Image pickup device with a group of focus detection pixels associated with a dedicated readout circuit and image pickup apparatus including the image pickup device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9319614-B2
Application number	US-201414512631-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2014
Priority date	Feb 20, 2014
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

Provided is an image pickup device including: an image pickup pixel group including a plurality of pixels arrayed in a matrix; a focus detection pixel group of focus detection pixels discretely arranged in the image pickup pixel group; a first readout circuit including a first AD converter that converts only pixel signals from the image pickup pixel group to digital signals; and a second readout circuit including a second AD converter that converts only pixel signals R, L, T and B from the focus detection pixel group to digital signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image pickup device comprising:
an image pickup pixel group including a plurality of pixels arrayed in a row direction and a column direction;
a focus detection pixel group of focus detection pixels discretely arranged in the image pickup pixel group;
a first readout circuit including a first AD converter provided for converting only signals from pixels belonging to the image pickup pixel group to digital signals; and
a second readout circuit including a second AD converter provided for converting only signals from pixels belonging to the focus detection pixel group to digital signals, the second AD converter being different from the first AD converter.

2. The image pickup device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the first AD converter and the second AD converter is of a column parallel-type;
wherein the image pickup device further comprises a memory section including a plurality of memory pixels arrayed in the row direction and the column direction, the memory pixels accumulating the signals from the pixels and including first memory pixel columns connected to the first readout circuit, and second memory pixel columns connected to the second readout circuit; and
wherein the image pickup pixel group is connected to the first memory pixel columns and the focus detection pixel group is connected to the second memory pixel columns.

3. The image pickup device according to claim 2 , wherein a pixel count that is a sum of the image pickup pixel group and the focus detection pixel group and a count of the memory pixels provided in the memory section are equal to each other.

4. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , further comprising a control section that controls operation of the first readout circuit, and if no AD conversion for the image pickup pixel group is performed, stops operation of the first AD converter.

5. The image pickup device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the first readout circuit further includes a first bias current control circuit that provides a source-follower output of only the signals of the pixels belonging to the image pickup pixel group; and
wherein if no AD conversion for the image pickup pixel group is performed, the control section further stops the first bias current control circuit.

6. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , further comprising a control section that controls operation of the second readout circuit, and if no AD conversion for the focus detection pixel group is performed, stops operation of the second AD converter.

7. The image pickup device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the second readout circuit further includes a second bias current control circuit that provides a source-follower output of only the signals from the pixels belonging to the focus detection pixel group; and
wherein if no AD conversion for the focus detection pixel group is performed, the control section further stops the second bias current control circuit.

8. An image pickup apparatus comprising an image pickup device according to claim 1 .

9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a focus detection/control section that controls a focus state based on the digital signals resulting from the conversion by the second AD converter.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Shimada Yoshinao

Classifications

• H04N25/134 Primary

  based on three different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N23/672 Primary

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H04N23/6812

  based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/673

  based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method · CPC title

• H04N23/687

  by shifting the lens or sensor position · CPC title