EP0981245A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Solid-state image sensing apparatus, control method therefor, basic layout of photoelectric conversion cell and storage medium
Assignee: Canon Inc
•
Filing: 1999-08-19
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2019-08-19
Abstract
Abstract An object of this invention is to provide a solid-state image sensing apparatus capable of performing high-precision AF and AE without adding any camera mechanism or increasing power consumption. To achieve this object, at least S1 and S2 among photoelectric conversion cells output signals not for forming an image signal in a solid-state image sensing apparatus in which photoelectric conversion cells for converting an optical image formed by an optical system into an electrical signal are two-dimensionally laid out.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenichi Kondo
- 👤 Yukichi Niwa
- 👤 Shinji Sakai
- 👤 Yoshihiro Saga
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 17:17
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B7/00; G02B7/28; G02B7/34; H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/60; H04N23/67; H04N23/672; H04N23/70; H04N23/71; H04N25/00; H04N25/10; H04N25/11; H04N25/13; H04N25/135; H04N25/136; H04N25/40; H04N25/42; H04N25/44; H04N25/445; H04N25/70; H04N25/702; H04N25/703; H04N25/704; H04N25/706; H10; H10F; H10F39/00; H10F39/80; H10F39/805; H10F39/8057; H10F39/806; H10F39/8063; H04N25/134
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
47 words
A solid-state image sensing apparatus in which
photoelectric conversion cells for converting an optical
image formed by an optical system into an electrical
signal are two-dimensionally laid out, characterized in
that at least some of the photoelectric conversion cells
output signals not for forming an image signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized
in that the signal not for forming an image signal is a
distance measurement signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized
in that the signal not for forming an image signal is a
photometric signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized
in that the photoelectric conversion cells are CCD
elements for photoelectrically converting signal charges
and transferring the photoelectrically converted signal
charges.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized
in that the photoelectric conversion cells are
photodiodes, and a V-CCD for temporarily storing and
transferring signal charges from the photodiodes is
arranged along an array of the photodiodes.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized
in that said solid-state image sensing apparatus adopts
an X-Y address method.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
81 words
A solid-state image sensing apparatus having an
image sensing region where photoelectric conversion
cells for converting an optical image formed by an
optical system into an electrical signal are
two-dimensionally laid out, characterized in that the
image sensing region is defined by repetition of basic
layouts of photoelectric conversion cells for detecting
a plurality of colors, and one photoelectric conversion
cell in at least some basic layouts of the image sensing
region outputs a signal not for forming an image signal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
166 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized
in that each photoelectric conversion cell for
outputting a signal not for forming an image signal has
a microlens arranged on a photoelectric conversion
portion, and a light-shielding film which is formed
between the microlens and the photoelectric conversion
portion and has a specific opening, the photoelectric
conversion cells are classified into first photoelectric
conversion cells in each of which the opening of the
light-shielding film offsets from an optical center of
the microlens, and second photoelectric conversion cells
in each of which the opening of the light-shielding film
offsets from the optical center of the microlens in an
opposite direction to the first photoelectric conversion
cell, and at least one region of the image sensing
region has a layout made up of a first row on which
basic layouts including the first photoelectric
conversion cells are aligned and a second row adjacent
to the first row on which basic layouts including the
second photoelectric conversion cells are aligned.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
170 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized
in that each photoelectric conversion cell for
outputting a signal not for forming an image signal has
a microlens arranged on a photoelectric conversion
portion, and a light-shielding film which is formed
between the microlens and the photoelectric conversion
portion and has a specific opening, the photoelectric
conversion cells are classified into first photoelectric
conversion cells in each of which the opening of the
light-shielding film offsets from an optical center of
the microlens, and second photoelectric conversion cells
in each of which the opening of the light-shielding film
offsets from the optical center of the microlens in an
opposite direction to the first photoelectric conversion
cell, and at least one region of the image sensing
region has a layout made up of a first row on which
basic layouts including the first photoelectric
conversion cells are aligned and second rows adjacent to
upper and lower sides of the first row on which basic
layouts including the second photoelectric conversion
cells are aligned.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
149 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized
in that each photoelectric conversion cell for
outputting a signal not for forming an image signal has
a microlens arranged on a photoelectric conversion
portion, and a light-shielding film which is formed
between the microlens and the photoelectric conversion
portion and has a specific opening, the photoelectric
conversion cells are classified into first photoelectric
conversion cells in each of which the opening of the
light-shielding film offsets from an optical center of
the microlens, and second photoelectric conversion cells
in each of which the opening of the light-shielding film
offsets from the optical center of the microlens in an
opposite direction to the first photoelectric conversion
cell, and at least part of the image sensing region has
a layout in which basic layouts including the first
photoelectric conversion cells and basic layouts
including the second photoelectric conversion cells are
alternately laid out.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
176 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized
in that each photoelectric conversion cell for
outputting a signal not for generating an image signal
has a microlens arranged on a photoelectric conversion
portion, and a light-shielding film which is formed
between the microlens and the photoelectric conversion
portion and has a specific opening, the photoelectric
conversion cells are classified into first photoelectric
conversion cells in each of which the opening of the
light-shielding film offsets from an optical center of
the microlens, and second photoelectric conversion cells
in each of which the opening of the light-shielding film
offsets from the optical center of the microlens in an
opposite direction to the first photoelectric conversion
cell, and at least one region of the image sensing
region has a layout made up of a given first row on
which basic layouts including the first and second
photoelectric conversion cells are alternately laid out,
and a second row on which first and second basic layouts
are laid out as opposed to a first row adjacent to the
given first row.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
62 words
The apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to
11, characterized in that a focus of the optical system
for forming an object image on an image sensing element
is adjusted by a phase difference between a signal
output from an array of the first photoelectric
conversion cells and a signal output from an array of
the second photoelectric conversion cells.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
57 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized
in that the photoelectric conversion cell for outputting
a signal not for forming an image signal has a
light-shielding film with a specific opening on a
photoelectric conversion portion, and photoelectric
conversion cells having openings with different opening
degrees are arranged at an arbitrary location in the
image sensing region.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized
in that exposure control is performed based on outputs
from the photoelectric conversion cells having different
opening degrees.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized
in that the photoelectric conversion cells are CCD
elements for photoelectrically converting signal charges
and transferring the photoelectrically converted signal
charges.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized
in that the photoelectric conversion cells are
photodiodes, and a V-CCD for temporarily storing and
transferring signal charges from the photodiodes is
arranged along an array of the photodiodes.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized
in that said solid-state image sensing apparatus adopts
an X-Y address method.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
68 words
A basic layout of a photoelectric conversion cell
in a solid-state image sensing apparatus having an image
sensing region where photoelectric conversion cells for
converting an optical image formed by an optical system
into an electrical signal are two-dimensionally laid out,
characterized in that photoelectric conversion cells for
detecting a plurality of colors, and photoelectric
conversion cells for outputting signals not for forming
an image signal are combined.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
126 words
A solid-state image sensing apparatus in which
photoelectric conversion cells for converting an optical
image into an electrical signal are two-dimensionally
laid out, characterized by comprising: a first photoelectric conversion cell for
outputting a signal for forming a two-dimensional image; a second photoelectric conversion cell for
outputting a signal other than the signal for forming
the two-dimensional image; and switching means for switching a first read mode of
reading out a signal including both the signal output
from said first photoelectric conversion cell and the
signal output from said second photoelectric conversion
cell, and a second read mode of reading out a signal
including not the signal read out from said second
photoelectric conversion cell but the signal read out
from said first photoelectric conversion cell.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized
in that said second photoelectric conversion cell is a
photoelectric conversion cell for outputting a signal
for detecting a focal point.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
210 words
An image sensing apparatus characterized by
comprising: a solid-state image sensing element in which
photoelectric conversion cells for converting an optical
image into an electrical signal are two-dimensionally
laid out, said solid-state image sensing element having
a first photoelectric conversion cell for outputting a
signal for forming a two-dimensional image and a second
photoelectric conversion cell for outputting a signal
other than the signal for forming the two-dimensional
image; a timing generator for generating a driving signal
to said solid-state image sensing element, said timing
generator generating a first driving signal for
outputting, from said image sensing element, a signal
including both the signal output from the first
photoelectric conversion cell and the signal output from
the second photoelectric conversion cell, and a second
driving signal for outputting, from said image sensing
element, a signal including not the signal read out from
the second photoelectric conversion cell but the signal
read out from the first photoelectric conversion cell;
and switching means for switching a first
photographing mode of generating a video signal using
all pixels on said image sensing element by the first
driving signal, and a second photographing mode of
generating a video signal by thinning out the pixels on
said image sensing element by the second driving signal.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus according to claim 21, characterized
in that the second photoelectric conversion cell is a
photoelectric conversion cell for outputting a signal
for detecting a focal point.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
66 words
The apparatus according to claim 21, characterized
in that said timing generator generates a third driving
signal for outputting, from said image sensing element,
a video signal including a signal output from the second
photoelectric conversion cell, and said switching means
switches said timing generator between a state of
generating the second driving signal and a state of
generating the third driving signal every predetermined
time.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
135 words
An image sensing apparatus characterized by
comprising: a solid-state image sensing element in which
photoelectric conversion cells for converting an optical
image into an electrical signal are two-dimensionally
laid out, said solid-state image sensing element having
a first photoelectric conversion cell for outputting a
signal for forming a two-dimensional image and a second
photoelectric conversion cell for outputting a signal
other than the signal for forming the two-dimensional
image; a thinning circuit for thinning image signals
every predetermined time; and switching means for switching a first
photographing mode of generating a video signal using
all pixels on said image sensing element, and a second
photographing mode of generating a video signal by
abandoning signals output from the second photoelectric
conversion cell by said thinning circuit, and thinning
out the pixels on said image sensing element.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus according to claim 24, characterized
in that the second photoelectric conversion cell is a
photoelectric conversion cell for outputting a signal
for detecting a focal point.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
141 words
A solid-state image sensing apparatus control
method of controlling a solid-state image sensing
element having a first photoelectric conversion cell for
outputting a signal for forming a two-dimensional image
and a second photoelectric conversion cell for
outputting a signal other than the signal for forming
the two-dimensional image in a solid-state image sensing
apparatus in which photoelectric conversion cells for
converting an optical image into an electrical signal
are two-dimensionally laid out, characterized by
comprising: controlling to switch a first read mode of reading
out a signal including both the signal output from the
first photoelectric conversion cell and the signal
output from the second photoelectric conversion cell,
and a second read mode of reading out a signal including
not the signal read out from the second photoelectric
conversion cell but the signal read out from the first
photoelectric conversion cell.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
149 words
A storage medium storing a control program for
controlling a solid-state image sensing element having a
first photoelectric conversion cell for outputting a
signal for forming a two-dimensional image and a second
photoelectric conversion cell for outputting a signal
other than the signal for forming the two-dimensional
image in a solid-state image sensing apparatus in which
photoelectric conversion cells for converting an optical
image into an electrical signal are two-dimensionally
laid out, characterized in that the control program
comprises a code of the step of switching a first read
mode of reading out a signal including both the signal
output from the first photoelectric conversion cell and
the signal output from the second photoelectric
conversion cell, and a second read mode of reading out a
signal including not the signal read out from the second
photoelectric conversion cell but the signal read out
from the first photoelectric conversion cell.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
60 words
An image sensing apparatus characterized by
comprising an image sensing region where photoelectric
conversion cells for converting an optical image into an
electrical signal are two-dimensionally laid out, the
image sensing region including a first of photoelectric
conversion cells for outputting signals for forming
image signals, and second photoelectric conversion cells
for outputting signals not for forming an image signal.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus according to claim 28, characterized
by further comprising first control means for
controlling to read out the signals from the plurality
of first photoelectric conversion cells and the signals
from the second photoelectric conversion cells, and to
interpolate the plurality of second photoelectric
conversion cells using the signals from the plurality of
first photoelectric conversion cells.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus according to claim 28, characterized
by further comprising second control means for
controlling to perform image sensing adjustment using
the signals output from the plurality of second
photoelectric conversion cells, and to perform image
formation using the signals from the plurality of first
photoelectric conversion cells.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus according to claim 30, characterized
in that the image sensing adjustment includes focus
adjustment and/or exposure adjustment.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus according to claim 30, characterized
in that the image formation is generation of a luminance
signal and chrominance signals.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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