Multi-chip color image sensor with light-receiving windows arranged to provide sensor output signals corresponding to the gap between adjacent sensors

• US 5,315,412 A
• Filed: 04/04/1991
• Issued: 05/24/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Seiji, Mihara, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): BRINICH, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US07/680,692
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 358/43-44, 358/48, 358/50, 358/75-80, 358/505, 358/512, 358/513, 358/514
• US Class Current: 358/512
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/028 for picture information pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/486 with separate detectors, each detector being used for one specific colour component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/41 Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/701 Line sensors

Abstract

In a color photoelectric conversion apparatus in which a plurality of semiconductor image sensors each having a plurality of light-receiving windows are arrayed, and a plurality of light-receiving windows in a main scanning direction constitute one color light-receiving element, the last light-receiving window or at least two light-receiving windows including the last light-receiving window of a first semiconductor image sensor of adjacent semiconductor image sensors, and the first light-receiving window or at least two light-receiving windows including the first light-receiving window of the next semiconductor image sensor constitute one color light-receiving element.

Claims

1. A multi-chip color image sensor in which a plurality of semiconductor image sensors each having a plurality of light-receiving windows are arrayed, and in which one color light-receiving element corresponds to a plurality of light-receiving windows in a main scanning direction,

wherein some or all of the plurality of light-receiving windows which correspond to the one color light-receiving element on an end portion of each of said semiconductor image sensors are juxtaposed in a subscanning direction.

2. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of light-receiving windows juxtaposed in the subscanning direction is arranged on an extending line of the remaining light-receiving windows which are arranged to be parallel to a main scanning direction.

3. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein a distance from an outer edge of a first light-receiving window to an outer edge of an nth light-receiving window of the plurality of (n) light-receiving windows juxtaposed in the subscanning direction is not more than n times a pitch of the remaining light-receiving windows aligned in the main scanning direction.

4. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein a distance between a central position in the main scanning direction of the plurality of (n) light-receiving windows juxtaposed in the subscanning direction and a central position in the main scanning direction of a light-receiving window neighboring the plurality of light-receiving windows, juxtaposed in the subscanning direction, of the identical semiconductor image sensor is twice a pitch of the remaining light-receiving windows aligned in the main scanning direction.

5. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein color filters in different colors are arranged on the plurality of light-receiving windows juxtaposed in the subscanning directions, and said color filters in different colors are sequentially arranged on the remaining light-receiving windows.

6. A sensor according to claim 5, wherein some or all of said color filters in different colors have a combination selected from red, green, and blue, or cyan, magenta, and yellow.

7. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein each of said sensors comprises a plurality of photoelectric conversion units, and said light-receiving windows have a one-to-one correspondence with said photoelectric conversion units.

8. A sensor according to claim 7, wherein each of said photoelectric conversion units has an amplification function.

9. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of photoelectric conversion units constituting one color light-receiving element simultaneously outputs photoelectric conversion outputs.

10. A color photoelectric conversion apparatus which has a plurality of pixels having a plurality of color filters, and in which a plurality of color photoelectric transducers each of which is constituted by arranging said plurality of pixels in a main scanning direction are arrayed in the main scanning direction,

wherein at least two pixels are juxtaposed in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction on an end portion of a pixel array arranged in the main scanning direction of at least one of adjacent color photoelectric transducers, and

an output signal from at least one of the at least two juxtaposed pixels is used as an output signal from a region corresponding to a joint between the adjacent color photoelectric transducers.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of filters include R, G, and B filters or Ye, Cy, Ma, and G filters.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of filters are arrayed in a predetermined repetition order.

13. A color photoelectric conversion apparatus which has a plurality of pixels having a plurality of color filters, and in which a plurality of color photoelectric transducers each of which is constituted by arranging said plurality of pixels in a main scanning direction are arrayed in the main scanning direction,

wherein at least two pixels are juxtaposed in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction on an end portion of a pixel array arranged in the main scanning direction of each of adjacent color photoelectric transducers, and

an output signal from at least one of the at least two juxtaposed pixels is output from each of the adjacent color photoelectric transducers, and is used as an output signal from a region corresponding to a joint between the adjacent color photoelectric transducers.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the number of pixels juxtaposed in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction on one of the adjacent color photoelectric transducers is different from the number of pixels juxtaposed in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction on the other color photoelectric transducer.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of filters include R, G, and B filters or Ye, Cy, Ma, and G filters.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of filters are arrayed in a predetermined repetition order.

17. A color image sensor constituted by arranging a plurality of sensor means in a predetermined direction at predetermined intervals, each sensor having a plurality of photoelectric conversion means arrayed in the predetermined direction, comprising:

a plurality of color filters corresponding to said plurality of photoelectric conversion means, and arrayed in a predetermined repetition order; and

signal read means for causing said plurality of photoelectric conversion means to output photoelectric conversion signals,

wherein said signal read means is driven to be able to interpolate a signal at a position between adjacent sensor means with outputs from predetermined photoelectric conversion means from the adjacent sensor means.

18. A sensor according to claim 17, wherein said signal read means simultaneously causes the adjacent sensor means to simultaneously read out a plurality of photoelectric conversion means.

19. A sensor according to claim 18, wherein said plurality of color filters include R, G, and B filters, or Ye, Cy, G, and Ma filters.

20. A sensor according to claim 18, wherein the photoelectric conversion means at an end portion of each of said plurality of sensor means includes a plurality of photoelectric transducers arrayed in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction.