Information input apparatus

• US 6,292,169 B1
• Filed: 02/12/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Numazaki, Shunichi, Matsunaga, Yoshiyuki, Doi, Miwako
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Jimmy H.
• Application Number:
  US09/249,063
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 345/163, 345/156-158, 345/168, 250/200, 250/206.1, 250/208.1
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/275 Generation of keying signals

Abstract

CCD type charge transfer sections include vertical charge transfer sections and horizontal charge transfer sections having stages twice the number of lines of the vertical charge transfer sections. The horizontal charge transfer sections have a capacity capable of holding charges twice the number of lines of the vertical charge transfer sections. A controller controls an area image sensor to arrange charges of an object image corresponding to an irradiated state and charges of the object image corresponding to a non-irradiated state in the vertical charge transfer sections, and to transfer charges for two pixels per vertical charge transfer section to the horizontal charge transfer sections to hold the charges.

Claims

1. An information input apparatus for obtaining a difference image between object images corresponding to irradiated and non-irradiated states, comprising:

a light emitter for irradiating an object with light;

an area image sensor having imaging units constructed by a two-dimensional matrix of a plurality of light-receiving elements that perform photoelectric conversion, and a plurality of charge coupled device (CCD) type charge transfer sections for transferring and outputting charges obtained by said imaging units; and

control means for controlling charge transfer timings from the light-receiving elements to the CCD type charge transfer sections to alternately arrange charges received when said light emitter emits light and charges received when said light emitter does not emit light in a predetermined sequence in all or the individual CCD type charge transfer section of said area image sensor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes means for controlling charge transfer timings to transfer charges from only some of the light-receiving elements of said area image sensor to said CCD type charge transfer sections.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes means for generating a timing signal for transferring charges from only the light-receiving elements at even line positions or the light-receiving elements at odd line positions of the two-dimensional matrix of the light-receiving elements of said area image sensor in synchronism with said light emitter.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said area image sensor has a filter for passing light emitted from said light emitter to only the light-receiving elements to be subjected to imaging in synchronism with said light emitter and blocking unrequired light.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes a timing signal generator for generating a timing signal for controlling transfer by said CCD type charge transfer sections.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said timing signal generator generates a timing signal for said CCD type charge transfer sections to transfer charges when said light emitter does not emit light.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said timing signal generator generates a timing signal, in synchronism with said light emitter, for said CCD type charge transfer sections to alternately transfer charges from the light-receiving elements at even and odd line positions of the two-dimensional matrix of said area image sensor.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a difference circuit for calculating a difference between a received-light charge amount corresponding to an emission state and a received-light charge amount corresponding to a non-emission state, which are output from said area image sensor.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of CCD type charge transfer sections include vertical charge transfer section and horizontal charge transfer section having stages twice the number of lines of said vertical charge transfer section, said horizontal charge transfer section has a capacity capable of holding charges twice the number of lines of said vertical charge transfer section, and said control means controls said area image sensor to arrange charges of the object image corresponding to the irradiated state and charges of the object image corresponding to the non-irradiated state in said vertical charge transfer section, and to transfer charges for two pixels per vertical charge transfer section to said horizontal charge transfer section to hold the charges.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of CCD type charge transfer sections include two stages of horizontal charge transfer section, and said control means controls said area image sensor to arrange charges of the object image corresponding to the non-irradiated state in one horizontal charge transfer section by first transfer, to transfer the charges of the object image corresponding to the non-irradiated state to the other horizontal transfer section by the next transfer, and to transfer charges of the object image corresponding to the irradiated state from vertical charge transfer section so as to independently set charges of the object images corresponding to the irradiated and non-irradiated states in one and the other horizontal charge transfer section.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of CCD type charge transfer sections include one stage of horizontal charge transfer section, and said control means controls said area image sensor to transfer charges of the object image corresponding to the non-irradiated state for one line to a difference circuit, and then to transfer charges of the object image corresponding to the irradiated state for one line.

12. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the light-receiving elements which are not subjected to imaging have color filters.