Abstract: A distance-measuring/imaging apparatus having a high S/N and a high distance measurement accuracy is provided. The distance-measuring/imaging apparatus includes: a signal generation unit for generating an emission signal and exposure signal; a light source unit for performing light irradiation by receiving the emission signal; an imaging unit for performing exposure by receiving the exposure signal and for acquiring the exposure amount of the reflected light; and a calculation unit for calculating and outputting the distance information on the basis of the exposure amount. The imaging unit acquires a first exposure amount corresponding to the exposure in a first emission/exposure period, in which the exposure is performed by receiving the exposure signal simultaneously with a receiving timing of the emission signal.

Abstract: A distance-measuring/imaging apparatus having a high S/N and a high distance measurement accuracy is provided. The distance-measuring/imaging apparatus includes: a signal generation unit for generating an emission signal and exposure signal; a light source unit for performing light irradiation by receiving the emission signal; an imaging unit for performing exposure by receiving the exposure signal and for acquiring the exposure amount of the reflected light; and a calculation unit for calculating and outputting the distance information on the basis of the exposure amount. The imaging unit acquires a first exposure amount corresponding to the exposure in a first emission/exposure period, in which the exposure is performed by receiving the exposure signal simultaneously with a receiving timing of the emission signal.

Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing a method of driving a solid-state imaging device which can reduce reading voltage even when transfer electrodes adjacent to reading electrodes are smaller than the reading electrodes as a result of miniaturization of pixels. The solid-state imaging device includes photodiodes and vertical CCDs each including transfer electrodes. The method includes: reading signal charges from the photodiodes by setting the electric potential of a predetermined transfer electrode among the reading electrodes to the electric potential VH; transferring the read signal charges in a column direction by applying driving pulses having electric potentials VM and VL to the transfer electrodes. Each of the reading electrodes has a larger area than the adjacent transfer electrodes.

Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing a method of driving a solid-state imaging device which can reduce reading voltage even when transfer electrodes adjacent to reading electrodes are smaller than the reading electrodes as a result of miniaturization of pixels. The solid-state imaging device includes photodiodes and vertical CCDs each including transfer electrodes. The method includes: reading signal charges from the photodiodes by setting the electric potential of a predetermined transfer electrode among the reading electrodes to the electric potential VH; transferring the read signal charges in a column direction by applying driving pulses having electric potentials VM and VL to the transfer electrodes. Each of the reading electrodes has a larger area than the adjacent transfer electrodes.

Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing a method for driving a solid-state imaging device which includes photodiodes 210 arranged in columns and rows and vertical CCDs 220 each of which is provided for a corresponding one of the columns of the photodiodes and includes transfer electrodes V1 to V6, the method for driving the solid-state imaging device making it possible to reduce aged deterioration of a vertical CCD and a reading voltage and including: reading a signal charge from each of the photodiodes 210 by setting an electric potential of one of the transfer electrodes to a high-level electric potential VH; and transferring, in a column direction, the read signal charge by applying, to each of the transfer electrodes V1 to V6, a driving pulse having a mid-level electric potential VM and a low-level electric potential VL, the mid-level electric potential VM being lower than the electric potential VH, and the low-level electric potential VL being lower than the electric potential VM, wherein, in th

Abstract: A digital imaging signal obtained by converting an image data obtained by an imaging element into a digital value for each pixel is inputted to an automatic phase adjusting apparatus, and the automatic phase adjusting apparatus adjusts phases of pulses to be used for imaging based on the inputted digital imaging signal. The automatic phase adjusting apparatus is provided with a brightness level detector for calculating a brightness level of the digital imaging signal for a plurality of pixels in a first pixel region, a variability calculator for calculating a variability value which indicates signal variability of the digital imaging signal for each pixel for a plurality of pixels in a second pixel region, and a timing adjuster for adjusting the phases of the pulses in accordance with calculation results obtained by the brightness level detector and the variability calculator.

Abstract: A timing generator, includes: a first memory circuit that stores timing generation information; a first register for holding the timing generation information in the first memory circuit; a first external input part for accessing to the first register so as to rewrite data therein; a selector that selects one of the first memory circuit and the first external input part in order to conduct writing of data in the first register; and a pulse generation part that generates a pulse timing in accordance with the timing generation information held in the first register so as to output a single or a plurality of pulses. A pulse timing required for driving a solid-state imaging device and the like can be generated easily and the timing generation can be rewritten externally.

Abstract: A timing generator, includes: a first memory circuit that stores timing generation information; a first register for holding the timing generation information in the first memory circuit; a first external input part for accessing to the first register so as to rewrite data therein; a selector that selects one of the first memory circuit and the first external input part in order to conduct writing of data in the first register; and a pulse generation part that generates a pulse timing in accordance with the timing generation information held in the first register so as to output a single or a plurality of pulses. A pulse timing required for driving a solid-state imaging device and the like can be generated easily and the timing generation can be rewritten externally.