Abstract: An integrating A/D converter includes: a comparator comparing an input voltage to a reference voltage having a ramp waveform, a voltage value of which linearly varies with time; a higher-order bit counter starting operation or stopping operation triggered by inversion of an output signal of the comparator and outputting higher order bits by performing counting in a cycle of a clock signal; and a time-to-digital converter latching phase information of the clock signal corresponding to plural signals obtained by delaying an output signal of the comparator and decoding the latched values to output lower order bits having higher resolution than the clock cycle.

Abstract: A technology of a phase-difference detecting image pickup element that can precisely detect a focus by a phase difference detection method and that can be properly produced even if pixels are becoming finer is provided. An image pickup element of an image pickup device includes an AF pixel pair 11f performing a pupil division function by receiving an object light beam transmitted through a pair of portions Qa, Qb in an exit pupil; and ordinary pixels that are not provided with the pupil division function. The AF pixel pair 11f includes a pair of photoelectric converters PD having the same size as photoelectric converters of the ordinary pixels and being disposed adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction. A light-intercepting section LS and one microlens ML are provided above the pair of photoelectric converters PD. The light-intercepting section LS has two light-intercepting areas Ea, Eb that intercept the light beam transmitted through the exit pupil.

Abstract: A pixel drive circuit includes a plurality of pixel circuits each including a photoelectric converting unit for converting an incident light into an electric charge and accumulating the converted electric charge, the plurality of pixel circuits being arranged in a matrix shape, an address decoder for selecting the pixel circuits to be controlled which are arranged on an identical line, a storage circuit for storing operation information to be executed by the pixel circuits selected by the address decoder, and a control circuit for controlling an operation of the pixel circuits selected by the address decoder in accordance with a storage state of the storage circuit. The control circuit controls a charge discharging operation of discharging an electric charge remaining in the photoelectric converting unit of each of the pixel circuits. The storage circuit holds the storage state until the charge discharging operation is completed.

Abstract: A pixel drive circuit including a plurality of pixel circuits, each including a photoelectric converting unit for converting an incident light into an electric charge and accumulating the converted electric charge, the plurality of pixel circuits being arranged in a matrix shape, an address decoder for selecting the pixel circuits to be controlled which are arranged on an identical line, a storage circuit for storing operation information to be executed by the pixel circuits selected by the address decoder, and a control circuit for controlling an operation of the pixel circuits selected by the address decoder in accordance with a storage state of the storage circuit. The control circuit controls a charge discharging operation of discharging an electric charge remaining in the photoelectric converting unit of each of the pixel circuits. The storage circuit holds the storage state until the charge discharging operation is completed.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device, including: a pixel section including at least one pixel circuit including a mechanism for converting an optical signal into an electric signal and accumulating the electric signal in response to exposure time; a pixel driving section configured to drive the pixel section to carry out signal accumulation and signal outputting; at least one different circuit section configured to carry out a process relating to accessing to the pixel section through the pixel driving section; and a control section configured to control, at least upon the signal accumulation of the pixel circuit, the pixel driving section so as to maintain the pixel circuit in a state wherein the pixel circuit accumulates the electric signal and control supply of a power supply voltage to the different circuit section.

Abstract: A binary conversion circuit includes: a latch circuit that latches phase information of at least one clock signal when the level of a signal is inverted, the level of the signal being inverted based on its state; at least one conversion circuit that converts the latched phase information of the latch circuit to a pulse train in response to a pulse signal; and a ripple counter section that converts phase information of a clock to a binary code by using the pulse obtained by the conversion of the conversion circuit as a count clock.

Abstract: A black level correction circuit includes: a counter counting a black signal level of an image; a black level determination section determining a feedback gain by comparing data outputted from the counter with a previously set threshold; an average value calculation section calculating an average value from data supplied from the counter; a feedback calculation processing section selecting the feedback gain by a control signal supplied from the black level determination section and calculating the selected feedback gain and the averaged data; and a digital-analog converter correcting data to which feedback calculation processing has been performed and converting the corrected data into analog data to output an analog black signal.

Abstract: An imaging device includes an image pickup device having an arrangement of photoelectric converting units, the arrangement in which a plurality of pairs of photoelectric converting units are arranged along a predetermined direction, each pair of photoelectric converting units receiving light beams of a subject passing through partial areas in a pair that are lopsided in reverse to each other along the predetermined direction in an exit pupil of a shooting optical system, and a focus detector for performing focus detection of a phase-difference detecting technique according to data obtained from the pair of photoelectric converting units in the arrangement of the photoelectric converting units. The focus detector corrects the data according to a correction amount corresponding to a positional shift amount from the normalized position, and performs focus detection of the phase-difference detecting technique according to the corrected data.

Abstract: An image pickup element includes a light-receiving portion having a matrix arrangement formed by disposing first-direction arrays, each having photoelectric conversion portions arranged in a first direction with a predetermined gap maintained therebetween, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and micro-lenses provided above the light-receiving portion. A certain first-direction array in the matrix arrangement is provided with a pair of photoelectric conversion portions that optically receive, via a pair of micro-lenses, photographic-subject light beams passing through a pair of segmental regions in an exit pupil of a photographic optical system, the pair of segmental regions being disposed biasedly in opposite directions from each other in the first direction. The pair of micro-lenses is disposed such that light axes thereof extend through vicinities of edges of the pair of photoelectric conversion portions, the edges being the farthest edges from each other in the first direction.

Abstract: An image pickup element includes a light receiver having a matrix arrangement formed by disposing first-direction arrays, each having photoelectric converters arranged in a first direction with a gap therebetween, in a second direction orthogonal thereto, and micro-lenses above the light receiver. In the matrix arrangement, a certain first-direction array has two first photoelectric converters receiving, via two micro-lenses, photographic-subject light passing through two segmental regions in an exit pupil of a photographic optical system, and a certain second-direction array has two second photoelectric converters receiving photographic-subject light passing through two segmental regions in the exit pupil. Light axes of the two micro-lenses extend through vicinities of edges, farthest from each other in the first direction, of the first photoelectric converters.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a solid-state imaging element including a pixel unit configured to include a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix and a pixel signal readout unit configured to include an analog-digital conversion unit that carries out analog-digital conversion of a pixel signal read out from the pixel unit. Each one of the pixels in the pixel unit includes a plurality of divided pixels arising from division into regions different from each other in optical sensitivity or a charge accumulation amount. The pixel signal readout unit reads out divided-pixel signals of the divided pixels in the pixel. The analog-digital conversion unit carries out analog-digital conversion of the divided-pixel signals that are read out and adds the divided-pixel signals to each other to obtain a pixel signal of one pixel.

Abstract: In particular for a solid-state image sensor with high resolution, a control line is not driven at any of two end points of the control line, but the control line is driven at two arbitrary dividing points on the control line. Preferably, two points on control line whose distance from a closer end of a range in which skew is to be suppressed is equal to ¼ of the total length of the range may be selected as the dividing points at which the control line is driven. In this case, the time constant at points farthest from the driving points becomes ¼ of that which occurs when the control line is driven at both end points thereof and 1/16 of that which occurs when the control line is driven at one end point thereof, and thus, theoretically, the skew can be reduced to ¼ or 1/16 of that which occurs when the control line is driven at both end points or only one end point.

Abstract: A solid-state image capture apparatus includes a pixel array section with a plurality of pixels arranged in two-dimensional directions, each having a photoelectric conversion section, and pixel drive control section for performing pixel signal readout by sequentially scanning the pixel array section either in a row direction or in a column direction, and driving and controlling individual pixels of the pixel array section through a level shifter circuit. The pixel drive control means includes thinning-out readout control means for performing pixel signal readout, reset control means for resetting either a non-readout pixel row or a non-readout pixel column not being selected by the thinning-out readout control means and gate means for causing the pixel drive control means to perform driving control, whereby current concurrently flowing into the level shifter circuit during the thinning-out readout driving, may be avoided and large current caused by the level shifter circuit may be suppressed.

Abstract: A pixel drive circuit includes a plurality of pixel circuits each including a photoelectric converting unit for converting an incident light into an electric charge and accumulating the converted electric charge, the plurality of pixel circuits being arranged in a matrix shape, an address decoder for selecting the pixel circuits to be controlled which are arranged on an identical line, a storage circuit for storing operation information to be executed by the pixel circuits selected by the address decoder, and a control circuit for controlling an operation of the pixel circuits selected by the address decoder in accordance with a storage state of the storage circuit. The control circuit controls a charge discharging operation of discharging an electric charge remaining in the photoelectric converting unit of each of the pixel circuits. The storage circuit holds the storage state until the charge discharging operation is completed.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel array including pixel circuits arranged in a matrix; and a pixel drive unit configured to drive the pixel array to perform a reset of the pixel array, a signal storage, and an output operation. The pixel drive unit includes a pixel reset control portion to supply a signal for resetting a pixel to the pixel circuits of a plurality of rows. The pixel reset control portion performs a reset control so that a row in which the reset signal is cancelled and a row in which the reset signal is continued always exist in one reset row change operation, and a row in which the reset signal continues to be supplied exists during two or more reset row change operations.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device, including: a pixel section including at least one pixel circuit including a mechanism for converting an optical signal into an electric signal and accumulating the electric signal in response to exposure time; a pixel driving section configured to drive the pixel section to carry out signal accumulation and signal outputting; at least one different circuit section configured to carry out a process relating to accessing to the pixel section through the pixel driving section; and a control section configured to control, at least upon the signal accumulation of the pixel circuit, the pixel driving section so as to maintain the pixel circuit in a state wherein the pixel circuit accumulates the electric signal and control supply of a power supply voltage to the different circuit section.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of acquiring physical information that acquires physical information by using a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes unit elements, each of which has a detecting unit and a unit signal generating unit. The method includes the steps of: providing an operation current supply unit supplying an operation current such that the unit signal generating unit outputs a unit signal, and a signal processing unit receiving the unit signal output from each of the unit elements forming the semiconductor device and outputting an output unit signal; and when a selective read mode is designated for reading the unit signal from a portion of the respective unit elements, an operation current of the output signal line of the unit signal generating unit not to be read is reduced so as to be smaller than an operation current of the output signal line of the unit signal generating unit to be read.

Abstract: To reduce random noise caused by address setting in an apparatus that controls a read address of an image sensing device, without causing a significant increase in circuit complexity. A ring shift register sets a low-order address value depending on a value in steps of which an overall address value is incremented, and a Gray code counter sets a high-order address value. In the ring shift register, a carry from the lowest-order bit to the highest-order bit does not occur, and thus use of the ring shift register makes it possible to reduce the maximum number of toggled bits. The Gray code counter does not need to include a complicated circuit for switching the value in steps of which to increment the high-order address value.

Abstract: In particular for a solid-state image sensor with high resolution, a control line is not driven at any of two end points of the control line, but the control line is driven at two arbitrary dividing points on the control line. Preferably, two points on control line whose distance from a closer end of a range in which skew is to be suppressed is equal to ¼ of the total length of the range may be selected as the dividing points at which the control line is driven. In this case, the time constant at points farthest from the driving points becomes ¼ of that which occurs when the control line is driven at both end points thereof and 1/16 of that which occurs when the control line is driven at one end point thereof, and thus, theoretically, the skew can be reduced to ¼ or 1/16 of that which occurs when the control line is driven at both end points or only one end point.

Abstract: To check circuit characteristics of a function circuit block such as a gain circuit, data indicating an initial set point is set in a data set unit setting time period T1. A plurality of electric signals from converting optical signals of pixel cells for an image are accumulated in a pixel array in an accumulating time period T2. In a data outputting time period T3, a plurality of different set points are set in an automatic set point changing block according to the data set in the data set unit. The electric signals are repeatedly corrected in the gain circuit at a gain while changing the gain corresponding to each of the set points. The corrected electric signals corresponding to the set points are output from a semiconductor image pickup device. In a time period T4, the corrected electric signals is calculated, and the gain circuit characteristics are checked.