Patent EP0689346A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0689346A1
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EP
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Image pick-up apparatus with expanded dynamic range
Assignee: Canon Inc
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Filing: 1995-06-19
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-06-19
Abstract
Abstract An image pick-up apparatus includes: an image sensing device for converting an optical image into an electrical signal, the image sensing device including a photoelectric conversion part and a vertical transfer part; a mode switching circuit for switching an operation mode between a frame mode and field mode; and a control circuit for controlling the bias level of a vertical transfer pulse depending on the operation mode selected via the mode switching circuit; thereby expanding the dynamic range of the apparatus.
Inventors
- 👤 Masao Suzuki
- 👤 Kenichi Kondo
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 20:27
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N25/00; H04N25/50; H04N25/57; H04N25/59; H04N25/60; H04N25/62; H04N25/621
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
74 words
An image pick-up apparatus comprising: an image sensing device for converting an optical image into an electrical signal, said image sensing device including a photoelectric conversion part and a vertical transfer part; mode switching means for switching an operation mode between a frame mode and field mode; and control means for controlling the bias level and/or a timing of a vertical transfer pulse depending on the operation mode selected via said mode switching means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
34 words
An image pick-up apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said control means controls the width of a reading pulse used to read a signal charge from the photoelectric part into the vertical transfer part.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
An image pick-up apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said control means switches an intermediate level of a transfer pulse used to drive a vertical transfer part adjacent to a photoelectric conversion part.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
63 words
An image pick-up apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said control means gives a predetermined amount of shift to an intermediate level of a transfer pulse used to drive a vertical transfer part adjacent to a photoelectric conversion part, and said control means also gives the same amount of shifts to intermediate levels of transfer pulses used to drive other vertical transfer parts.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
An image pick-up apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein said control means includes a plurality of shifting circuits for determining the amounts of shifts given to the individual vertical transfer pulses, said plurality of shifting circuits being connected to the same power supply source used in common.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
An image pick-up apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said plurality of shifting circuits have substantially the same dependence of temperature on their outputs.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
61 words
An image pick-up apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said control means switches an intermediate level of a transfer pulse used to drive a vertical transfer part adjacent to a photoelectric conversion part, and said control means also gives the same amount of shifts as that given to the intermediate level to the high and low levels of the transfer pulse.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
82 words
An image pick-up apparatus comprising: an image sensing device for converting an optical image into an electrical signal, said image sensing device including a photoelectric conversion part and a vertical transfer part; mode switching means for switching an operation mode between a frame mode and field mode; and control means for controlling the bias level of a vertical transfer pulse and the potential of a substrate of the image sensing device depending on the operation mode selected via said mode switching means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
102 words
An image pick-up apparatus comprising: a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells; charge transfer means including charge transfer cells wherein the number of said charge transfer cells is greater than the number of said photoelectric conversion cells; and control means for controlling the operation of transferring signal charges from said photoelectric conversion cells to said charge transfer means according to a procedure including the steps of: forming a plurality of potential wells by a plurality of charge transfer cells; and transferring a signal charge from each photoelectric conversion cell to a potential well formed at a position corresponding to each photoelectric conversion cell.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
132 words
An image pick-up apparatus comprising: a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells; charge transfer means including charge transfer cells wherein the number of said charge transfer cells is greater than the number of said photoelectric conversion cells; and control means for controlling the operation of transferring signal charges from said photoelectric conversion cells to said charge transfer means according to a procedure including the steps of: forming a potential well in a charge transfer cell disposed at a position corresponding to each photoelectric conversion cell; transferring a signal charge from each photoelectric conversion cell to the potential well formed at the position corresponding to each photoelectric conversion cell; and then immediately applying a predetermined voltage to a transfer cell adjacent to each potential well thereby increasing the capacity of each said potential well.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
115 words
A method of driving an image sensing device, said image sensing device including a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells and charge transfer means including a plurality of charge transfer cells wherein the number of said charge transfer cells is greater than the number of said photoelectric conversion cells, said method being characterized in that a signal charge is transferred from each said photoelectric conversion cell to said charge transfer means according to a procedure including the steps of: forming a plurality of potential wells by a plurality of charge transfer cells; and transferring a signal charge from each photoelectric conversion cell to a potential well formed at a position corresponding to each photoelectric conversion cell.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
148 words
A method of driving an image sensing device, said image sensing device including a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells and charge transfer means including a plurality of charge transfer cells wherein the number of said charge transfer cells is greater than the number of said photoelectric conversion cells, said method being characterized in that a signal charge is transferred from each said photoelectric conversion cell to said charge transfer means according to a procedure including the steps of: forming a potential well in a charge transfer cell disposed at a position corresponding to each photoelectric conversion cell; transferring a signal charge from each photoelectric conversion cell to the potential well formed at the position corresponding to each photoelectric conversion cell; and immediately after the above step, applying a predetermined voltage to a transfer cell adjacent to each potential well thereby increasing the capacity of each said potential well.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
A CCD image pick-up device operable in different modes in which the transfer pulses are varied in accordance with a selected mode to increase the dynamic range of the device.
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