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US 9,288,415 B2Granted
Solid-state imaging apparatus and imaging system
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKazuo Yamazaki, Tetsuya Itano, Hiroki Hiyama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a pixel section in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix, a column signal line configured to output a pixel signal from the pixel section, a column amplifier circuit configured to invert and amplify the pixel signal, a bypass circuit configured to bypass the column amplifier circuit, an AD converter, and a control unit configured to change an operation mode of the AD converter in accordance with the operation of the bypass circuit.
Claims8
A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising:
- a pixel section in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix;
- a column signal line configured to output a pixel signal from the pixel section;
- a column amplifier circuit configured to output an amplified signal by inverting and amplifying the pixel signal;
- a bypass circuit configured to bypass the column amplifier circuit;
- an analogue to digital (AD) converter;
- and
- a control unit configured to change an operation mode of the AD converter,
- wherein the AD converter includes a ramp signal generation circuit configured to generate a reference signal, a comparator configured to compare the reference signal and one of the pixel signal and the amplified signal, and a counter configured to count a time and output a count value corresponding to the time, and
- the control unit is configured:
- in a first operation mode, to control the AD converter to AD-convert the pixel signal output from the column signal line via the bypass circuit,
- in a second operation mode, to control the AD converter to AD-convert the amplified signal, and
- to change one of a slope of a reference signal and a counting procedure of the counter between the first operation mode and the second operation mode.
9 more elements
An imaging system comprising:
- a solid-state imaging apparatus;
- an optical system configured to form an image on the solid-state imaging apparatus;
- and
- a signal processing circuit configured to process an output signal from the solid-state imaging apparatus,
- the solid-state imaging apparatus comprising:
- a pixel section in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix;
- a column signal line configured to output a pixel signal from the pixel section;
- a column amplifier circuit configured to output an amplified signal by inverting and amplifying the pixel signal;
- a bypass circuit configured to bypass the column amplifier circuit;
- an analogue to digital (AD) converter;
- and
- a control unit configured to change an operation mode of the AD converter,
- wherein the AD converter includes a ramp signal generation circuit configured to generate a reference signal, a comparator configured to compare the reference signal and one of the pixel signal and the amplified signal, and a counter configured to count a time and output a count value corresponding to the time, and
- the control unit is configured:
- in a first operation mode, to control the AD converter to AD-convert the pixel signal output from the column signal line via the bypass circuit,
- in a second operation mode, to control the AD converter to AD-convert the amplified signal, and
- to change one of a slope of a reference signal and a counting procedure of the counter between the first operation mode and the second operation mode.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.