Abstract: In an image sensing device, a photodiode is connected to a drain of a MOS transistor. The drain is connected to a gate of the MOS transistor via a resistor. The MOS transistor operates in a subthreshold region to output a signal being logarithmically proportional to the intensity of incident light to the photodiode.

Abstract: A charge coupled device includes shift registers, a common transfer electrode, and a floating and diffusion layer. Clock pulses are applied to the common transfer electrode. In response to the clock pulses, the common transfer electrode outputs signal charges to the floating and diffusion layer at a time when the shift registers are not being driven. Therefore, there is no output voltage level difference between the different shift registers.

Abstract: An image sensing device that outputs a signal logarithmically proportional to the intensity of the incident light. The image sensing device makes use of a sub-threshold current flowing between the drain and source of a MOS transistor when the gate voltage is below the threshold voltage (above which the MOS transistor is nominally conductive and below which nominally non-conductive). Since the logarithmic conversion is done in the photosensing section of a solid-state image sensing device, the output from the device is already compressed and is easily handled by a small capacity CCD. Some output systems for the image sensing device of the present invention are also described.

Abstract: A photosensor, or an image sensor made of many such photosensors, including a plurality of photosensor pixels each having a logarithmic converter. The logarithmic converter converts source charges that are produced by a photoreceptor (or a photodiode) and proportional to the amount of the incident light into signal charges logarithmically proportional to the source charges whose amount does not grow so rapid as the amount of source charges grows. Owing to the logarithmic converter, the dynamic range of the photosensor (or image sensor) has a very wide dynamic range.

Abstract: An interline transfer CCD image sensor includes a plurality of PN junction photosensor elements disposed in a matrix fashion. A plurality of columns of shift register are associated with the matrix aligned PN junction photosensor elements. Each CCD shift register includes a plurality of register elements, each of which includes a buried channel connected to a corresponding PN junction photosensor element via a transfer gate as a potential barrier. A register electrode formed on the buried channel is extended toward the corresponding PN junction photosensor element to cover the transfer gate as the potential barrier. Drive signals are applied to the register electrodes to control the charge transfer operation from the PN junction photosensor to the buried channel in addition to controlling the shift operation in the shift register, thereby eliminating the need for channel stoppers for isolating the photosensor elements.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor having a plurality of unit cells, each of which comprises a photosensitive area and a CCD register for the transfer of a signal charge generated in the photosensitive area. Both the photosensitive area and the CCD register are disposed on a first layer, having different polarities than the charging polarity of the signal charge, which is disposed on a substrate having the same polarity as the signal charge. The CCD register is underlaid by a second layer having the same polarity as the first layer and the second layer contains a higher impurity concentration than the first layer.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor having a plurality of unit cells, each of which comprises a substrate; an electroconductive layer formed on the substrate and having a different polarity from the polarity of the substrate; a photoelectric conversion area for the generation of a signal charge when illumination of the photoelectric conversion area is attained; and a CCD register area for the transfer of the signal charge generated in the photoelectric conversion area, the photoelectric conversion area and the CCD register area being formed with a space therebetween within said electroconductive layer at substantially the same distance from the substrate, resulting in a complete depletion of each of the regions of the electroconductive layer, in which the photoelectric conversion area and the CCD register area are positioned, respectively, by the application of a reverse bias voltage between the electroconductive layer and the substrate to thereby attain the transfer of the excess charge generated in the photoelectric

Abstract: A CCD image sensor includes a plurality of PN junction photodiodes aligned in a matrix fashion, and a plurality of CCD vertical shift registers of which each register element is associated with one of said plurality of PN junction photodiodes. A transfer gate is formed between the corresponding pair of CCD shift register element and the PN junction photodiode. The CCD image sensor does not have channel stoppers between the PN junction photodiodes. Register electrodes are made of upper register electrodes and lower register electrodes which are extended to portions provided between the adjacent two PN junction photodiodes. The upper register electrodes overlap the lower register electrodes at desired portions to achieve the shift operation in the CCD vertical shift registers. By properly controlling the clock pulses applied to the upper and lower register electrodes, electrical isolation is achieved between adjacent two PN junction photodiodes.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor having a plurality of unit cells, each of which includes a photosensitive area and a CCD register for the transfer of a signal charge generated in said photosensitive area, both the photosensitive area and the CCD register are disposed on a layer, having a different polarity from the charging polarity of a signal charge, which is disposed on a substrate having the same polarity as the signal charge.

Abstract: A color imaging array including green, red and blue sensor elements defined by a single solid-state CCD. The green, red and blue sensors are aligned in a predetermined plain having a plurality of sections along both of the horizontal and vertical directions, each section containing two element positions aligned vertically. The green sensor elements occupy element positions in every other sections along both of the horizontal and vertical directions, the red sensor elements occupy one of the two element positions in the remaining sections, and the blue sensor elements occupy another of the two element positions in the remaining sections. Thus, when an image is reproduced using this arrangement, little if any fake color will be produced.

Abstract: A color imaging array including green, red and blue sensor elements defined by a single solid-state CCD. The green sensor elements are located at every other element positions along horizontal and vertical directions, the red sensor element are located at element positions between the green elements in adjacent horizontal lines in pairs which occur every other pair of adjacent horizontal lines, and the blue elements are located at the remaining element positions. This arrangement of color imaging array provides red and blue sensor elements in the same sampling rate as the green sensor elements, when horizontal alignment is considered. Thus, this arrangement provides an improved color resolution in horizontal direction.