Abstract: An image-sensing device has pixel areas for outputting CCD signals of plural channels, and an adjusting portion for adjusting a level of each channel of the CCD signals outputted from the pixel area. A first channel CCD signal is provided from a pixel area 11a, a horizontal OB area 15a, a slide shift area 12a, and an HCCD 13a. A second channel CCD signal is provided from a pixel area 11b, a horizontal OB area 15b, a slide shift area 12b, and an HCCD 13b. Both of the first and second CCD signals are supplied to the adjusting portion with a reference signal added. The adjusting portion controls CCD signal of each channel by making the level of reference signal the same. The variation of the shift efficiency of electric charge in the border of pixel areas 11a and 11b for each channel, and in the slide shift areas 13a and 13b can be compensated.

Abstract: A charge read-out method and a solid-state imaging device capable of shortening a read-out time of charges stored in a plurality of light receiving units arranged linearly are provided. The charge read-out method includes the steps of moving the charges, which are generated and stored in the plurality of light receiving units linearly arranged by receiving light, to charge transfer paths disposed along a row of the light receiving units on both sides thereof, transferring the charges along the charge transfer paths to an output unit, and calculating a sum of converted values based on amounts of the charges transferred from the charge transfer paths for outputting.

Abstract: A solid-state imager 20 outputs image signals corresponding to picture elements received from light-receptive areas thereof. A sample-and-hold circuit 24 performs a sample-and-hold operation for the image signals at prescribed times. A driving circuit 22 generates driving pulses and sample-and-hold pulses. A horizontal charge-transfer circuit of each light-receptive area is driven with the driving pulses, and the sample-and-hold circuit 24 is driven with the sample-and-hold pulses in synchronization with the driving pulses. The driving circuit 22 intermittently drives the horizontal charge-transfer circuit and the sample-and-hold circuit after the output of at least one of the first and last image signals. Consequently, noise that would be produced in picture elements located at the junctures between adjoining light-receptive areas can be reduced, and loss of image quality that would be caused by the effects of operations in subsequent processes performed in various circuits can be reduced.

Abstract: The divided one-dimensional solid-state imaging device includes photodiode arrays having photodiodes for individual pixels arrayed in a line, output transistors for outputting electric charges from the respective photodiodes and transfer paths for transferring the outputted electric charges to output terminals. In the imaging device, the photodiode arrays is divided into a plurality of sections differing in the number of pixels in a photodiode arraying direction, the respective divided sections connecting to the corresponding ones of the transfer paths and the output terminals, and pixel rows in the respective divided sections are read out in parallel at the same time from the output terminals corresponding to the respective divided sections.

Abstract: One horizontal CCD register is provided for a plurality of vertical CCD registers. The horizontal CCD register has horizontal transfer electrodes in such a manner that transfer electrodes that are provided for each pair of vertical CCD registers adjacent to each other are independent of each other electrically. The eight transfer electrodes are supplied with eight kinds of horizontal transfer pulse signals, respectively. An operation that the horizontal CCD register consecutively outputs consecutive signal charges in the same manner as in the conventional two-phase driving method and an operation that the horizontal CCD register outputs consecutive signal charges while mixing desired ones are performed selectively by controlling the eight kinds of horizontal transfer pulse signals properly.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for driving a solid state image pickup device. The method and apparatus include setting a first signal charging period and a second signal charging period for each one of a plurality of unit pixels. The second signal charging period is shorter than the first signal charging period. A first signal charge is produced during the first signal charging period and a second signal charge is produced during the second signal charging period. It is judged whether the first signal charge is saturated or not saturated. Then based on this judgment an input light amount is determined. The input light amount is determined using only the second signal charge when the first signal charge is saturated. The input light amount is determined using only the first signal charge when the first signal charge is not saturated.

Abstract: This invention provides an inexpensive image pick-up device which can enhance the focus detecting precision and reduce the time lag due to focus adjustment without using an exclusive-use AF sensor different from an image pick-up element. In the image pick-up device of this invention, a light beam which has passed through a photographing lens is electronically image-picked up in an image pick-up area of the image pick-up element. A light beam which is at least part of a light beam of a subject having passed through the photographing lens is guided to a focus detecting optical system by an optical member and focused to re-form an image on a focus detecting area of the image pick-up element. The image pick-up element has microlenses arranged only on the front surface of the image pick-up area. A color filter member is arranged on the front surface of a light receiving section of the image pick-up area.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus comprises an image pickup area which includes first and second areas each of which converts an object image into an electric signal, a first output terminal for outputting the electric signal from the first area, and a second output terminal for outputting the electric signal from the second area. A correction circuit corrects at least one of the electric signal output from the first output terminal and the electric signal output from the second output terminal, on the basis of a correlative relationship between the electric signal output from a portion of the first area through the first output terminal and the electric signal output from a portion of the second area through the second output terminal.

Abstract: A color linear image sensor device has a shutter function for selectively draining charges stored in a photodetector circuit. The color linear image sensor device includes first, second, and third linear image sensors having different sensitivities with respect to incident light and arranged successively in sensitivity decreasing order from the outermost, and a shutter gate and a shutter drain for adjusting an amount of exposure to the linear image sensor which has the highest sensitivity to incident light.

Abstract: Color-correcting data from a segmented imaging sensor having plural sensor segments. The data is stored in plural segment memories each of which corresponds to one of the sensor segments, and each segment memory stores overlap data and non-overlap data from the corresponding sensor segment. The overlap data in each segment memory includes boundary data from a boundary region of the sensor segment for which color correction is performed based at least in part on data from a segment memory for an adjacent sensor segment. The overlap data further includes other data from the segment memory used to color-correct the boundary data. According to the invention, overlap data from at least a first half of the segment memories is loaded into a memory buffer. Alternatively, boundary data from all of the segment memories and non-boundary overlap data from a first half of the segment memories are loaded into the memory buffer, or boundary data from all of the segment memories is loaded into the memory buffer.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes 1280 of vertical transfer registers which are respectively assigned to 1280 of vertical lines. Each vertical line is formed by light receiving elements being successive in a vertical direction. Electric charges generated at 640 of the odd-numbered vertical lines among the 1280 of vertical lines are applied to one of horizontal transfer registers, and electric charges generated at 640 of the even-numbered vertical lines are applied to the other of the horizontal transfer registers. The electric charges are output from a CCD imager via these horizontal transfer registers.

Abstract: The linear image sensor according to the present invention includes a light receiving a member consisting of at least three light receiving pixel lines 11, 12 and 13; signal charge transfer sections 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 located on both sides of each of the light receiving pixel lines 11, 12 and 13 of the light receiving a member; and branch transfer sections 33c and 34c which branch from the signal charge transfer sections 33 and 34, which are located on both sides of at least one of the at least three light receiving pixel lines 11, 12 and 13, to extend to reach the signal charge transfer sections 32 and 35 of the adjacent light receiving pixel lines 11 and 13.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to enable not only to select an ODD signal and an EVEN signal on the same timing but also to set up a duty ratio of the ODD-signal component to the EVEN signal component to be 50%. The purposes are attained by use of a constitution wherein on an analogue signal processing circuit for processing the ODD-signal and the EVEN-signal divided from an output image signal produced from a CCD-type sensor to have the same phase which are then digitized by a singular A/D converter, a sample-hold circuit driven by a control signal during a CCD clock pulse period is provided in a correlated dual sampling circuit, which deals with the EVEN-signal, additionally with respect to another correlated dual sampling circuit, which deals with the ODD-signal, to shift a phase of the EVEN signal.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus comprises: an interline-type image-sensing device, which includes: a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, and a vertical transfer block for transferring charges received from the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements located along one direction. The vertical transfer block includes transfer electrodes disposed such that at least three transfer electrodes are disposed for each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements. At least one horizontal transfer block transfers charges received from the vertical transfer block along a direction crossing the one direction, and mode switching means switches a drive mode to drive the image-sensing device either in a still picture mode or in a moving picture mode.

Abstract: An image sensing device for transferring electric charge from a plurality of photoelectric converters disposed therein. The image sensing device is divided into a plurality of pixel areas. At least a pair of the divided pixel areas contiguous to each other have a vertical transfer CCD, an oblique shift CCD and a horizontal transfer CCD to transfer the electric charge from the photoelectric converters to an output stage. The output stage is at least disposed contiguous to the boundary of the divided pixel areas adjacent to each other.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor has a readout architecture that incorporates charge multiplier cells into a horizontal register of a CCD image sensor, and includes a first CCD register adjacent to at least a second CCD register and coupled to the said first register through a charge overflow barrier. A high Dynamic Range readout system results in which the DR is not restricted by the voltage swing limitations on the charge detection node. As the charge is multiplied, the horizontal register structure increases in width and more charge multiplication gates are added per stage. A charge overflow region follows the charge multiplier. In this region the amount of charge that exceeds a certain predetermined threshold is split off into another register. A detection node that has different conversion sensitivity may terminate this register. The process of charge overflow and splitting off may continue for more than two steps.

Abstract: A user interface for viewing and sorting photos at one time from a single common screen. The sorting operations includes such processes as deleting, locking, grouping, printing, and rotating the photographs or other data files such as tables. A user can (1) view from a single screen the photographs stored, (2) select the desired operations to perform on each photograph, and then (3) photograph by photograph view a display of selections made. Viewing and selecting desired operations from a single screen, eliminates unnecessary steps. In representative embodiments, a user of a digital camera or other imaging device can easily and conveniently perform these actions by selecting and activating a desired menu listed function using one or two thumbs while at the same time holding the camera.

Abstract: An image acquisition system for machine vision systems decouples image acquisition from the transmission of the image to a host processor by using a programmable imager controller to selectively disable and enable the transmission of data to the host and by using a system of buffers to temporarily store image data pending allocation of memory. This enables the image acquisition system to acquire images asynchronously and to change the exposure parameters on a frame-by-frame basis without the latency associated with the allocation of memory for storage of the acquired image. The system architecture of the invention further permits interruption and resumption of image acquisition with minimal likelihood of missing data. Data throughput is further enhanced by transmitting to the host only that data corresponding to the region of interest within the image and discarding the data from outside of the region of interest at the camera stage.

Abstract: A charge read-out method and a solid-state imaging device capable of shortening a read-out time of charges stored in a plurality of light receiving units arranged linearly are provided. The charge read-out method includes the steps of moving the charges, which are generated and stored in the plurality of light receiving units linearly arranged by receiving light, to charge transfer paths disposed along a row of the light receiving units on both sides thereof, transferring the charges along the charge transfer paths to an output unit, and calculating a sum of converted values based on amounts of the charges transferred from the charge transfer paths for outputting.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for driving a solid state image pickup device. The method and apparatus include setting a first signal charging period and a second signal charging period during one frame or field of a video signal for each one of a plurality of unit pixels. The second signal charging period is shorter than the first signal charging period. A first signal charge is produced during the first signal charging period and a second signal charge is produced during the second signal charging period. It is judged whether the first signal charge is saturated or not saturated. Then based on this judgment an input light amount is determined. The input light amount is determined using only the second signal charge when the first signal charge is saturated. The input light amount is determined using only the first signal charge when the first signal charge is not satrated.

Abstract: A solid state imaging camera having an imaging element to image light from a subject using pixel groups. The pixel groups are arrayed two-dimensionally to obtain a pixel signal group by transmitting serially to a first horizontal transmission register, and from the first horizontal transmission register to a second horizontal transmission register. The first and second horizontal transmission registers each have a respective output terminal positioned in parallel relative to each other to output two fields of picture signals that are then added by an adding circuit. A signal processing unit outputs predetermined signal processing of the added picture signals. In addition, a second signal processing unit can be disposed which effects predetermined signal processing on the signals from one of the two picture output terminals of the imaging element.

Abstract: A CCD converts an optical image of an object formed on its image sensing surface into electrical charges, and sequentially outputs the electrical charges of all of the light receiving pixels in one scanning operation in non-interlaced form. The outputs from the CCD are converted to the digital image signals by an analog-digital converter. A camera signal processing unit processes the digital image signals, thereby generating two streams of signals; one is digital video signals SV1 which are standard digital video signals in interlaced form, and the other is signals SV2 which are not outputted as the digital video signals SV1 out of the digital image signals of all of the light receiving pixels. These two streams of signals, SV1 and SV2, are processed differently depending upon a mode selected by a switch.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging element comprising a plurality of light-receiving sensors that convert optical signals into electrical signals and a memory storing the electrical signals. The memory is formed of a plurality of line buffers corresponding to the pixel units processed in an image data encoder. The solid-state imaging element eliminates the need to rearrange image data for encoding.

Abstract: An image acquisition system for machine vision systems decouples image acquisition from the transmission of the image to a host processor by using a programmable imager controller to selectively disable and enable the transmission of data to the host and by using a system of buffers to temporarily store image data pending allocation of memory. This enables the image acquisition system to acquire images asynchronously and to change the exposure parameters on a frame-by-frame basis without the latency associated with the allocation of memory for storage of the acquired image. The system architecture of the invention further permits interruption and resumption of image acquisition with minimal likelihood of missing data. Data throughput is further enhanced by transmitting to the host only that data corresponding to the region of interest within the image and discarding the data from outside of the region of interest at the camera stage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for driving a solid state image pickup device. The method and apparatus include setting a first signal charging period and a second signal charging period during one frame or field of a video signal for each one of a plurality of unit pixels. The second signal charging period is shorter than the first signal charging period. A first signal charge is produced during the first signal charging period and a second signal charge is produced during the second signal charging period. It is judged whether the first signal charge is saturated or not saturated. Then based on this judgement an input light amount is determined. The input light amount is determined using only the second signal charge when the first signal charge is saturated. The input light amount is determined using only the first signal charge when the first signal charge is not saturated.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device has a storage section formed on a surface portion of a semiconductor substrate to receive and store signal charges, a discharge section formed on the surface portion of the substrate at a predetermined distance from the storage section, a reset section constituted by a depletion-type MOS transistor formed between the storage section and the discharge section, and reset voltage setting means for setting a voltage of a reset pulse to be applied to the reset section. The reset voltage setting section has first and second resistive elements series-connected between one end to which a predetermined voltage is applied and the other end which is grounded. A node which connects the first resistive element to the second resistive element is connected to a reset voltage application electrode.

Abstract: By segmenting an image sensing area into a plurality of partial areas and changing the number of stages of dummy vertical electrodes to be inserted between vertical CCD registers and horizontal CCD registers, the output gate electrode, floating diffusion layer, reset gate electrode and rest drain of each horizontal CCD register can be aligned in a line to the main body of the horizontal CCD register. It is therefore possible to avoid the reduction of the transfer efficiency at the time of transferring charges, which have reached the channel under the horizontal transfer electrode, to the channel under a dummy horizontal transfer electrode.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a solid-state imaging device and a signal processing circuit. The solid-state imaging device includes: a plurality of photoelectric converting sections provided with color filters having different spectroscopic characteristics, and each converting light incident thereon into a charge and accumulating the charge, and a plurality of vertical charge transfer sections for vertically transferring the charge read from each of the photoelectric converting sections. A plurality of reading operations to read the charges accumulated in the photoelectric converting sections to the plurality of the vertical charge transfer sections are performed within a time duration for scanning an image for one image plane, and the charges read from the photoelectric converting sections are transferred through the vertical charge transfer section separately for each of the reading operations.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus in which the dynamic range can be substantially increased even with the use of a solid image sensor, such as a CCD image sensor. The imaging apparatus includes a solid-state imaging unit for reading out two picture signals with different signal charge storage time durations via a vertical transfer section and via first and second horizontal transfer sections for outputting all-pixel picture signals on the field basis, and a shutter control unit for providing different signal charge storage time durations of the solid-state imaging unit. The imaging apparatus also includes a synthesizing unit for synthesizing the two picture signals with different signal charge storage time durations produced by the shutter control unit.

Abstract: An image sensing device having an array of photodetectors capable of generating electron/hole pairs from incident photons, with multiple charge coupled devices organized in a tandem well design that employs multiple storage wells per pixel. The wells use thresholds to control the overflow of charge from one well to the next and are arranged such that a first charge coupled device having a plurality of cells is operatively coupled to the photodetectors by first transfer means for placing charge accumulated within the photodetectors from generated electron/hole pairs within the first charge coupled device, and a second charge coupled device having a plurality of cells being operatively coupled to the first charge coupled device by second transfer means for removing charge exceeding a predetermined threshold within the first charge coupled device and placing charge exceeding the predetermined threshold within the second charge coupled device.

Abstract: There is provided a solid state imaging apparatus which has realized sharing of signal charges without generation of a fault of image like a vertical stripe resulting from defective sharing of signal charges in a horizontal transfer register consisting of a pair of transfer sections for horizontal transfer by sharing therewith the signal charges of the same pixel. In this solid state imaging apparatus, a pair of horizontal transfer registers 4 (6) are provided to execute horizontal transfer by sharing the signal charges of the same pixel in the first horizontal transfer register 4 in the side of the image section with a pair of transfer sections 4a, 4b with the control gate section 5. For the sharing of signal charges, a transfer channel 17 is formed in the transfer gate section 5 between the bit (.phi.H2) of the transfer section 4a and the bit (.phi.H1) one bit after, in the horizontal transfer direction, the bit (.phi.

Abstract: A color linear image sensor is constituted by forming a plurality of linear image sensors on a single wafer, each linear image sensor including a photoelectric conversion unit for converting light from an object into an electrical signal, a plurality of charge transfer units for transferring the signal converted into the electrical signal by the photoelectric conversion unit to an output unit, and color filters which are formed on the photoelectric conversion unit to color-separate the light from the object. A plurality of lines of photoelectric conversion units are arranged in each linear image sensor. At least one charge transfer unit is arranged between the photoelectric conversion units to synthesize output signals from the plurality of lines of photoelectric conversion units and to transfer the output signals from the photoelectric conversion units to the next photoelectric conversion unit. An accumulation unit temporarily stores the output signals from the photoelectric conversion units.

Abstract: With respect to respective image pick-up signals S.sub.ODD /S.sub.EVEN, S.sub.EVEN /S.sub.ODD of fields different from each other which have been simultaneously read out by two lines from CCD image sensor (11) of imaging section (10), standard television signals S.sub.OUT1, S.sub.OUT2 of 2 channels are formed by first and second process processing circuits (31), (32) of process processing section (30) to output these standard television signals of 2 channels from first and second output terminals (61), (62).

Abstract: In systems for reading pixel data from an array of horizontal m-bit rows of CCD image detectors, pixel data loaded in parallel from a row of the array into an m-bit shift register is transferred in parallel from the m-bit shift register into other data storage device(s) having a plurality of output ports and sensed by a plurality of output amplifiers respectively connected in parallel to the output ports of the other data storage device(s).

Abstract: With respect to respective image pick-up signals S.sub.ODD /S.sub.EVEN, S.sub.EVEN /S.sub.ODD of fields different from each other which have been simultaneously read out by two lines from CCD image sensor (11) of imaging section (10), standard television signals S.sub.OUT1, S.sub.OUT2 of 2 channels are formed by first and second process processing circuits (31), (32) of process processing section (30) to output these standard television signals of 2 channels from first and second output terminals (61), (62).

Abstract: An image sensor includes an element array consisting of a plurality of charge-coupled elements, a charge transfer unit for transferring a charge stored in the element array along a transfer path, a branch transfer unit, having a plurality of branch transfer paths, for selectively outputting on one branch transfer path at least part of the charge transferred through the transfer path of the charge transfer unit, and a plurality of amplifying units, arranged at output stages of the plurality of branch transfer paths of the branch transfer unit, for amplifying the transferred charge with different gains and outputting the amplified charges.

Abstract: A system architecture is provided that includes an image sensor unit operable in a single channel mode and a dual channel mode. The image sensor unit includes an electronic image sensor comprising a row and column array of pixel elements, wherein the rows of the array having a line length of N pixels. First and second digital signal processing units for processing image data generated by the image sensor unit into color component image data are provided, wherein each of said first and second digital signal processing units has a line length processing capacity less than N pixels.

Abstract: In the method of transferring charges generated by signal charge generating sections in response to light, a signal charge existing under some transfer electrode of the plural charge transfer sections arranged in parallel to each other is transferred through one of a plurality of connecting sections formed under the transfer electrode corresponding to another charge transfer section among the plural connecting sections formed between the plural charge transfer sections, on the basis of a predetermined drive pulse; and when the charge is transferred to the other charge transfer section, a charge remaining at the primary charge transfer section is transferred from the primary charge transfer section to the other charge transfer section, through the other connecting section among the plural connecting sections, to combine the remaining charge with the signal charge previously transferred.

Abstract: Column direction transfer sections provided every photosensitive element trains are such that the transfer direction of the odd columns and that of the even columns are opposite to each other. A conversion section for reversing the transfer order is connected to at least one final transfer stage of the column direction transfer sections, and charges transferred are thus transported to row direction transfer sections. Thus, it is possible to transfer and output, in the same direction, signal charges transferred in directions opposite to each other every columns to the two row direction transfer sections in such a manner that those signal charges are distributed thereto. For this reason, the number of transfer stages of each row direction transfer section can be reduced to one half, the dimension every stage can be twice larger than that of the prior art, and the operating frequency can be also reduced to one half.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device having a horizontal transfer register formed of a plurality of transfer sections for alternately transferring a signal charge of the same pixel in the horizontal direction wherein a signal charge can be distributed between respective transfer sections in consideration of the amount of signal charges handled by the respective transfer section. In a first horizontal transfer register (4) having transfer sections (4a) and (4b), a control gate section (5) that distributes signal charges between the respective transfer sections (4a) and (4b) has on its one region a potential barrier section (13) formed along the horizontal transfer direction.