Solid-state image pickup device

• US 20050237408A1
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Yoshinori
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/11 Arrangement of colour filter arrays [CFA]; Filter mosaics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/40 Extracting pixel data from image sensors by controlling scanning circuits, e.g. by modifying the number of pixels sampled or to be sampled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/745 Circuitry for generating timing or clock signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/767 Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/779 Circuitry for scanning or addressing the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/7795 Circuitry for generating timing or clock signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/15 for picture signal generation

Abstract

A CMOS color image sensor, which is a solid-state image pickup device, includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each of the plurality of pixels converting the incident light intensity into an electrical signal; a pixel array including the plurality of pixels; row-selection lines; and column-reading lines. Two column-reading lines are provided for each column of the pixel array. Pixels in even rows of each column are connected to one column-reading line and pixels in odd rows of each column are connected to the other column-reading line.

Claims

1. A solid-state image pickup device comprising:

a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each of the plurality of pixels converting an incident light intensity into an electrical signal;

a pixel array including the plurality of pixels;

a plurality of row-selection lines each provided for each row of the pixel array and each connected to all the pixels in the corresponding row;

a row-selection control unit for selectively activating the plurality of row-selection lines;

a plurality of column-reading lines, n column-reading lines from a 0th column-reading line to an (n−

1)th column-reading line being provided for each column of the pixel array; and

a column-scanning unit for performing column scanning by selectively activating the plurality of column-reading lines, wherein;

each of the plurality of pixels in each column of the pixel array is connected to one of the n column-reading lines that correspond to the column;

a pixel in a (k+m)th row of each column is connected to an mth column-reading line, where k represents a positive integer and m represents an integer from 0 to n-1;

the column-scanning unit includes n column-scanning circuits from a 0th column-scanning circuit to an (n−

1)th column-scanning circuit; and

an mth column-reading line from among the n column-reading lines that correspond to each column of the pixel array is connected to an mth column-scanning circuit, where m represents an integer from 0 to n−

1.

2. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein:

the row-selection control unit includes a row-scanning circuit for activating n row-selection lines at the same time and for performing row scanning of the pixel array; and

signals of pixels in n rows corresponding to the n row-selection lines activated at the same time are read in parallel by the n column-scanning circuits.

3. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 2, wherein:

the solid-state image pickup device is a color image sensor;

each of the plurality of pixels includes a color filter in one of a plurality of predetermined colors;

the color filters in the plurality of predetermined colors are arranged such that full color information is obtained from the signals read from the pixels in the n rows corresponding to the n row-selection lines activated at the same time; and

signals of all the pixels provided with at least a color filter in a particular color from among the color filters in the plurality of predetermined colors are read only by a particular column-scanning circuit from among the n column-scanning circuits.

4. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein:

the row-selection control unit includes n row-scanning circuits from a 0th row-scanning circuit to an (n−

1)th row-scanning circuit; and

a row-selection line corresponding to a (k+m)th row of the pixel array is connected to an mth row-scanning circuit, where k represents a positive integer and m represents an integer from 0 to n−

1.

5. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 4, wherein:

the solid-state image pickup device is a color image sensor;

each of the plurality of pixels includes a color filter in one of a plurality of predetermined colors; and

the color filters in the plurality of predetermined colors are arranged such that full color information is obtained from signals read from pixels in a row of the pixel array.

6. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 5, wherein:

the n column-scanning circuits are operable independently from each other; and

the n row-scanning circuits are operable independently from each other.

7. A solid-state image pickup device comprising:

a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each of the plurality of pixels converting an incident light intensity into an electrical signal;

a pixel array including the plurality of pixels;

a plurality of row-selection lines each provided for each row of the pixel array and each connected to all the pixels in the corresponding row;

a row-selection control unit for selectively activating the plurality of row-selection lines;

a plurality of column-reading lines, n column-reading lines from a 0th column-reading line to an (n−

1)th column-reading line being provided for each column of the pixel array; and

a column-scanning unit for performing column scanning by selectively activating the plurality of column-reading lines, wherein;

each of the plurality of pixels in each column of the pixel array is connected to one of the n column-reading lines that correspond to the column;

a pixel in a (k+m)th row of each column is connected to an mth column-reading line, where k represents an integer of {0, n, 2n, 3n, . . . } and m represents an integer from 0 to n−

1;

the column-scanning unit includes n column-scanning circuits from a 0th column-scanning circuit to an (n−

1)th column-scanning circuit; and

an mth column-reading line from among the n column-reading lines that correspond to each column of the pixel array is connected to an mth column-scanning circuit, where m represents an integer from 0 to n−

1.