SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND DRIVING METHOD OF IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20100201856A1
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Hidetoshi, Kuroda, Yukihiro, Sonoda, Kazuhiro, Takenaka, Shintaro, Iwata, Koichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,670,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/296
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/441 by reading contiguous pixels from selected rows or columns of the array, e.g. interlaced scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/443 by reading pixels from selected 2D regions of the array, e.g. for windowing or digital zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/63 applied to dark current
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/633 by using optical black pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors

Abstract

The present invention reduces differences in the influence of electric charge leakage from a non-read out region into multiple read out regions adjacent to a non-read out region. Reset scanning of that row in the non-read out region which adjoins the first or second read out region is started before read out scanning of the first and second read out regions.

Claims

1. A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising:

a pixel region wherein a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric converting unit for photoelectric conversion and a pixel output unit outputting a signal based on an electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric converting unit are arranged in a matrix; and

a row selecting unit for selecting the pixels row by row, wherein

the solid-state imaging apparatus further comprises a control unit for controlling an operation mode of the solid-state imaging apparatus, and

the control unit controls the row selecting unit in an operation mode such that the signals are read out from a first read out region including the pixels of a plurality of rows, the signals are read out from a second read out region including the pixels of a plurality of rows, and the signals are not read out from a non-read out region including the pixels of a plurality of rows and adjacent to the first and second read out regions, and starts a reset scanning, during the operation mode, of a row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the first or second read out region, before a read out scanning of the first and second read out regions.

2. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit starts, simultaneously, the reset scanning of the row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the first read out region, and the reset scanning of the row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the second read out region.

3. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit starts the reset scanning from the row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the first read out region and continues the reset scanning in the same direction as a direction as read out scanning of the first and second readout regions and as a direction of shutter scanning, and starts the reset scanning of the non-readout region from the row adjacent to the second read out region and continues the reset scanning in a direction different from the direction of read out scanning of the first and second readout regions and different from the direction of shutter scanning.

4. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the control unit stops the reset scanning when an address of a pixel row reset by the reset scanning in the non-read out region in the same direction as that of the read out scanning and the shutter scanning of the first and second read out region coincides with an address of a pixel row reset by the reset scanning in the non-read out region in the direction different from that of the read out scanning and the shutter scanning of the first and second read out region, or

when a relation between the address of a pixel row reset by the reset scanning in the non-read out region and the shutter scanning in the same direction as that of the read out scanning of the first and second read out region and the address of a pixel row reset by the reset scanning in the non-read out region in the direction different from that of the read out scanning and the shutter scanning of the first and second read out region are reversed.

5. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit executes simultaneously the reset scanning all of the pixel rows in the non-read out region.

6. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the control unit includes a vertical scanning unit for scanning the pixel rows, and

the vertical scanning unit includes

an address generator for generating an address signal,

a decoder for selecting a bit corresponding to the address signal,

a storage unit storing the bit selected by the decoder and

a pixel driving unit supplying a signal to the pixel according to the bit stored in the storage unit.

7. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the address generator includes

a plurality of counters, and

a selector for inputting to the decoder a count value of the plurality of counters.

8. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit inputs the count values of the plurality of counters successively through the selector to the decoder, to supply signals simultaneously to the plurality of pixel rows correspondingly to the plurality of bits.

9. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the reset scanning of the non-read out region in a direction different from a direction of read out scanning of the first and second readout regions and different from a direction of shutter scanning.

10. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls such that a start time tr of the read out scanning of a row in the first or second read out region and adjacent to the non-read out region, and a start time Tb of the reset scanning of the row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the first or second read out region meet a condition:

tr−

N×

τ

≦

Tb<

tr, where τ

is an accumulation time for the pixels in the first readout region or the second read out region.

11. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solid-state imaging apparatus is incorporated in an imaging system that includes:

an optical series for focusing an image onto the pixel region of the solid-state imaging apparatus; and

a video signal processing unit for processing a signal outputted from the solid-state imaging apparatus to generate an image data.

12. A driving method of a solid-state imaging apparatus that includes a pixel region wherein a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric converting unit for photoelectric conversion and a pixel output unit outputting a signal based on an electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric converting unit are arranged in a matrix, the driving method comprising:

reading out the signals from a first read out region including a plurality of rows of pixels,

reading out the signals from a second read out region including a plurality of rows of pixels, and

without reading out the signals from a non-read out region including a plurality of rows of pixels and adjacent to the first and second read out regions, during the reading out from the first or second read out region, starting a reset scanning of a row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the first or second read out region, before a read out scanning of the first and second read out regions.

13. The driving method according to claim 12, wherein the reset scanning of the row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the first read out region, and the reset scanning of the row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the second read out region start simultaneously.

14. The driving method according to claim 13, wherein

the reset scanning starting from the row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the first read out region continues in the same direction as a direction of read out scanning of the first and second readout regions and as a direction of shutter scanning, and

the reset scanning starting from the row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the second read out region continues in a direction different from the direction of read out scanning of the first and second readout regions and different from the direction of shutter scanning.

15. The driving method according to claim 14, wherein

the reset scanning stops when an address of a pixel row reset by the reset scanning and the shutter scanning in the same direction as that of the read out scanning of the first and second read out region coincides with an address of a pixel row reset by the reset scanning in the direction different from that of the read out scanning and the shutter scanning of the first and second read out region, or

when a relation between the address of a pixel row reset by the reset scanning in the same direction as that of the read out scanning and the shutter scanning of the first and second read out region and the address of a pixel row reset by the reset scanning in the direction different from that of the read out scanning and the shutter scanning of the first and second read out region are reversed.

16. The driving method according to claim 13, wherein the reset scanning is performed simultaneously for all of the pixel rows in the non-read out region.

17. The driving method according to claim 13, wherein

the solid-state imaging apparatus includes a vertical scanning unit for scanning the pixel rows, and

the vertical scanning unit includes

an address generator for generating an address signal,

a decoder for selecting a bit corresponding to the address signal,

a storage unit storing the bit selected by the decoder and

a pixel driving unit supplying a signal to the pixel according to the bit stored in the storage unit.

18. The driving method according to claim 17, wherein the address generator includes

a plurality of counters, and

a selector for inputting to the decoder a count value of the plurality of counters.

19. The driving method according to claim 18, wherein the count values of the plurality of counters are inputted successively through the selector to the decoder, to supply signals simultaneously to the plurality of pixel rows correspondingly to the plurality of bits.

20. The driving method according to claim 12, wherein the reset scanning of the non-read out region continues in a direction different from a direction of read out scanning of the first and second readout regions and different from a direction of shutter scanning.

21. The driving method according to claim 12, wherein a start time tr of the read out scanning of a row in the first or second read out region and adjacent to the non-read out region, and a start time Tb of the reset scanning of the row in the non-read out region and adjacent to the first or second read out region are controlled to meet a condition:

tr−

N×

τ

≦

Tb<

tr, wherein τ

is an accumulation time for the pixels im the first read out region or the second read out region.