Solid-state imaging device having high-speed shutter function and method of realizing high-speed function in solid-state imaging device

Claim 2

A solid-state imaging device having a high-­speed shutter function, comprising: a photosensitive section (18) for storing charges corresponding to an amount of received light and a period of time during which the light is received; a high-speed transfer sec­tion (20) to which the charges stored in said photosen­sitive section (18) are simultaneously transferred in response to field shift pulses; a field memory (22) to which is transferred, in units of lines and at a high speed, the charges transferred to said high-speed transfer section (20), said field memory (22) storing the transferred charges; a line transfer section (24) to which the charges stored in said field memory (22) are transferred in unit of lines; and driver means (14) for generating the field shift pulses, characterized in that said driver means successively generates a discharge field shift pulse and first and second signal read field shift pulses at equal time intervals for one shutter operation, such that a light storage time in said photosensitive section (18), between generation of the discharge field shift pulse and generation of the first signal read field shift pulse, coincides with a light storage time, also in said photosensitive section (18), between generation of the first signal read field shift pulse and generation of the second signal read field shift pulse.

Claim 3

The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the discharge field shift pulse is a pulse for eliminating the charges stored in said photosensitive section (18), the first signal read field shift pulse is a pulse for reading a signal of a first field, and the second signal read field shift pulse is a pulse for reading a signal of a second field.

Claim 4

The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first field is an odd-numbered field and the second field is an even-­numbered field.

Claim 5

The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that said driver means (14) generates a drive pulse for causing said high-speed transfer section (20) to transfer to said field memory (22), in units of liens, the charges which have been transferred to said high-speed transfer section (20), and outputs each of the field shift pulses by super­posing each of the field shift pulses on the drive pulse.

Claim 6

A solid-state imaging device having a high-­speed shutter function, comprising: a photosensitive section (18) for storing charges corresponding to an amount of received light and a period of time during which the light is received; a high-speed transfer sec­tion (20) to which the charges stored in said photosen­sitive section (18) are simultaneously transferred in response to field shift pulses; a field memory to which is transferred, in units of lines and at a high speed, the charges transferred to said high-speed transfer sec­tion (20), said field memory storing the transferred charges; a line transfer section (24) to which the charges stored in said field memory are transferred in units of lines; and driver means (14) for generating the field shift pulses, characterized in that said field memory includes a first field memory (22₁) to which is transferred, in units of liens and at a high speed, the charges transferred to said high-speed transfer section (20), said field memory (22₁) storing the transferred charges, and a second field memory (22₂) to which the charges stored in said first field memory (22₁) are transferred in units of lines and at a high speed, said second field memory (22₂) storing the trans­ferred charges; said line transfer section (24) transfers the charges, which are stored in said second field memory (22₂), in units of lines; said driver means (14) generates drive pulses for causing said high-speed transfer section (20) to transfer to said first field memory (22₁), in units of liens, the charges transferred to said high-speed transfer section (20), and for successively generating a discharge field shift pulse and first and second signal read field shift pulses at equal time intervals, such that a light storage time in said photosensitive section (18), between generation of the discharge field shift pulse and generation of the first signal read field shift pulse, coincides with a light storage time, also in said photosensitive section (18), between generation of the first signal read field shift pulse and genera­tion of the second signal read field shift pulse; and the signal corresponding to a one-field in said high-speed transfer section (20) is transferred to each of said first field memory (22₁) and second field memory (22₂), in accordance with the drive pulse between the first and second signal read field shift pulses, and the drive pulse supplied immediately after the second signal read field shift pulse.

Claim 7

A solid-state imaging device having a high-­speed shutter function, comprising: a photosensitive section (18) for storing charges corresponding to an amount of received light and a period of time during which the light is received; a high-speed transfer sec­tion (20) to which the charges stored in said photosen­sitive section (18) are simultaneously transferred in response to field shift pulses; a field memory to which is transferred, in units of lines and at a high speed, the charges transferred to said high-speed transfer sec­tion (20), said field memory storing the transferred charges; a line transfer section (24) to which the charges stored in said field memory are transferred in units of lines; and driver means (14) for generating the field shift pulses, characterized in that said field memory includes a first field memory (22₁) to which is transferred, in units of liens and at a high speed, the charges transferred to said high-speed transfer section (20), said field memory (22₁) storing the transferred charges, and a second field memory (22₂) to which the charges stored in said first field memory (22₁) are transferred in units of lines and at a high speed, said second field memory (22₂) storing the trans­ferred charges; said line transfer section (24) transfers the charges, which are stored in said second field memory (22₂), in units of lines; said driver means (14) generates drive pulses for causing said high-speed transfer section (20) to transfer to said first field memory (22₁), in units of liens, the charges transferred to said high-speed transfer section (20), and for successively generating a discharge field shift pulse and first and second signal read field shift pulses at equal time intervals, such that a light storage time in said photosensitive section (18), between generation of the discharge field shift pulse and generation of the first signal read field shift pulse, coincides with a light storage time, also in said photosensitive section (18), between generation of the first signal read field shift pulse and genera­tion of the second signal read field shift pulse; and the signal corresponding to a one-field in said high-speed transfer section (20) is transferred to each of said first field memory (22₁) and second field memory (22₂), in accordance with the drive pulse between the first and second signal read field shift pulses, and the drive pulse supplied immediately after the second signal read field shift pulse.

Claim 8

The solid-state imaging device according to claim 5, characterized in that the discharge field shift pulse is a pulse for eliminating the charges stored in said photosensitive section (18), the first signal read field shift pulse is a pulse for reading a signal of a first field, and the second signal read field shift pulse is a pulse for reading a signal of a second field.

Claim 9

The solid-state imaging device according to claim 6, characterized in that the first field is an odd-numbered field and the second field is an even-­numbered field.

Claim 10

The solid-state imaging device according to claim 6, characterized in that said driver means (14) generates a drive pulse for causing said high-speed transfer section (20) to transfer to said field memory, in units of liens, the charges which have been trans­ferred to said high-speed transfer section (20), and outputs each of the field shift pulses by superposing each of the field shift pulses on the drive pulse.

Claim 13

The method according to to claim 9, characterized in that said soild-state imaging device comprises a photosensitive section (18) for storing charges corresponding to an amount of received light and a period of time during which the light is received; a high-speed transfer section (20) to which the charges stored in said photosensitive section (18) are simultaneously transferred in response to the field shift pulses; a field memory (22) to which are transferred, in units of lines and at a high speed, the charges transferred to said high-speed transfer section (20), said field memory (22) storing the transferred charges; and a line transfer section (24) to which the charges stored in said field memory (22) are transferred in unit of lines, said first storage means being said field memory (22), and said second storage means being said high-speed transfer section (20).

Claim 14

The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the first step is the step of supplying the discharge field shift pulse for discharging charges stored in said photosensitive section (18), the second step is the step of supplying the first signal read field shift pulse, the third step is the step of simultaneously transferring, in units of liens, the storage charges in said photosensitive section (18) to said high-speed transfer section (20), in response to the first signal read field shift pulse, and transferring the charges from said high-speed transfer section (20) to said field memory (22), the fourth step is the step of supplying the second signal read field shift pulse, the fifth step is the step of simultaneously transferring the storage charges in said photosensitive section (18) to said high-speed transfer section (20), in response to the second signal read field shift pulse, the sixth step is the step of causing said line transfer section (24) to transfer, in units of liens, the charges stored in said field memory (22), the seventh step is the step of transferring, in units of liens and at a high speed, the charges from said high-speed transfer section (20) to said field memory (22), upon completion of transfer by said line transfer section (24), and the eighth step is the step of causing said line transfer section (24) to transfer, in units of liens, the charges stored in said field memory (22).

Claim 15

The method according to claim 9, characterized in that said solid-state imaging device comprises a photo­sensitive section (18) for storing charges corresponding to an amount of received light and a period of time during which the light is received; a high-speed transfer section (20) to which the charges stored in said photo­sensitive section (18) are simultaneously transferred in response to field shift pulses; a first field memory (22₁) to which are transferred, in units of liens and at a high speed, the charges transferred to said high-speed transfer section (20), said first field memory (22₁) storing the transferred charges; a second field memory (22₂) to which the charges stored in said first field memory (22₁) are transferred in units of lines and at a high speed, said second field memory (22₂) storing the transferred charges; and a line transfer section (24) to which the charges stored in said second field memory (22₂) are transferred in units of liens, said first storage means being said second field memory (22₂), and said second storage means being said first field memory (22₁).

Claim 16

The method according to claim 12, charac­terized in that the first step is the step of supplying the discharge field shift pulse for discharging charges stored in said photosensitive section (18), the second step is the step of supplying the first signal read field shift pulse, the third step is the step of simultaneously trans­ferring, in units of liens, storage charges in said photosensitive section (18) to said high-speed transfer section (20), in response to the first signal read field shift pulse, and transferring the charges from said high-speed transfer section (20) to said first field memory (22₁), the fourth step is the step of supplying the second signal read field shift pulse, the fifth step is the step of simultaneously transferring the storage charges in said photosensitive section (18) to said high-speed transfer section (20), in response to the second signal read field shift pulse, and transferring the storage charges from said high-­speed transfer section (20) to said first field memory (22₁) in units of lines at a high speed while trans­ferring the charges, which have been stored in said first field memory (22₁), to said second field memory (22₂) in units of lines at a high speed, the sixth step is the step of causing said line transfer section (24) to transfer, in units of liens, the charges stored in said second field memory (22₂), the seventh step is the step of transferring, in units of lines and at a high speed, the charges from said first field memory (22₁) to said second field memory (22₂), upon completion of transfer by said line transfer section (24), and the eighth step is the step of causing said line transfer section (24) to transfer, in units of lines, the charges stored in said second field memory (22₂).

Claim 17

The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the discharge field shift pulse is a pulse for eliminating charges stored in accordance with an amount of received light and a period of time during which the light is received, the first signal read field shift pulse is a pulse for reading a signal of a first field, and the second signal read field shift pulse is a pulse for reading a signal of a second field.

Claim 18

The method according to claim 14, charac­terized in that the first field is an odd-numbered field and the second field is an even-numbered field.