Image pickup apparatus for selectively storing electrical signals

Claim 3

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein said storage means is made of a semiconductor element, and said electrical signal is stored in a potential well.

Claim 4

An apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first state is a state which forms a potential well having a large amount of saturation of said electrical signal, and said second state is a state which forms a potential well having a smaller amount of saturation of said electrical signal than that during said first state.

Claim 5

An apparatus of claim 2 further comprising recombination means for eliminating through recombination said electrical signal stored in said potential well.

Claim 6

An apparatus of claim 4 further comprising switching means for switching said first and second states by changing the operation condition of said recombination means.

Claim 7

An apparatus of claim 5, wherein said switching means enhances the recombination ability per unit time of said recombination means during said second state more than that during said first state.

Claim 8

An apparatus of claim 6, wherein said switching means enhances the recombination ability by changing a voltage applied to said recombination means.

Claim 9

An apparatus of claim 7, wherein said switching means enhances the recombination ability by raising the frequency of said voltage to said recombination means.

Claim 10

An apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means for reading out said electrical signal stored during said first period and for recording said electrical signal.

Claim 11

An image pickup device comprising: (a) an image part for converting incident radiation into an electrical signal and storing said electric signal; (b) a storage part, to which said electrical signal stored in said image part is transferred, for holding said transferred electrical signal; (c) a buffer part provided between said image part and said storage part, to which said electrical signal stored in said image part is transferred; (d) control means for taking a first drive mode for transferring said electrical signal stored in said image part to said storage part by driving said image part, said storage part and said buffer part, and a second drive mode for transferring said electrical signal stored in said image part to said buffer part by driving only said image part and said buffer part; (e) means for rendering said control means alternately to take said first and second drive modes; and (f) means for reducing the amount of charge saturation of said image part after operating said control means at said second drive mode.

Claim 12

An image pickup device comprising: (a) an image part for converting incident radiation into an electrical signal and storing said electric signal; (b) a storage part, to which said electrical signal stored in said image part is transferred, for holding said transferred electrical signal; (c) a buffer part provided between said image part and said storage part, to which said electrical signal stored in said image part is transferred; (d) control means for taking a first drive mode for transferring said electrical signal stored in said image part to said storage part by driving said image part, said storage part and said buffer part, and a second drive mode for transferring said electrical signal stored in said image part to said buffer part by driving only said image part and said buffer part; (e) means for rendering said control means alternately to take said first and second drive modes; and (f) means for reducing the amount of charge saturation of said image part after operating said control means at said second drive mode.

Claim 13

An image pickup device of claim 10, wherein said reduction means reduces the amount of charge saturation by changing the potential distribution of said image part.

Claim 14

An image pickup device of claim 10, wherein said reduction means eliminates said electrical signal of said image part by means of recombination, and enhances the recombination ability per unit time after operating said control means at said second drive mode more than that after operating said control means at said first drive mode.

Claim 15

An image pickup device of claim 12, wherein said reduction means enhances the recombination ability by changing a voltage to said recombination means.

Claim 16

An image pickup device of claim 13, wherein said reduction means enhances the recombination ability by raising the frequency of said voltage to said recombination means.

Claim 17

An image pickup device of claim 10, further comprising recording means for reading out said electrical signal stored in said storage part and for recording said electrical signal.

Claim 20

A device of claim 16, wherein said exclusion means is recombination means for recombining said electrical signal.

Claim 21

A device of claim 16, wherein said potential well from which said electrical signal is more readily excluded has the potential distribution that said electrical signal is concentrated near said exclusion means.

Claim 22

A device of claim 17, wherein said potential well from which said electrical signal is more readily excluded has the potential distribution that said electrical signal is concentrated near said exclusion means.

Claim 23

A device of claim 16, wherein said recombination means enhances the recombination ability per unit time when said first mode is selected by said control means more than said second mode.

Claim 24

An image pickup device of claim 16, further comprising recording means for reading out said electrical signal stored in said storage means and for recording said electrical signal.

Claim 27

A device of claim 22, wherein said exclusion means excludes said electrical signal by means of recombination.

Claim 28

A device of claim 23, wherein said exclusion means enhances the exclusion ability by raising a voltage for recombination.

Claim 29

A device of claim 22 further comprising means for controlling a state of said potential well, said control means taking a first mode for forming a potential well state said electrical signal is stored, and a second mode for forming a potential well state said electrical signal is more readily excluded by said exclusion means than said first mode.

Claim 30

A device of claim 25, wherein said control means takes said first mode during said firs period and said second mode during said second period.

Claim 31

A device of claim 26, wherein said potential state said electrical signal is more readily excluded has the potential distribution that said electrical signal is concentration near said exclusion means.

Claim 32

An image pickup device of claim 22, further comprising recording means for reading out said electrical signal stored in said storage means and for recording said electrical signals

Claim 35

An apparatus of claim 29, wherein said second control means eliminates through recombination said electrical signal stored during said first and said second period in said conversion means.

Claim 36

An apparatus of claim 29, wherein said conversion means is made of a semiconductor, and said electrical signal is stored in a potential well.

Claim 37

An apparatus of claim 31, wherein said second control means changes the potential well state between said first and said second period.

Claim 38

An image pickup device of claim 29, further comprising recording means for reading out said electrical signal stored in said conversion means and for recording said electrical signal.

Claim 39

An image pickup apparatus comprising: (a) an image part for converting incident radiation into an electrical signal and storing said electrical signal; (b) a first storage part for storing said electrical signal of said image part; (c) a second storage part for storing said electrical signal of said first storage part; (d) read out means for reading out said electrical signal from said second storage part; (e) control means for controlling transferring of an electrical signal, said control means having a first mode for periodically transferring an electrical signal from said image part to said second storage part through said first storage part in a vertical blanking period of standard television period, a second mode for reading out said electrical signal form said second storage part as a field signal after said first mode, and a third mode for transferring an electrical signal from said image part to said first storage part during said second mode; and (f) selecting means for selecting a storing period of said electrical signal in said image part, said selecting means selects at least a first selecting mode for allowing said control means to control transferring in said first to said third mode and a second selecting mode for allowing said control means to control transferring in said first and said second mode without said third mode.

Claim 40

An image pickup apparatus comprising: (a) an image part for converting incident radiation into an electrical signal and storing said electrical signal; (b) a first storage part for storing said electrical signal of said image part; (c) a second storage part for storing said electrical signal of said first storage part; (d) read out means for reading out said electrical signal from said second storage part; (e) control means for controlling transferring of an electrical signal, said control means having a first mode for periodically transferring an electrical signal from said image part to said second storage part through said first storage part in a vertical blanking period of standard television period, a second mode for reading out said electrical signal form said second storage part as a field signal after said first mode, and a third mode for transferring an electrical signal from said image part to said first storage part during said second mode; and (f) selecting means for selecting a storing period of said electrical signal in said image part, said selecting means selects at least a first selecting mode for allowing said control means to control transferring in said first to said third mode and a second selecting mode for allowing said control means to control transferring in said first and said second mode without said third mode.

Claim 41

An image pickup apparatus of claim 34, further comprising recording means for recording said electrical signal read out from said second storage part.

Claim 42

An image pickup apparatus of claim 34, further comprising exposure control means for controlling an exposure on said image part according to said electrical signal read out from said second part.

Claim 43

An image pickup apparatus of claim 34, wherein said image part, said first and second storage parts and said read-out means comprise charge coupled devices.

Claim 44

An image pickup apparatus of claim 34, further comprising saturation level control means for changing the control condition of the saturation level in an electrical signal at said image part between said first and second selecting modes.

Claim 45

An image pickup apparatus of claim 38, wherein aid saturation level control means comprises means for recombining said electrical signal with another electrical signal.

Claim 46

An image pickup apparatus of claim 38, wherein said saturation level control means comprises means for controlling a potential state of said image part.