Imaging device and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12348681-B2
Application number	US-202217660829-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2022
Priority date	Nov 29, 2019
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

An imaging device includes: a plurality of pixels arrayed in a matrix, the plurality of pixels respectively including photoelectric converters that convert light into signal charge and charge accumulators that accumulate the signal charge; and a control circuit. The control circuit causes pixels included in the plurality of pixels and belonging to at least one row to sequentially perform, for each row or for two or more rows at a time, a reset operation for initializing potentials of the charge accumulators, before receiving a trigger signal for giving an instruction for starting exposure, and causes, after receiving the trigger signal, the plurality of pixels to simultaneously perform an exposure operation for accumulating the signal charge in the charge accumulators without causing the pixels included in the plurality of pixels and belonging to at least one row to perform the reset operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising:
a plurality of pixels arrayed in a matrix having rows, the plurality of pixels respectively including photoelectric converters that convert light into signal charge and charge accumulators that accumulate the signal charge; and
a control circuit configured to:
cause pixels included in the plurality of pixels and belonging to at least one row among the rows to perform, sequentially for each row at a time or sequentially for two or more rows at a time, a pre-reset operation for initializing potentials of the charge accumulators, until a trigger signal for giving an instruction for starting exposure is received,
cause, after receiving the trigger signal, the plurality of pixels to simultaneously perform an exposure operation for accumulating the signal charge in the charge accumulators without causing pixels included in the plurality of pixels and belonging to at least one row to perform the pre-reset operation, and
cause, after performing the exposure operation, the plurality of pixels to automatically perform a signal readout operation, and to automatically perform a reset operation, and a reset-signal readout operation, wherein:

the control circuit is configured to start the pre-reset operation following the reset signal readout operation and cause the pre-reset operation to be performed, without causing the reset signal readout operation to be performed immediately after the pre-reset operation, until the trigger signal for giving the instruction for starting exposure is received.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, until the trigger signal is received, the control circuit causes all the plurality of pixels to perform the pre-reset operation sequentially for each row at a time or sequentially for two or more rows at a time.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, until the trigger signal is received, the control circuit causes the pixels included in the plurality of pixels and belonging to the each row to perform the pre-reset operation a plurality of times.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuit causes the plurality of pixels to repeatedly perform the pre-reset operation sequentially for each row at a time or sequentially for two or more rows at a time, until the trigger signal is received.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, after the exposure operation, the control circuit causes the plurality of pixels to sequentially perform a readout operation for outputting signals corresponding to the signal charge accumulated in the charge accumulators, the readout operation being performed for each row or for two or more rows at a time from a row at which the pre-reset operation was started.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuit
causes the plurality of pixels to perform, sequentially for each row at a time or sequentially for two or more rows at a time, the pre-reset operation up to a row different from a row at which the pre-reset operation was started, and
causes, after the exposure operation, the plurality of pixels to sequentially perform a readout operation for outputting signals corresponding to the signal charge accumulated in the charge accumulators, the readout operation being performed for each row or for two or more rows at a time from a next row of a row at which the pre-reset operation was ended.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of pixels includes a feedback circuit for negatively feeding back a potential of the charge accumulation portion in the pre-reset operation.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of pixels includes a circuit for reducing reset noise that occurs in the pre-reset operation.

9. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pre-reset operation includes an operation for negatively feeding back the potentials of the charge accumulators.

10. The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a voltage supply circuit,
wherein each of the photoelectric converters includes a counter electrode electrically connected to the voltage supply circuit, a pixel electrode electrically connected to corresponding one of the charge accumulators, and a photoelectric conversion layer located between the counter electrode and the pixel electrode; and
the control circuit causes the voltage supply circuit to apply a voltage to the counter electrode to form an electric field in the photoelectric conversion layer to cause the plurality of pixels to perform the exposure operation.

11. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit further causes, after performing the exposure operation, the plurality of pixels to perform a signal readout operation and a reset signal readout operation.

12. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit causes, after receiving the trigger signal, the plurality of pixels to simultaneously perform the exposure operation interposing no reset operation on the plurality of pixels.

13. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to start the pre-reset operation continuously after the reset-signal readout operation.

14. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically start the pre-reset operation following the reset-signal readout operation.

15. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein pixels belonging to a row subjected to the pre-set operation are initialized by the pre-reset operation at a same time.

16. A control method for an imaging device including a plurality of pixels arrayed in a matrix having rows, the plurality of pixels respectively including photoelectric converters that convert light into signal charge and charge accumulators that accumulate the signal charge, the control method comprising:
performing, until a trigger signal for giving an instruction for starting exposure is received, a pre-reset operation for initializing potentials of the charge accumulators on pixels included in the plurality of pixels and belonging to at least one row among the rows, the pre-reset operation being performed sequentially for each row at a time or sequentially for two or more rows at a time,
simultaneously performing, after the trigger signal is received, an exposure operation for accumulating the signal charge in the charge accumulators on the plurality of pixels without performing the pre-reset operation on pixels included in the plurality of pixels and belonging to at least one row, and
causing, after performing the exposure operation, the plurality of pixels to automatically perform a signal readout operation, and to automatically perform a reset operation, and a reset-signal readout operation, wherein:
the control method comprises starting the pre-reset operation following the reset signal readout operation and causing the pre-reset operation to be performed, without causing the reset signal readout operation to be performed immediately after the pre-reset operation, until the trigger signal for giving the instruction for starting exposure is received.

17. The control method according to claim 16 ,
wherein the pre-reset operation includes an operation for negatively feeding back the potentials of the charge accumulators.

18. The control method according to claim 16 , further comprising after performing the exposure operation, a signal readout operation and a reset signal readout opera

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nishimura Kazuko
• Ito Yuya
• Miyake Yasuo

Classifications

• H04N25/7795

  Circuitry for generating timing or clock signals · CPC title

• H04N25/532

  by controlling global shutters in CMOS SSIS · CPC title

• H10K39/32

  Organic image sensors · CPC title

• H04N25/63 Primary

  applied to dark current · CPC title

• H04N25/50

  Control of the SSIS exposure · CPC title