EP0505117A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Color imaging system with integration time control
Assignee: Toshiba Corp
•
Filing: 1992-03-16
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2012-03-16
Abstract
Abstract An imaging system (40) includes a solid-state interline-transfer charge-coupled device (IT-CCD) image sensor (16G) having a matrix of rows and columns of photosensitive cells (20) for photoelectrically producing electrical charge carriers in response to an incident light introduced thereonto. Vertical charge-transfer sections (24-2, 24-2, 24-3) are arranged adjacent to the columns (22) of cells, for receiving charge carriers therefrom, and for transferring these carriers toward its outputs, which are coupled with a horizontal charge-transfer section (30). A charge integration amount control unit (40) is associated with the CCD image sensor (16G) such that the controller (40) is coupled to the cell matrix (20) and the vertical transfer sections (24), for controlling movement of charge carriers from the cell columns (22) to the vertical transfer sections (24) in such a manner that odd-numbered cell rows (23-1, 23-3) and even-numbered cell rows (23-2, 23-4) are different from each other in the effective amount of charge carriers to be read to the vertical transfer sections (24) as effective signal charge packets.
Inventors
- 👤 Yoshiyuki C/O Intellectual Prop. Div. Matsunaga
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 23:06
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N25/00; H04N25/50; H04N25/57; H04N25/58; H04N25/581; H04N25/583; H04N23/00; H04N23/10; H04N23/13; H04N25/53; H04N25/70; H04N25/71; H04N25/73
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
An imaging system (40) comprising an array of rows and columns of photosensitive cells (20) for photoelectrically producing electrical charge carriers in response to an incident light, and transfer means (24) coupled to the columns (22) of the cell array, for receiving charge carriers from said columns, and for transferring the carriers in a predetermined direction, characterized in that said imaging system further comprises drive means (40) associated with said cell array and said transfer means, for controlling movement of charge carriers from said columns to said transfer means so that adjacent ones (23-1, 23-2) of the rows of said cell array (20) differs from each other in the amount of carriers to be supplied to said transfer means as effective signal charge packets.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
124 words
An imaging system (40) comprising an array of rows and columns of photosensitive cells (20) for photoelectrically producing electrical charge carriers in response to an incident light, and transfer means (24) coupled to the columns (22) of the cell array, for receiving charge carriers from said columns, and for transferring the carriers in a predetermined direction, characterized in that said imaging system further comprises drive means (40) associated with said cell array and said transfer means, for controlling movement of charge carriers from said columns to said transfer means so that adjacent ones (23-1, 23-2) of the rows of said cell array (20) differs from each other in the amount of carriers to be supplied to said transfer means as effective signal charge packets.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said drive means causes said adjacent ones of said rows to differ from each other in the length of an integration period for storing effective signal charge packets produced to represent the incident light.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
A system according to claim 2, characterized in that said drive means causes each of said adjacent ones (23-1, 23-2) of said rows to differ between a first field period (Tfld1) and a second field period (Tfld2) included in a frame period (Tfrm).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
A system according to claim 3, characterized in that said drive means causes each of said adjacent ones (23-1, 23-2) of said rows to alternately have a first carrier-storage time (T3, T3(g), T3(r), T3(b)) and a second carrier-storage time (T1) during the first field period (Tfld1) and the second field period (Tfld2), said first carrier-storage time being different in length from said second carrier-storage time.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
58 words
A system according to claim 4, characterized in that said drive means causes, when one of said adjacent ones (23-1, 23-2) of said rows has the first carrier-storage time (T3) during the first field period (Tfld 1), the other of the adjacent rows (23-1, 23-2) to have the second carrier-storage time (T1) during the first field period (Tfld1).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
A system according to claim 5, characterized in that said drive means causes said adjacent rows (23-1, 23-2) to differ from each other in a timing of carrier movement to said transfer means in each of the first and second field periods (Tfld1, Tfld2).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
63 words
A system according to claim 6, characterized in that said drive means prevents one of said adjacent rows (23-1,23-2) from supplying charge carriers integrated therein to said transfer means, while the other thereof begins to supply charge carriers accumulated therein to said transfer means, at a time point (t3, t5 in FIG. 6) defined between said first and second field periods (Tfld1, Tfld2).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
A system according to claim 7, characterized in that said drive means changes said one and said the other alternately at two ones of a series of time points (t3, t5, t7) defining alternate occurrence of said first and second field periods (Tfld1, Tfld2).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
51 words
A system according to claim 8, characterized by further comprising adder means (46) for adding signal charge carriers read from each of said adjacent rows during the first field period (Tfld1) to those during the second field period (Tfld2), and for generating added signal charge carriers as an image pickup signal.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
129 words
A method for driving a plurality of imaging devices (16R, 16G, 16B) each including a matrix of photosensitive cells (20) for photoelectrically producing electrical charge carriers in response to an incident light, and a transfer section (24) coupled to the cell matrix, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of causing a plurality of cell arrays (23) of said matrix to read charge carriers stored or integrated therein to the transfer section, and controlling movement of charge carriers from said cell arrays to said transfer section (24) so that a cell array (23-1) differs from another cell array (23-2) adjacent thereto in the amount of charge carriers to be moved to said transfer section (24) as effective signal charge packets in at least one of the imaging devices.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
129 words
A method for driving a plurality of imaging devices (16R, 16G, 16B) each including a matrix of photosensitive cells (20) for photoelectrically producing electrical charge carriers in response to an incident light, and a transfer section (24) coupled to the cell matrix, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of causing a plurality of cell arrays (23) of said matrix to read charge carriers stored or integrated therein to the transfer section, and controlling movement of charge carriers from said cell arrays to said transfer section (24) so that a cell array (23-1) differs from another cell array (23-2) adjacent thereto in the amount of charge carriers to be moved to said transfer section (24) as effective signal charge packets in at least one of the imaging devices.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
102 words
A method according to claim 10, characterized in that said step of controlling movement of charge carriers comprises the sub-steps of supplying a cell array (23-1) with a first electrical signal (V1) defining a first effective carrier-integration period during one of a first field period (Tfld1) and a second field period (Tfld2) included in a frame period (Tfrm); and substantially simultaneously, supplying another cell array (23-2) adjacent to said cell array (23-1) with a second electrical signal (V2) defining a second effective carrier-integration period during said one of the first and second field periods (Tfld1, Tfld2) included in said frame period (Tfrm).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method according to claim 11, characterized in that said sub-step of supplying the first signal and said sub-step of supplying the second signal are alternately replaced with each other with respect to said cell array (23-1) and said another cell array (23-2) during the first and second field period (Tfld1, Tfld2).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
82 words
A method according to claim 12, characterized in that said step of controlling movement of carriers further comprises the sub-step of causing a certain amount of charge carriers corresponding to a difference between an initially integrated charge carriers and the effective signal charge carriers in each of said cell array (23-1) and said another cell array (23-2) during one of the first and second field periods to be read out during the other of the first and second field periods (Tfld1, Tfld2).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 12, characterized in that said effective amount of charge carriers is made different among the plurality of imaging devices (16R, 16G, 16B).
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
154 words
A method according to claim 10, characterized in that said step of controlling movement of charge carriers comprises the sub-steps of supplying a cell array (23-1) with a first electrical signal (V1 in FIG. 8) having a first pulse (90) and a second pulse (92) at the beginning and the end of a blanking period (60) during one of a first field period (Tfld1) and a second field period (Tfld2) included in a frame period (Tfrm); and substantially simultaneously, supplying another cell array (23-2) adjacent to said cell array (23-1) with a second electrical signal (V2 in FIG. 8) having pulses corresponding to the first and second pulses (90, 92) at the beginning and the end of a blanking period (60) during said one of the first and second field periods (Tfld1, Tfld2), said first pulse (90) of the first signal (V1) being potentially different from the corresponding one of the second signal (V2).
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
68 words
A method according to claim 15, characterized in that said first pulse (90) of each of the first and second signals (V1, V2) has different potential levels (L1, L2) at different time points (t1, t6 in FIG. 8) between said first and second field periods (Tfld1, Tfld2), while the second pulses (92) of said first and second signals (V1, V2) are kept at a constant potential level (L3).
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
79 words
A method according to claim 16, characterized in that, when the first pulse (90) of one of said first and second signals (V1, V2) is potentially greater than that of the other thereof during the first field period (Tfld1), said first pulse (90) of said one of said first and second signals (V1, V2) is forced to be potentially less than that of said the other during the second field period (Tfld1) that follows said first field period (Tfld1).
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 17, characterized in that the potential changing of said first pulse (90) is alternately performed during a series of frame periods (Tfrm) each of which includes the first and second field periods (Tfld1, Tfld2).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.