Optical sensor device with reduction of ambient light effects

• US 4,315,159 A
• Filed: 05/22/1979
• Issued: 02/09/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Corporation
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Masahiko, Tamura, Shuichi, Niwa, Yukichi, Asano, Noriyuki, Owada, Mitsutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Application Number:
  US06/041,503
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 307/221 D, 307/311, 357/24, 357/30, 250/211 J, 250/578, 250/214 B
• US Class Current: 250/208.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/42 using electric radiation detectors optical or mechanical part G01J1/04; by comparison with a reference light or electric value G01J1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/30 using parallactic triangle with a base line
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14818 Optical shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14856 Time-delay and integration

Abstract

An optical sensor device for use in optical instruments is disclosed. The optical sensor device is provided with an optical sensing region having at least one sensor element responsive to incident light for producing a charge, first and second charge storing regions each having the same number of charge storage elements as that of said sensor elements for accumulating the charges produced from said sensor elements, a first gate region for controlling the transfer of charge from said optical sensing region to said first charge storing region, and a second gate region for controlling the transfer of charges from the optical sensing region to the second charge storing region. Upon alternate application of a voltage to said first and second gate regions, the charges produced from said optical sensing region are alternately accumulated on said first and second charge storing regions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a light signal intermittently incident on an image sensor which produces an electric charge, comprising:

(a) first memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor;

(b) second memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor;

(c) first control gate means connected between the image sensor and the first memory means for permitting transfer of said electric charge to the first memory means during a certain interval when the light signal incident on the image sensor is present;

(d) second control gate means connected between the image sensor and the second memory means for permitting transfer of said electric charge to the second memory means during a certain interval when the light signal incident on the image sensor is absent; and

(e) comparison means operatively connected to the first and second memory means for producing an electrical output signal corresponding to the difference between the electric charges stored in said first and second memory means.

2. An apparatus for producing a light signal intermittently incident on an image sensor which produces an electric charge, comprising:

(a) first memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor;

(b) second memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor;

(c) first control gate means connected between the image sensor and the first memory means for permitting transfer of said electric charge to the first memory means while the light signal incident on the image sensor is present;

(d) second control gate means connected between the image sensor and the second memory means for permitting transfer of said electric charge to the second memory means while the light signal incident on the image sensor is absent; and

(e) comparison means operatively connected to the first and second memory means for producing an electrical output signal corresponding to the difference between the electric charges stored in said first and second memory means.

3. An apparatus for processing a light signal intermittently incident on an image sensor which produces an electric charge, comprising:

(a) first memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor during a certain interval when the light signal falls on the image sensor;

(b) second memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor during a certain interval in the absence of the incident light signal; and

(c) comparison means operatively connected to the first and second memory means for producing an electrical output signal corresponding to the difference between the electric charges stored in said first and second memory means.

4. An apparatus for producing a light signal intermittently incident on an image sensor which produces an electric charge, comprising:

(a) first memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor while the light signal falls on the image sensor;

(b) second memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor in the absence of the incident light signal; and

(c) comparison means operatively connected to the first and second memory means for producing an electrical output signal corresponding to the difference between the electric charges stored in said first and second memory means.

5. An apparatus for processing a light signal intermittently incident on an image sensor which produces an electric signal, comprising:

(a) first means operatively connected to the image sensor for detecting a quantity of the electric signals produced by the image sensor during a certain interval when the light signal falls on the image sensor;

(b) second means operatively connected to the image sensor for detecting a quantity of the electric signals produced by the image sensor during a certain interval in the absence of the incident light signal; and

(c) output means operatively connected to the first and second means for producing an electrical output signal corresponding to the difference between the electric signals detected by the first and second means.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said output means includes a comparison circuit having a first input operatively connected to the output of said first means and a second input operatively connected to the output of said second means.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said comparison circuit includes a differential amplifying part.

8. An apparatus for processing a light signal intermittently incident on an image sensor which produces an electric charge, comprising:

(a) first memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor;

(b) second memory means operatively connected to the image sensor for storing a quantity of the electric charges produced by the image sensor;

(c) first control gate means connected between the image sensor and the first memory means for permitting transfer of said electric charge to the first memory means during a certain interval when the light signal incident on the image sensor is present;

(d) second control gate means connected between the image sensor and the second memory means for permitting transfer of said electric charge to the second memory means during a certain interval when the light signal incident on the image sensor is absent;

(e) comparison means operatively connected to the first and second memory means for producing an electrical output signal corresponding to the difference between the electric charges stored in said first and second memory means;

(f) third control gate means for transferring a quantity of the electric charges stored in the first memory means to said comparison means when the first control gate means have repeated a plurality of transfer operations, said gate means being inserted between said first memory means and said comparison means; and

(g) fourth control gate means for transferring a quantity of the electric charges stored in the second memory means to said comparison means when the second control gate means have repeated a plurality of transfer operations.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said comparison means includes a differential amplifying circuit.