Image pick-up apparatus and image pick-up system

• US 7,002,157 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kameshima, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Gabor, Otilia
• Application Number:
  US11/137,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20050218333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 250/370.11, 250/363.07, 250/252.1, 250/363.09, 250/369, 348/227.1, 348/372
• US Class Current: 250/370.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/20184 Detector read-out circuitry, e.g. for clearing of traps, compensating for traps or compensating for direct hits
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/24 with semiconductor detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14676 X-ray, gamma-ray or corpuscular radiation imagers measuring X-, gamma- or corpuscular radiation G01T1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/617 for reducing electromagnetic interference, e.g. clocking noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/677 for reducing the column or line fixed pattern noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/745 Circuitry for generating timing or clock signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/32 Transforming X-rays cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from X-rays H04N23/30; circuitry of SSIS for transforming X-rays into image signals H04N25/30

Abstract

An image pick-up apparatus and an image pick-up system constructed to prevent occurrence of random noise in a photographed image due to a random noise component produced in a reference supply circuit. An image pick-up apparatus has an area sensor driven by matrix driving, and a reference supply circuit for supplying a reference voltage for driving of the area sensor, and the reference voltage is supplied through a low-pass filter (LPF) coupled to the reference supply circuit. Further, a cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter is preferably determined so that an effective value of noise of the reference voltage having passed through the low-pass filter becomes not more than one-tenth of an effective value of random noise produced in pixels of the area sensor.

Claims

1. An image pick-up apparatus comprising:

an area sensor in which detecting elements are two-dimensionally arranged on a substrate;

a reference supply circuit, for supplying a reference voltage to the detecting elements, which comprises a regulator for regulating the reference voltage; and

a low-pass filter arranged between the regulator and the detecting elements, wherein the reference voltage is supplied through the low-pass filter from the reference supply circuit,

wherein a cutoff frequency of said low-pass filter is determined so that an effective value of noise of the reference voltage having passed through said low-pass filter becomes not more than one tenth of an effective value of random noise produced in the area sensor.