Charge transfer of solid-state image pickup device

• US 6,707,498 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1998
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Inuiya, Masashi, Yamada, Tetsuo, Toma, Tetsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Application Number:
  US09/188,885
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 348/311, 348/312, 348/314, 348/322, 348/324, 348/230.1, 348/239
• US Class Current: 348/311
• 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 25/445 by skipping some contiguous pixels within the read portion of the array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/73 using interline transfer [IT]

Abstract

An image signal processing apparatus includes: a solid-state image pickup device capable of taking a two-dimensional image, the device having a plurality of primary transfer paths and a secondary transfer path, wherein the plurality of primary first transfer each have a plurality of transfer stages each capable of storing electric charges and transfer the electric charges in a first direction, and the secondary transfer path has a plurality of transfer stages each capable of storing electric charges, receives electric charges in the plurality of primary transfer paths, and transfers the electric charges in a second direction; a reading unit for scanning the two-dimensional image on the solid-state image pickup device in a main scan direction corresponding to the second direction and in a sub-scan direction corresponding to the first direction and reading the electric charges in the secondary-transfer path as image signals; and an output unit for outputting the read image signals on a monitor by interchanging the main scan direction and the sub-scan direction.

Claims

1. A solid-state image pickup device comprising:

a plurality of first transfer paths each having a plurality of transfer stages each capable of storing electric charges and transferring the electric charges in a first direction;

a second transfer path having a plurality of transfer stages each capable of storing electric charges, receiving electric charges in the plurality of first transfer paths, and transferring the electric charges in a second direction;

charge transfer means for transferring electric charges of two packets or more stored in different transfer stages of at least one first transfer path among the plurality of first transfer paths, to different transfer stages of the second transfer path, and transferring the electric charges of the two packets or more in the second transfer path in the second direction by separating the electric charges of the two packets or more; and

a plurality of drains for controlling whether the electric charges in the plurality of first transfer paths are to be transferred to the second transfer path by selectively draining the electric charges;

wherein the first transfer paths are assigned to first and second fields, and the solid-state image pickup device further comprises interlace-scanning charge transfer means for, in the first field, supplying the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the first field to the second transfer path and draining the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the second field from the drains and for, in the second field, supplying the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the second field to the second transfer path and draining the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the first field from the drains.

2. A solid-state image pickup device comprising:

first transfer paths capable of transferring electric charges in a first direction;

a second transfer path capable of receiving the electric charges in the first transfer paths and transferring the electric charges in a second direction; and

a plurality of drains for controlling whether the electric charges in the first transfer paths are to be transferred to the second transfer path by selectively draining the electric charges,

wherein the first transfer paths are assigned to first and second fields, and the solid-state image pickup device further comprises interlace-scanning charge transfer means for, in the first field, supplying the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the first field to the second transfer path and draining the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the second field from the drains and for, in the second field, supplying the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the second field to the second transfer path and draining the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the first field from the drains.

3. A charge transfer method comprising first transfer paths capable of transferring electric charges in a first direction and a second transfer path capable of transferring electric charges in a second direction, wherein when the electric charges in the first transfer paths to the second transfer path, whether the electric charges in the first transfer paths are to be transferred to the second transfer path is controlled by selectively draining from drains the electric charges transferred from the first transfer paths,

wherein the first transfer paths are assigned to first and second fields, and the charge transfer method comprises the step of, in the first field, supplying the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the first field to the second transfer path and draining the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the second field from the drains and, in the second field, supplying the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the second field to the second transfer path and draining the electric charges in the first transfer paths of the first field from the drains.