US5146339A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Photoelectric converting apparatus employing Darlington transistor readout
Assignee: Canon Inc
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Filing: 1990-11-21
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Granted: 1992-09-08
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Expires: 2010-11-21
Abstract
Abstract There is provided a photoelectric converting apparatus which is constructed in a manner such that a control electrode of a Darlington type transistor is electrically connected to a signal output side of photoelectric conversion elements which can accumulate photoelectrically converted charges, load means is electrically connected to one main electrode of the Darlington type transistor, an emitter-follower circuit is constructed, and a signal is read out from the main electrode and that the photoelectric converting element is constructed so as to accumulate the photoelectrically converted charges into a control electrode region of a semiconductor transistor and to take out an amplified signal from one main electrode region of the semiconductor transistor. In one arrangement, an offset signal is generated and subtracted from the accumulated charge signal to eliminate noise.
Inventors
- 👤 Mahito Shinohara
- 👤 Seiji Hashimoto
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 02:37
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N25/00; H04N25/60; H04N25/67; H04N25/671; H04N25/677
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
69 words
A photoelectric converting apparatus, wherein a control electrode of a Darlington type transistor is connected to a signal output side of photoelectric conversion elements which can accumulate charges that are photo-electrically converted and a load means is electrically connected to one main electrode of said Darlington type transistor so that said Darlington type transistor operates as an emitter-follower circuit and a signal is read out from said main electrode.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
69 words
A photoelectric converting apparatus, wherein a control electrode of a Darlington type transistor is connected to a signal output side of photoelectric conversion elements which can accumulate charges that are photo-electrically converted and a load means is electrically connected to one main electrode of said Darlington type transistor so that said Darlington type transistor operates as an emitter-follower circuit and a signal is read out from said main electrode.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric conversion element comprises a semiconductor transistor in which the photoelectrically converted charges are accumulated in a control electrode region of said semiconductor transistor, and an amplified signal is taken out from one of main electrode regions of the semiconductor transistor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said photoelectric conversion elements are arranged.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the Darlington type transistor is provided for each of the photoelectric conversion elements.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of said photoelectric conversion elements are arranged.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of first switching means each of which is arranged between the photoelectric conversion elements and is selectively turned on or off.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first switching means is arranged between the control electrodes in said plurality of photoelectric conversion elements.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a capacitor is provided for the control electrode of the semiconductor transistor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein one end of the capacitor and the first switching means are commonly connected.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load means includes second switching means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are arranged like a matrix.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the Darlington type transistor is commonly provided for outputs of said plurality of photoelectric conversion elements.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
96 words
A photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: photoelectric conversion elements comprising pixels for performing a photoelectric conversion operation; a first amplifier for outputting a photoelectric conversion signal from each of the pixels of the photoelectric conversion elements; a second amplifier for outputting an offset signal from each of the pixels of the photoelectric conversion elements; and means for executing a subtracting process between output signals of the first and second amplifiers, wherein the first and second amplifiers have control means for controlling the operations of the amplifiers to only turn on said amplifiers when there are output signals.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
96 words
A photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: photoelectric conversion elements comprising pixels for performing a photoelectric conversion operation; a first amplifier for outputting a photoelectric conversion signal from each of the pixels of the photoelectric conversion elements; a second amplifier for outputting an offset signal from each of the pixels of the photoelectric conversion elements; and means for executing a subtracting process between output signals of the first and second amplifiers, wherein the first and second amplifiers have control means for controlling the operations of the amplifiers to only turn on said amplifiers when there are output signals.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
37 words
An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first and second amplifiers include a plurality of emitter-follower circuits each of which is constructed by electrically connecting load means to one main electrode of a Darlington type transistor.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control electrode of the Darlington type transistor is electrically connected to a signal output side of the photoelectric conversion elements.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
83 words
A multi-chip sensor system which is constructed by connecting a plurality of said photoelectric converting apparatuses according to claim 13, wherein output terminals of the second amplifiers of the photoelectric converting apparatuses are commonly connected, output terminals of the second amplifiers of the photoelectric converting apparatuses are also commonly connected, and said system has common subtracting means for executing a subtraction between the signal of the output terminal of the first amplifier and the signal of the output terminal of the second amplifier.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-09-08 | 1996-03-09 | 1996-09-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-09-08 | 2000-03-09 | 2000-09-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-09-08 | 2004-03-09 | 2004-09-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |