JP5375030B2 - Image sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accelerate a conversion speed while maintaining a high resolution, with respect to an image sensor including an ADC circuit that uses a signal having a single slope-like ramp waveform. <P>SOLUTION: The image sensor includes: a pixel array 11; a plurality of column signal lines 23 provided for each column; a column amplifier 25 for amplifying an analog detecting signal output to the column signal line; and a column ADC section for converting the analog detection signal output from the column amplifier into a digital signal. In the sensor, each column ADC includes a plurality of ADC circuits 30A, 30B having input holding function and the plurality of ADC circuits latch an analog detection signal output from one column amplifier in a time division manner and converts the analog detection signal into a digital signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image sensor having a pixel array in which a plurality of pixels are two-dimensionally arranged, and in particular, has an ADC (Analog Digital Converter: AD conversion) function for converting an analog detection signal of each pixel into a digital signal and outputting it. The present invention relates to an image sensor.

  In recent years, imaging devices using solid-state image sensors such as CMOS, MOS, and CCD are widely used in digital cameras, digital TV cameras, mobile phones, and the like, and those having an ADC circuit therein are used. Hereinafter, a CMOS image sensor will be described as an example. However, the disclosed embodiment is not limited to this, and can be applied to a solid-state image sensor such as a MOS or a CCD.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a conventional solid-state image sensor. Since the configuration of the solid-state image sensor is widely known, only a particularly relevant part of the configuration of the solid-state image sensor will be described, and the other description will be omitted.

  In the solid-state image sensor, in order to reduce the influence of the threshold variation of each transistor in the pixel, the detection signal is processed after CDS (Correlated Double Sampling) processing that subtracts the noise signal from the detection signal. A / D conversion is performed.

  FIG. 2 shows one pixel 10 of the pixel array 11, a constant current source, one amplifier circuit 25 of the column amplifier 18, and one ADC circuit 30 of the column ADC 19 when performing the CDS processing. FIG. A plurality of sets of elements shown in FIG. 2 are arranged in the row direction.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the amplifier circuit 25 includes a capacitor 26, an amplifier 27, a capacitor 28, and a switch 29. The amplifier circuit 25 amplifies and outputs the voltage of the column signal line 23 with the switch 29 open, and resets the output when the switch 29 is closed.

  The ADC circuit 30 includes a switch 31, a capacitor 32, a comparator 33, a capacitor 34, a switch 35, and a counter & latch circuit 36. A Ramp signal is supplied to the other electrode of the capacitor 32. The counter & latch circuit 36 counts the clock signal from the start signal until the output of the comparator 33 changes, and outputs the result. The Ramp signal is a reference voltage during the read operation period, and a single slope type ramp waveform during the ADC operation period.

  The operation in the illustrated image sensor is divided into a read operation and an ADC operation. When performing the CDS process, the reading operation is further divided into noise reading and signal reading.

  In FIG. 2, in the noise reading period, TG is turned off and RST is turned on to read a noise signal (reset noise signal) to the column signal line 23. The voltage of the reset noise signal is amplified and output by the amplifier circuit 25, and the voltage of the reset noise signal is held in the capacitor 34 of the ADC circuit 30.

  In the next signal readout period, RST is turned off, TG is turned on, and the charge amount of the photodiode PD is read out to the column signal line 23. The signal read to the column signal line 23 is a temporary detection signal that is a combination of the detection signal and the reset noise signal. The temporary detection signal is amplified by the amplifier circuit 25, and the voltage of the temporary detection signal is the capacitance 32 of the ADC circuit 30. Retained. Thereby, a difference voltage between the temporary detection signal and the reset noise signal, that is, a voltage of the detection signal is set between the non-inverting input terminal and the inverting input terminal of the comparator 33.

  In the ADC operation period, the Ramp signal applied to the capacitor 32 starts a single slope type change. In response to this, the counter & latch circuit 36 starts counting the clock. The voltage difference between the two input terminals of the comparator 33 gradually decreases and reverses. In response to this, the output of the comparator 33 is inverted, so that the counter & latch circuit 36 outputs the count value at that time. This is digital data obtained by AD converting the analog detection signal.

  FIG. 3 is a time chart showing the operation in the conventional example shown in FIGS.

  The readout operation for the pixels in the Nth row includes a noise readout operation and a signal readout operation. In the signal reading operation, a transfer operation is performed in which the detection signal is read, a voltage difference from the noise signal is calculated, and set in the ADC circuit. After the reading operation, an ADC operation for converting a differential voltage between the detection signal and the noise signal into a digital signal is performed. The Ramp signal applied to the capacitor 32 is a reference voltage during the read operation, and the voltage changes according to the single slope type ramp waveform during the ADC operation. When the ADC operation of the Nth row is completed, the read operation of the (N + 1) th row is started, and at the same time, the digital data of the Nth row of pixels as the ADC calculation result is transmitted from the column ADC 19 to the image processing circuit 21. The transmission of the digital data is preferably completed before the reading operation of the (N + 1) th row is completed. However, by providing a buffer for temporarily storing the digital data output from the counter & latch circuit 36, N + 1 is provided. It can be completed by the end of the ADC operation on the line.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ADC operation generally has a longer processing time than the read operation. This is because the slope of the single slope type ramp waveform is related to the accuracy of the ADC processing, and it is necessary to reduce the slope for high-precision ADC processing. For this reason, the readout cycle (conversion speed) of the image sensor is limited to the sweep time of the ramp waveform.

  Thus, since the conversion speed of the image sensor is limited by the sweep time of the ramp waveform and cannot be increased, it is conceivable to use ADC processing that does not use the Ramp signal, for example, successive approximation ADC processing. However, at present, an image sensor that performs ADC processing using a signal having a single-slope ramp waveform is generally used, and an ADC using a signal having a single-slope ramp waveform is also used as a circuit subsequent to the ADC circuit. It has a configuration suitable for the circuit. If an ADC circuit of a different type that is not an ADC circuit that uses a signal having a single-slope ramp waveform is used, the conventional circuit cannot be used, and various know-how cultivated so far cannot be utilized, and image quality is improved. The problem that improvement becomes difficult occurs.

  In recent years, there has been a demand for making it possible to read a pixel array having a pixel number exceeding 10 million pixels at a high resolution of 14 bits or more at a high speed such as 60 frames / second (fps). There is a need for endless improvements in speed. Therefore, various configurations have been proposed for improving the conversion speed in an image sensor having an ADC circuit that uses a signal having a single-slope ramp waveform.

  As a method for improving the conversion speed of the image sensor, a method for improving the parallelism of processing has been proposed. In the conventional configuration for improving the parallelism of processing, two sets of amplifier circuits and ADC circuits are provided to improve parallelism. However, in this configuration, since the characteristics of the combination of the amplifier circuit and the ADC circuit are different, there is a difference in the digital data that is the pixel detection result depending on which combination is used for processing, and the resolution cannot be increased due to an error. There is.

JP 2005-347932 A JP 2005-348324 A JP 2002-320146 A

  Embodiments of the disclosure improve conversion speed while maintaining high resolution in an image sensor having an ADC circuit that uses a signal having a single-slope ramp waveform.

  An image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a pixel array having a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally, a plurality of column signal lines provided for each column of the pixel array, and outputs to the plurality of column signal lines A plurality of column amplifiers for amplifying the analog detection signals of the pixels, and a plurality of column ADCs for converting the analog detection signals output from the column amplifiers into digital signals, respectively. Each column ADC includes a plurality of ADC circuits having an input holding function, and the plurality of ADC circuits of each column ADC latch an analog detection signal output from one column amplifier in a time division manner and convert it into a digital signal. It is characterized by doing.

  In the image sensor of the embodiment, the processing of the ADC circuit is parallelized. If an ADC circuit that performs CDS processing is used, an error is unlikely to occur in circuit operation characteristics due to manufacturing variations. Therefore, it is possible to improve the conversion speed while maintaining high resolution.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the solid-state image sensor of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the solid-state image sensor according to the first embodiment includes a pixel array 11 in which a plurality of pixels are two-dimensionally arranged in a row (column) direction and a column (column) direction; and a reference voltage bias current generation circuit 12. A ramp generating circuit 13 for generating a single slope type ramp waveform for ADC processing; a timing generator 14; a vertical scanning circuit 15; a logic circuit 16; and a driving signal applied to a transistor in a pixel being low ( A plurality of column amplifiers 18 for amplifying the pixel analog detection signals for each column; and a plurality of columns for converting the analog detection signals amplified by the plurality of column amplifiers into digital signals. A first column ADC row 19A having an ADC; and analog detection signals amplified by a plurality of column amplifiers are digitized A second column ADC row 19B having a plurality of column ADCs to be converted into a blue signal; a horizontal scanning circuit 20 for controlling to sequentially output the conversion results (digital data) of the first and second column ADC rows 19A and 19B; An image processing circuit 21 that performs various processes on the conversion result to generate an image digital signal.

  Since the configuration of the solid-state image sensor is widely known, detailed description is omitted.

  In a solid-state image sensor, if the threshold value of each transistor in a pixel varies, the read detection signal changes by the variation. Further, it is necessary to reset the pixels to the initial state before reading the detection signal from each pixel. Therefore, a reset signal is applied to set the pixel to an initial state, and a detection signal corresponding to the initial state is read and stored as a noise signal. Then, the detection signal is generally AD-converted after performing a CDS (Correlated Double Sampling) process of reading the detection signal and subtracting the noise signal from the detection signal. By the CDS process, the influence due to the variation in the threshold value of the transistor is removed. The image sensor of the embodiment also performs CDS processing.

  FIG. 5 shows one pixel 10 of the pixel array 11, one amplifier circuit 25 of the plurality of column amplifiers 18, and one first ADC circuit 30A of the first column ADC row 19A in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing one second ADC circuit 30B in the second column ADC row 19B. Although only one pixel 10 is shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of pixels 10 are arranged in the column direction, each pixel is connected to a common column signal line 23, and one pixel signal line 23 has one pixel signal line 23. An amplifier circuit 25 is connected. A switch 40 is provided between the output of the amplifier circuit 25 and the input of the first ADC circuit 30A and the second ADC circuit 30B, and controls whether the output of the amplifier circuit 25 is input to the first ADC circuit 30A or the second ADC circuit 30B. Is possible. Reference numeral 24 is a constant current source. A plurality of sets of such pixels 10, column signal lines 23, constant current sources 24, amplifier circuits 25, and first and second ADC circuits 30A and 30B are arranged in the row direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the pixel 10 includes a photodiode PD having an anode connected to the ground, a reading transistor TrG connected to the cathode of the photodiode PD, and a reset voltage line 15 and a reading transistor TrG. A reference transistor (reset) TrR connected; an amplification transistor TrA having a gate connected to a connection node between the read transistor TrG and the reference transistor TrR and one controlled electrode connected to the column signal line 23; And a selection transistor TrS connected between the other controlled electrode of the amplification transistor TrA and the power supply line 22. The pixel driver 17 in FIG. 1 applies the readout signal TG, the reset signal RST, and the selection signal SLCT to the gate of the readout transistor TrG, the gate of the reference transistor TrR, and the gate of the selection transistor TrS of all pixels in the same row. To do. A reference voltage is always supplied to the power line 22. The power supply line 22 may be arranged so as to extend in the row direction, or may have a lattice shape extending in both the row direction and the column direction.

  A constant current source 24 and an amplifier circuit 25 are connected to the column signal line 23.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating specific circuit configurations of the amplifier circuit 25, the switch 40, the first ADC circuit 30A, and the second ADC circuit 30B.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the amplifier circuit 25 is connected in parallel between an amplifier 27, a capacitor 26 connected between the input terminal of the amplifier 27 and the column signal line 23, and an input terminal and an output terminal of the amplifier 27. Capacitance 28 and switch 29. The amplifier circuit 25 amplifies and outputs the voltage of the column signal line 23 with the switch 29 open, and resets the output when the switch 29 is closed.

  The first ADC circuit 30A includes a TrPA, a capacitor 32A, a comparator 33A, a capacitor 34A, a switch 35A, and a counter & latch circuit 36A. TrPA is connected between the output of the amplifier circuit 25 and the non-inverting input terminal of the comparator 33A. One electrode of the capacitor 32A is supplied to the non-inverting input terminal of the comparator 33A, and the Ramp1 signal is supplied to the other electrode. The capacitor 34A is connected between the inverting input terminal of the comparator 33A and the ground unit. The switch 35A connects or disconnects the output terminal and the inverting input terminal of the comparator 33A. The counter & latch circuit 36A starts counting the clock signal in response to a start signal (not shown), stops counting when the output of the comparator 33A changes, and outputs the result.

  The second ADC circuit 30B has the same configuration as the first ADC circuit 30A. TrPA and TrPB constitute the switch 40 of FIG. Since the switching signal SW is applied to the gate of TrPA and the signal obtained by inverting the switching signal SW by the inverter 42 is applied to the gate of TrPB, TrPA and TrPB operate in a complementary manner.

  The ramp signal generation circuit 41 outputs a signal Vslope having a single slope ramp waveform and a reference voltage Vref. The signal Vslope is generated using, for example, a DAC and repeats the change in synchronization with the change of the switching signal SW. The other electrode of the capacitor 32A is connected to the transistors TrQ1A and TrQ2A. TrQ1A is connected to the Vslope signal line, and TrQ2A is connected to the reference voltage Vref signal line. A signal obtained by inverting the switching signal SW by the inverter 42 is applied to the gate of TrQ1A, and the switching signal SW is applied to the gate of TrQ2A. Therefore, the reference voltage Vref is applied to the other electrode of the capacitor 32A when the TrPA is in the connected state, and the signal Vslope is applied to the other electrode of the capacitor 32A when the TrPA is in the cut-off state. In other words, Ramp1 is the reference voltage Vref when the SW is on, and the signal Vslope when the SW is off.

  Similarly, the other electrode of the capacitor 32B of the second ADC circuit 30B is connected to the transistors TrQ1B and TrQ2B. TrQ1B is connected to the Vslope signal line, and TrQ2B is connected to the reference voltage Vref signal line. A switching signal SW is applied to the gate of TrQ1B, and a signal obtained by inverting the switching signal SW by the inverter 42 is applied to the gate of TrQ2B. Therefore, the reference voltage Vref is applied to the other electrode of the capacitor 32B when the TrPB is in a connected state, and the signal Vslope is applied to the other electrode of the capacitor 32B when the TrPB is in an interrupted state. In other words, Ramp2 is the signal Vslope when the SW is on, and the reference voltage Vref when the SW is off.

  FIG. 7 is a time chart illustrating the operation of the image sensor according to the embodiment. The operation in the image sensor of the embodiment is divided into a reading operation and an ADC operation, and the reading operation is further divided into noise reading and signal reading. The amplifier circuit 25 performs the reading operation of the pixels in the Nth row, sets the detection signal to the first ADC 30A, and the first ADC 30A starts ADC processing of the detection signal of the pixels in the Nth row. At the same time as the first ADC 30A starts the ADC processing of the detection signal of the pixel in the Nth row, the amplifier circuit 25 performs the reading operation of the pixel in the N + 1th row and sets the detection signal to the second ADC 30B. When the ADC processing of the detection signal of the pixel in the Nth row in the first ADC 30A is completed, the second ADC 30B starts the ADC processing of the detection signal of the pixel in the (N + 1) th row, and the amplifier circuit 25 simultaneously A read operation is performed, and the detection signal is set in the first ADC 30A. Thereafter, this operation is repeated. That is, the amplifier circuit 25 continuously performs the pixel reading operation, and the first ADC 30A and the second ADC 30B alternately perform detection signal setting and ADC operation. As a result, the conversion speed of the image sensor can be improved to about twice that of the conventional example.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the image sensor of the first embodiment will be described in detail.

  5 to 7, when the switching signal SW is “high (H)”, the amplifier circuit 25 performs the reading operation of the pixels in the Nth row and sets the detection signal to the first ADC 30A. The first ADC 30 </ b> A is ready to receive the detection signal setting by the amplifier circuit 25. Further, the second ADC 30B performs an ADC process on the detection signal of the pixel on the (N−1) th row set in the previous cycle. Next, when the switching signal SW becomes “low (L)”, the amplifier circuit 25 performs the readout operation of the pixels in the (N + 1) th row, and sets the detection signal to the second ADC 30B. The second ADC 30B is ready to receive the detection signal setting by the amplifier circuit 25. Further, the first ADC 30A performs an ADC process on the detection signal of the pixel in the Nth row set in the previous cycle.

  At the beginning of each cycle, the amplifier circuit 25 temporarily switches the switch 29 to a connected state, resets the amplifier circuit 25, and then puts it into a cut-off state. When the noise reading operation is started, the TG output from the pixel driver 17 is turned off, the RST and SLCT are turned on, a reset voltage is applied to the gate of the TrA, and a noise signal (reset noise signal) is applied to the column signal line 23. Is output. When the reset signal RST is turned on, the gate voltage of TrA becomes the reset voltage VR, and is reset to a constant state regardless of the previous state. The voltage of the reset noise signal is amplified by the amplifier circuit 25 and output. At this time, when the first ADC circuit 30A sets the TrPA to the conductive state (connected state) and the switch 35A to the connected state, the voltage of the reset noise signal is applied to the capacitor 34A. At this time, since TrPB is in a non-conduction state (cut-off state), no signal is input to the second ADC circuit 30B. When TrPA and 35A are cut off in this state, the voltage of the reset noise signal is held in the capacitor 34A. The noise reading process has been described above.

  In the next signal reading operation, the switch 29 is once connected and the amplifier circuit 25 is reset and then shut off. When RST is turned off and TG and SLCT are turned on, a charge (detection signal) corresponding to the exposure amount of the photodiode PD is transferred to the gate of TrA and converted into a voltage. This voltage is amplified by TrA and output to the column signal line 23, and the column signal line 23 is set to the voltage of the temporary detection signal. The temporary detection signal is a detection signal and a reset noise signal, and its voltage is the sum of the reset noise signal voltage and the detection signal voltage. The temporary detection signal is amplified by the amplifier circuit 25 and output. At this time, when the TrPA is connected, the voltage of the temporary detection signal is applied to the capacitor 32A, and when the TrPA is turned off, the voltage of the temporary detection signal is held in the capacitor 32A. Thus, the reading operation is completed.

  At the end of the read operation, the non-inverting input terminal of the comparator 33A is set to the voltage of the temporary detection signal, and the inverting input terminal is set to the reset noise signal voltage. That is, the voltage difference between the two input terminals of the comparator 33A becomes the voltage of the detection signal. In this manner, during the readout activation period, pixel noise and detection signal are read out, and a voltage corresponding to the difference is transferred to the first ADC circuit 30A and set. In other words, the first ADC circuit 30A holds the detection signal detected during the read operation period.

  While the pixel detection signal is set in the first ADC circuit 30A, the second ADC circuit 30B performs the ADC operation of the pixel detection signal in the previous row.

  Even if the signal voltage of the PD is the same, the detection signal read from the pixel varies due to variations in the threshold value (Vth) of the amplifying transistor TrA. Therefore, in the above configuration, the noise level is read and stored in advance as the reset noise signal voltage, and the noise level is removed by setting the difference between the read provisional detection signal and the reset noise signal voltage.

  In the ADC operation period, the signal Ramp1 applied to the capacitor 32A starts a single slope type change. In response to this, the counter & latch circuit 36A starts counting the clock. The voltage difference between the two input terminals of the comparator 33A gradually decreases and reverses. In response to this, the output of the comparator 33A is inverted, so that the counter & latch circuit 36A outputs the count value at that time. This is digital data obtained by AD converting the analog detection signal.

  While the first ADC circuit 30A performs the ADC operation, the detection signal of the pixel in the next row is set in the second ADC circuit 30B.

  When the first ADC circuit 30A completes the ADC operation, digital data that is a result of the ADC processing is transferred to the image processing circuit. This transfer operation is performed during the next cycle of the ADC process, that is, during the read operation.

  In the CDS processing, the amplifier circuit 25 serves as the first-stage CDS, and the ADC circuit 30 serves as the second-stage CDS. The amplifier circuit 25 serving as the first-stage CDS needs to operate at the same timing as the readout operation of the noise signal and the detection signal from the pixel based on the operation content, and 1 for one column signal line 23. It is desirable to be individual. In consideration of the accuracy of the CDS processing, it is desirable that the number of amplifier circuits that perform the first-stage CDS processing that largely eliminates variation in the first stage is one for each column signal line 23. Further, when two or more amplifier circuits are provided, there is a difference between the individual amplifier circuit characteristics, so that the degree of the effect of the CDS processing is different and noise is generated in digital data (image data). In addition, parallel operation is possible if two sets of column circuits each including an amplifier circuit and an ADC circuit are provided, but operation is possible if the entire column circuit is configured in parallel, but the circuit area and power consumption also increase. Therefore, this point is also not preferable.

  In the image sensor of the first embodiment, two sets of ADC circuits are provided, but only one amplifier circuit is provided, and the above problems can be prevented or reduced. Further, even in the image sensor of the first embodiment, the ADC processing is performed by a different ADC circuit, which causes an error in the digital data. However, in the first embodiment, an ADC circuit of a type that performs CDS processing is used. For this reason, variations due to individual differences in the ADC circuit can be canceled, so that the error can be made very small. In particular, in the first embodiment, the ramp waveform signal supplied to the first ADC circuit 30A and the second ADC circuit 30B is a signal supplied from the common ramp signal generation circuit 41 and has the same characteristics. For this reason, the error resulting from the difference in the signal of the ramp waveform can be very small.

  Moreover, in the image sensor of the first embodiment, the ADC processing for two rows is parallelized, so that the conversion speed can be approximately doubled compared to the conventional example.

  In the image sensor of the first embodiment, the internal configuration of the ADC circuit is the same as that of the conventional example, and the know-how and circuit configuration that has been cultivated in the past can be used as it is. Digital data can be obtained.

  Since the column signal wiring 23 extending in the column direction in the pixel array 11 extends inside the pixel 10, when the number of wirings increases and the opening of the photodiode PD becomes narrow, there arises a problem that the sensitivity of the pixel decreases. Therefore, the number of the column signal wirings 23 is preferably one so that the opening of the photodiode PD is not narrowed.

  Also, in the layout of the column circuit having the amplifier circuit 25 and the first and second ADC circuits 30A and 30B, it is necessary to arrange them at the same pitch as the pixels, and the amplifier circuit 25 and the first and second ADC circuits 30A and 30B can be as much as possible. A small number of wires is required. If the number of these wirings is large, there arises a problem that they cannot be arranged at the same pitch as the pixels.

  Since one column signal line extends from the pixel array 11 per pixel pitch, the amplifier circuit 25 and the first and second ADC circuits 30A and 30B are arranged in series on the extension of the column signal line, and the first and second ADCs are arranged. The circuits 30A and 30B have the same layout. Such an arrangement hardly causes a difference in characteristics from the viewpoint of analog signal transmission and layout.

  In the solid color image sensor, red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color filters are arranged in front of pixels. Generally, two green filters (Gr, Gb), one red filter (R), and one blue filter (B) are arranged for four 2 × 2 pixels. In such a color filter arrangement, Gr and Gb are arranged in the same column in the column direction, and R and B are arranged in the same column in the column direction, and Gr and B in the same column in the column direction. Is used, and a second filter configuration in which R and Gb are arranged in the same column in the column direction is used.

  In the solid color image sensor, it is desirable that the signal characteristics of Gr and Gb are the same. In the case of the first filter configuration, in the conventional example, the Gr and Gb pixel signals are read and processed by the same amplifier circuit and ADC circuit, so the signal characteristics of Gr and Gb are approximate. Also in the first embodiment, Gr and Gb pixel signals are processed by the same amplifier circuit, and the ADC circuit is different, but for the above reasons, the influence of individual differences in the ADC circuit is small, so the signal characteristics of Gr and Gb are Approximate. On the other hand, in the case of the second filter configuration, in the conventional example, the Gr and Gb pixel signals are in different columns, and are read out and processed in different amplifier circuits and ADC circuits. There is a problem that a difference occurs in the signal characteristics. The same applies to the first embodiment. The second embodiment described below is a configuration that can approximate the signal characteristics of Gr and Gb even in the second filter configuration.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the color solid-state image sensor of the second embodiment. In the solid-state image sensor of the second embodiment, a plurality of column amplifier rows, first and second plurality of column ADC rows, and horizontal scanning circuits are provided above and below the pixel array 11, respectively. Different from the solid-state image sensor of the first embodiment. Specifically, a lower column amplifier row 18L; a lower first column ADC row 19LA; a lower second column ADC row 19LB; and a lower horizontal scanning circuit 20L are provided below the pixel array 11, and the pixel array 11 is provided. Are provided with an upper column amplifier row 18U; an upper first column ADC row 19UA; an upper second column ADC row 19UB; and an upper horizontal scanning circuit 20U. Other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a pixel arrangement in the color solid-state image sensor according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9A shows the arrangement of the color pixels, and FIG. 9B shows a circuit configuration in the color pixels. As shown in FIG. 9A, the arrangement of the color pixels of the second embodiment is such that Gr and B are arranged in the same column in the column direction, and R and Gb are arranged in the same column in the column direction. Filter configuration. As shown in FIG. 9B, the circuit configuration of each color pixel 10Gr, 10Gb, 10R, 10B is the same as the pixel of the first embodiment of FIG.

  FIG. 10 illustrates the color pixels 10Gr, 10Gb, 10R, and 10B, the lower constant current source 24L, the lower amplifier circuit 25L, the lower switch 40L, the lower first ADC circuit 30LA, and the lower second ADC circuit in the pixel array 11 in the second embodiment. It is a diagram showing a connection relationship among 30LB, an upper constant current source 24U, an upper amplifier circuit 25U, an upper switch 40U, an upper first ADC circuit 30UA, and an upper second ADC circuit 30UB. The internal configuration of these elements is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  As illustrated, one of the two adjacent column signal lines 23P and 23Q is connected to the color pixels 10Gr and 10B, and the other 23Q is connected to the color pixels 10Gb and 10R. At the upper and lower ends of two adjacent column signal lines 23, a lower selection switch 51L and an upper selection switch 51U that operate complementarily are provided. The color pixels 10Gr and 10R are in the same row, and when reading their detection signals, the lower selection switch 51L is connected to the column signal line 23P, the upper selection switch 51U is connected to the column signal line 23Q, and the color pixels 10Gr and 10R are connected. The selection signal SLCT is turned on. Thereby, the detection signal of the color pixel 10Gr is read out to the column signal line 23P and processed by the lower amplifier circuit 25L and the lower first ADC circuit 30LA. At the same time, the detection signal of the color pixel 10R is read to the column signal line 23Q and processed by the upper amplifier circuit 25U and the upper first ADC circuit 30UA. The processing contents are the same as in the first embodiment. Similarly, the color pixels 10Gb and 10B are in the same row, and when reading their detection signals, the lower selection switch 51L is connected to the column signal line 23Q, and the upper selection switch 51U is connected to the column signal line 23P. The 10 Gb and 10 B selection signals SLCT are turned on. Thereby, the detection signal of the color pixel 10Gb is read out to the column signal line 23Q and processed by the lower amplifier circuit 25L and the lower first ADC circuit 30LA. At the same time, the detection signal of the color pixel 10B is read out to the column signal line 23P and processed by the upper amplifier circuit 25U and the upper first ADC circuit 30UA. As described above, the detection signals of the color pixels 10Gr and 10Gb are processed by the same lower amplifier circuit 25L and lower first ADC circuit 30LA.

  FIG. 11 is a time chart showing the operation of the image sensor of the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the readout operation of the pixels in the Nth row (here, Gr and R), the Gr detection signal is input to the lower amplifier circuit 25L and set in the lower first ADC circuit 30LA, and the R detection signal is increased. The signal is input to the amplifier circuit and set in the lower first ADC circuit 30UA. In the reading operation of the pixels in the next N + 1th row (here, Gb and B), the Gb detection signal is input to the lower amplifier circuit 25L and set in the lower second ADC circuit 30LB, and the B detection signal is input to the upper amplifier circuit. It is input and set in the lower second ADC circuit 30UB. During the readout operation of the pixels in the (N + 1) th row, the lower first ADC circuit 30LA performs Gr digital conversion processing, and the upper first ADC circuit 30UA performs R digital conversion processing. In the read operation of the next pixel in the N + 2th row (here, Gr and R), the Gr detection signal is input to the lower amplifier circuit 25L and set in the lower first ADC circuit 30LA, and the R detection signal is input to the upper amplifier circuit. It is input and set in the lower first ADC circuit 30UA. During the reading operation of the pixels in the (N + 2) th row, the lower second ADC circuit 30LB performs Gb digital conversion processing, and the upper second ADC circuit 30UB performs B digital conversion processing. Further, during the readout operation of the pixels in the (N + 2) th row, the lower first ADC circuit 30LA outputs the Gr digital conversion processing result of the Nth row to the image processing circuit 21, and the upper first ADC circuit 30UA outputs the R of the Nth row. The digital conversion process is output to the image processing circuit 21.

The example of the second embodiment described above is a general pixel array configuration in which one column line is provided for each column of the pixel array. However, the pixel array configuration in which one column line is shared by two columns of the pixel array. In this case, a switch between the pixel and the column amplifier is not necessarily provided.
As shown in FIG. 3, the read operation has a shorter processing time than the ADC operation. The image sensor according to the third embodiment to be described next is an example in which the parallelism is further improved and the conversion time is shortened when the read operation time is shorter than 1/3 of the ADC operation time.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the color solid-state image sensor of the third embodiment. The solid-state image sensor of the third embodiment is different from the solid-state image sensor of the first embodiment in that four columns ADC are provided. That is, the first to fourth column ADC rows 19A to 19D are provided. Other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment. The output of the amplifier circuit is set to any one of the first to fourth ADC circuits.

  FIG. 13 is a time chart showing the operation of the image sensor of the third embodiment. As described above, since the read operation time is shorter than 1/3 of the ADC operation time, the period is 1/3 of the ADC operation time. Then, the amplifier circuit performs a reading operation in one cycle and sequentially sets pixel detection signals to the four ADC circuits. Each ADC circuit operates with four cycles as one cycle, performs a setting operation so that a detection signal is set in one cycle, and performs an ADC operation in three cycles. The first to fourth ADC circuits perform the setting operation and the ADC operation by shifting by one cycle in the order in which the detection signals are set. The conversion result of each ADC circuit is performed during the setting operation.

  In the third embodiment, the detection signals of the pixels in each column column are processed by four ADC circuits in the ADC process, but the read operation is processed by the same amplifier circuit, so that the error is small and the processing speed is Improve to nearly 4 times the conventional level.

  The image sensor according to the embodiment has been described above, but it goes without saying that various modifications are possible.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a conventional solid-state image sensor. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration including a pixel, a constant current source, an amplifier circuit, and an ADC circuit when performing CDS processing. FIG. 3 is a time chart showing the operation in the conventional example. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the solid-state image sensor of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration including a pixel, a constant current source, an amplifier circuit, and an ADC circuit in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a specific configuration of the amplifier circuit and the ADC circuit in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the operation of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the solid-state image sensor of the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a pixel arrangement in the color solid-state image sensor of the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration having a pixel, a constant current source, an amplifier circuit, and an ADC circuit in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a time chart showing the operation of the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a pixel arrangement in the color solid-state image sensor according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a time chart showing the operation of the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 pixels 11 pixel arrays 18 column amplifier rows 19A first column ADC rows 19B second column ADC rows 25 amplifier circuits 30A first ADC circuits 30B second ADC circuits

Claims (4)

A pixel array having a plurality of pixels arranged in two dimensions;
Column signal lines provided for each column of the pixel array;
A plurality of column amplifiers for amplifying analog detection signals of the pixels output to the plurality of column signal lines;
An image sensor comprising: a plurality of column ADCs that convert analog detection signals output from the plurality of column amplifiers into digital signals;
Each of the column ADCs includes a plurality of ADC circuits having an input holding function,
The plurality of ADC circuits of each column ADC latch analog conversion signals output from one column amplifier in a time division manner and convert them into digital signals,
The plurality of column amplifiers are arranged two by two for the two columns of pixels of the pixel array, and an analog detection signal output from one pixel of the two columns of pixels is output from the pixels. An image sensor, wherein one of the two column amplifiers is selected based on a color of a color filter to amplify an analog detection signal output from the pixel. The ADC circuit latches an analog detection signal output from the column amplifier when an analog detection signal held by another ADC circuit of each column ADC is converted into a digital signal, and the other ADC circuit of each column ADC The image sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the analog detection signal held when the analog detection signal output from the column amplifier is latched is converted into a digital signal. The ADC circuit holds the analog detection signal, the image sensor according to claim 1 or 2 for converting the analog detection signal to count the time until it matches the single-slope of the ramp waveform to a digital signal. Two column amplifiers are arranged corresponding to adjacent two columns of pixels,
By color of the color filter having a pixel, among the two column amplifiers, either path, each time to output an analog detection signal, the image sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, selected .

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