive type image sensor comprising:
- a first photosensitive pixel configured to include a first photoelectric conversion section for receiving light and integrating electric charges and a first transfer section for transmitting the integrated electric charges to a common node;
- a second photosensitive pixel configured to include a second photoelectric conversion section for receiving light and integrating electric charges and a second transfer section for transmitting the integrated electric charges to the common node;
- an output section configured to amplify the electric charges from the first photoelectric conversion section and/or the second photoelectric conversion section and output amplified electric charges through the common node;
- and
- an electric charge discharging section configured to activate a first anti-blooming transistor and inactivate a second anti-blooming transistor, wherein the first anti-blooming transistor and the second anti-blooming transistor are configured to discharge the electric charges flowing from the first photoelectric conversion section or the second photoelectric conversion section to the common node through the transfer section while integrating the electric charges in the first photoelectric conversion section or the second photoelectric conversion section.
A method of operating a passive type image sensor, the method comprising:
- integrating electric charges in a photoelectric conversion element;
- discharging a current flowing through a transfer transistor while integrating the electric charges in the photoelectric conversion element by activating a first anti-blooming transistor and inactivating a second anti-blooming transistor, wherein the first anti-blooming transistor and the second anti-blooming transistor are configured to discharge electric charges flowing from the photoelectric conversion element to a common node through the transfer transistor while integrating the electric charges in the photoelectric conversion element;
- outputting a voltage on a common node as a reference voltage;
- and then
- outputting electric charges in the photoelectric conversion element as a sensing voltage by inactivating the first anti-blooming transistor, activating the second anti-blooming transistor, and activating the transfer transistor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.