JP2005347931A5 - - Google Patents

Claims (11)

A plurality of sensing elements arranged in a matrix;
A digital counter,
A digital memory for storing signals from a plurality of sensing elements in a row of the plurality of sensing elements in a gray code as a value of the digital counter;
A first Gray code binary code converter for converting a value stored in the digital memory from a Gray code to a binary code;
An imaging device having The imaging device according to claim 1,
A DA converter to which the value of the digital counter is input in binary code ;
Wherein a the output of the DA converter, a comparator for comparing the signals sequentially output from the plurality of sensing elements of said one row,
The digital memory is triggered by the digital signal from the comparator, an imaging device characterized by comprising storing the value of the digital counter in Gray code. The imaging device according to claim 1,
Has an AD converter for converting the analog signals sequentially outputted from the plurality of sensing elements of the one row to a digital signal in binary code,
The digital memory is triggered by the digital signal from the AD converter, an image pickup device characterized by comprising storing the value of the digital counter in Gray code. The digital memory is an imaging element according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is connected to the output circuit through the first gray code binary code converter. The digital counter is a binary counter, the binary counter, according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that it is connected to the digital memory via a binary code Gray code converter for converting the binary code into Gray code The imaging device described in 1. The digital counter is a gray code counter, and has a second gray code / binary code converter that converts the output of the gray code counter from a gray code to a binary code and outputs the converted code to the DA converter. The imaging device according to claim 2 or 4 . The AD converter the upper and lower bits separately AD conversion, the conversion result as a trigger, the imaging device according to claim 3 or 4 the value of the digital counter and to store in said digital memory . The digital memory has a first digital memory for storing upper bits and a second digital memory for storing lower bits;
The digital counter has a first digital counter for upper bits and a second digital counter for lower bits,
The value of the first digital counter is stored in the first digital memory as a gray code, and the value of the second digital counter is stored in the second digital memory as a gray code. Item 8. The imaging device according to Item 7 . 9. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the upper bit data and the lower bit data is output to the first gray code / binary code converter. The image pickup device according to claim 4 , wherein the output circuit is driven by a power supply system different from the digital memory and the first gray code / binary code converter. An imaging element according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and characterized in that it has an optical system for focusing light to the image sensor, and a signal processing circuit for processing an output signal from the image sensor Imaging system.