IMAGING DEVICE

• US 20100283880A1
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: KOBAYASHI, Takakazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,269,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/300
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/625 for the control of smear
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/63 applied to dark current
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/709 Circuitry for control of the power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/767 Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers

Abstract

An imaging device includes pixels arranged in a two-dimensional form and each having a photoelectric conversion part converting light into an electric signal, a plurality of vertical signal lines coupled, in a column direction, to the pixels arranged in the column direction and receiving the electric signal read from each of the pixels, a first constant current generator provided on each of the vertical signal lines, a column amplifier having a second constant current generator and amplifying the electric signal read to the vertical signal line, and a constant voltage generator provided on each of the vertical signal lines and being coupled to a first contact of the first constant current generator and a second contact of the second constant current generator included in the column amplifier.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

pixels arranged in a two-dimensional form and each having a photoelectric conversion part converting light into an electric signal;

a plurality of vertical signal lines coupled, in a column direction, to the pixels arranged in the column direction and receiving the electric signal read from each of the pixels;

a first constant current generator provided on each of the vertical signal lines;

a column amplifier having a second constant current generator amplifying the electric signal read to the vertical signal line; and

a constant voltage generator provided on each of the vertical signal lines and being coupled to a first contact of the first constant current generator and a second contact of the second constant current generator included in the column amplifier.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a virtual ground line disposed in a row direction across all columns of the pixels arranged in the two-dimensional form and to which the first contact of the first constant current generator, the second contact of the second constant current generator included in the column amplifier, and a pixel ground line of the pixels in the column direction are coupled for each of the columns;

a reference voltage line disposed in the row direction across all the columns of the pixels arranged in the two-dimensional form and applying a predetermined electrical potential to the constant voltage generator; and

a power line disposed in the row direction across all the columns of the pixels arranged in the two-dimensional form and supplying power to the constant voltage generator, wherein

the power line, the virtual ground line, and the reference voltage line are coupled to the constant voltage generator for each of the columns.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein

the constant voltage generator is a differential voltage follower circuit.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein

the differential voltage follower circuit has an output load current generator which is the first constant current generator.

5. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein

the differential voltage follower circuit has an output load current generator which is the second constant current generator included in the column amplifier.

6. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein

the differential voltage follower circuit has an output load current generator which is the second constant current generator included in the column amplifier.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the constant voltage generator is a differential voltage follower circuit.

8. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein

the differential voltage follower circuit has an output load current generator which is the first constant current generator.

9. The imaging device according to claim 8, wherein

the differential voltage follower circuit has an output load current generator which is the second constant current generator included in the column amplifier.

10. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein

the differential voltage follower circuit has an output load current generator which is the second constant current generator included in the column amplifier.

11. An imaging device comprising:

pixels arranged in a two-dimensional form and each having a photoelectric conversion part converting light into an electric signal;

a plurality of vertical signal lines coupled, in a column direction, to the pixels arranged in the column direction and receiving the electric signal read from each of the pixels;

a first constant current generator provided on each of the vertical signal lines;

a column amplifier having a second constant current generator amplifying the electric signal read to the vertical signal line; and

a constant voltage generator provided on at least one vertical signal line of the vertical signal lines and being coupled to a first contact of the first constant current generator and a second contact of the second constant current generator included in the column amplifier.