JPH03132173A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain smooth picture movement by moving an area of a picture element for normal transfer while 2-line simultaneous readout is implemented at a pitch of one picture element. CONSTITUTION:The device is provided with an image pickup element 100, a scanning pulse generating circuit 102 supplying a scanning pulse for signal transfer to the image pickup element 100, and a scanning picture element area control circuit 103 supplying a control signal to the scanning pulse generating circuit 102 and the combination of vertical adjacent 2 picture elements read simultaneously by the control signal is deviated sequentially at one picture element pitch. Thus, the area of the picture element for 2-line simultaneous readout and for normal transfer, that is, the scanning picture element area is moved at a pitch of one picture element. Thus, smooth picture movement is realized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an imaging device, and particularly to an imaging device characterized by changing a region from which signals of an imaging element are read.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, imaging devices have become smaller and lighter, and the zoom magnification of lenses has also tended to be higher, making it easier for image blur due to hand-held camera shake to occur during hand-held shooting. As a conventional technology to suppress this image blur, IF #Kaisho d
The method described in Japanese Patent No. 0-143550 is known. ◎The above technique is.

The vibration of the imaging device is detected by a rotating gyro, and based on the detection results, the optical system from the lens to the imaging device is moved, or the signal transfer of the imaging device is divided into high-speed transfer and normal transfer. The number of transfers is controlled, and the latter has the feature that it is possible to downsize the device.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, the above-mentioned conventional technology has two
No consideration was given to simultaneous readout of two rows in which pixels are read out simultaneously. This simultaneous reading of two rows is an indispensable method to eliminate the 7-ray 1 afterimage.) By increasing or decreasing the number of high-speed transfers mentioned above while reading 12 rows simultaneously, the pixel area for normal transfer can be minimized. However, since it can only be moved in units of 2 pixel pitches, there is a problem that the image with suppressed image blur becomes jerky. The goal is to allow the area to move at a pitch of one pixel, and to achieve smooth image movement.

(Means for Solving Problem 11) In order to achieve the above object, an image sensor, a scan pulse generation circuit that supplies a scan pulse for signal transfer to the image sensor, and a control signal to the scan pulse generation circuit are provided. A scanning pixel area control circuit for supplying the scanning pixel area is provided, and the combinations of two directly adjacent pixels that are simultaneously exposed are gradually shifted by one pixel pitch according to the control signal.

[Effect]

By gradually shifting the combination of two vertically adjacent pixels that are read out at the same time by one pixel pitch, the pixel area where signals are normally transferred can be moved by one pixel pitch, resulting in smooth video movement.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be explained below with reference to FIG. In the figure, 100 is an image sensor, 101 is a signal processing circuit, and 1
02 is a transfer pulse generation circuit, and 1o3 is a scanning pixel area control circuit. Also, in the same figure, a transfer pulse generation circuit 102 is shown.
A specific example is shown with a broken line, j5.104 is a synthesis circuit, 1
o5 is a normal transfer pulse generation circuit, and 106 is a high-speed transfer pulse generation circuit.First, the operation of the image pickup device 100 will be explained.The mouth image pickup device is CC.
It is broadly classified into Dff1 and MOS type, and FIG. 2 shows a typical CCD type imaging probe. In the figure, 1 is a photodiode, 2 is a vertical CCD, 5 is a horizontal CCD (6D), and the photodiodes 1 are arranged in m rows and n columns), and the row and column numbers are indicated by subscripts. The signal charge accumulated in the photodiode 1 is transferred to the vertical C0D2 by the transfer pulses φma1 to haK, and then sequentially transferred to the horizontal CD, and is output by the horizontal transfer pulse, although it is not shown in the figure. Ru.

Part 5 focuses on the simultaneous reading of two lines in terms of signal transfer.
This will be explained using FIGS. Figure 5 is number (21-1)
A timing chart of transfer pulses is shown when the signal 521-1 of the row photodiode and the signal S21 of the (21)th row O photodiode are read out simultaneously. Here, 1 is a natural number. During period T, vertical CC from photodiode 1
The signal S1 is transferred to D2, and the horizontal C(:
Transfer to D5.

The situation is shown in Figure 4. At time t1, signals S2 and S
Zt is mixed, and the signal Sf*S2 is transferred by the horizontal CCD 5t and read out sequentially by time ta. The next horizontal period is transferred in the same way, and at time t9, the signal Si*S4 is transferred to the horizontal CCl.
Transfer to 115. Diagram 5 shows a timing chart of transfer pulses when the signal S21 of the O photodiode in the (21st) row and the signal S2□ of the photodiode in the (21+1)th row are read out simultaneously.

The state of signal transfer is shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG.

The combinations are read out one row apart from those in FIG. 4. Normally,
In the odd field, the signal transfer shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is performed, and in the even field, the signal transfer shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is performed, thereby performing interlacing.

Next, a typical biosmo imaging cable is shown. In the figure, 4 is a horizontal shift register, 5 is a horizontal start pulse (iiIN) input terminal, and 6.7 is a horizontal clock (Hl,
[12) Input terminals, 8 is a vertical shift register, 9 is a vertical start pulse (vrN) input terminal, 10.11 is a vertical clock (Vl, V2) input terminal, 129 15 is a field pulse (FA).

FB) Input terminal, 14 is photo 2° iode, 15 to 19
is a MOS switch, 20 is a signal output terminal ◎ Also,
The luminance signal is obtained by adding the respective output signals, as shown in FIG.

Signal readout will be explained using FIGS. 9 and 10. ◎When the vertical start pulse WIN is input, the vertical clock v
Pulses P1 are sequentially output from the superposed shift register 8 at periods of t and vz. This pulse P1 depends on the polarity of the field pulses FA and FB.
It is divided into pulses Q1 and pulse (21-1).
The signal 521- of the photodiode 14 in the row and (21)th row
1eS21 are selected at the same time, and although not shown in FIG. 9, they are sequentially read out by pulses from the horizontal shift register 4.

In FIG. 10, the polarities of the field pulses FA and FB are inverted, and the combination of rows selected by the pulse Q1 is shifted by one row, so that the signals 821 and 821+1 of the photodiodes of the (21)th row and the (21+1)th row are are output at the same time. In normal signal readout, the 9th
The signal readout shown in FIG. 10 is performed in even fields to perform interlacing. Next, a case will be described in which high-speed transfer is combined. FIG. 11 shows the transfer pulse φ, 4 of the A field as a representative in FIGS. 3 and 5.
It shows the signal output in the transfer pulse φ master 4 (B) of the B field. This transfer pulse is added with N high-speed transfer pulses, (AIN)φman (B*N
), the signal is read out by normal transfer with a shift of 2N lines as shown in FIG.

At this time, the scanning pixel area starts from the 2Nth row.
Figure 13 shows the case where the scanning pixel area is shifted by one line.In the OA field in Figure 13, the same transfer pulse φy4 (B*N) as in the OB field in Figure 12 is used, but the combination is shifted by one line. The signal is read out. 13th
In field B in the figure, the transfer pulse φ in FIG.
Transfer pulse φ with one high-speed transfer added to master 4 (A, N)
By using 74 (AsN+1), signals are read out in combinations shifted by one row.

Next, the case of a MOS deaf image sensor will be explained. 1st
Figure 4 shows pulses FA, FB, W in Figures 9 and 10.
Similar to the 0CCD type, which shows signal readout when N high-speed pulses are added using IN and Vl as representatives, by adding N high-speed pulses, the scanning pixel area starts from the 2Nth row. FIG. 15 shows a case where the scanning pixel area is shifted by one line. In the OA field in Figure 15, the first
In particular, when the pulses in the OB field in FIG. 4 are used, signals are read out in combinations shifted by one row. In the OB field of FIG. 15, by adding one high-speed pulse to the pulses of FIG. 14, signals are read out in a combination shifted by one row.

Regarding water peace, since interlacing is not performed, it is sufficient to simply change the number of high-speed transfers, so a description thereof will be omitted.

To summarize the above description, the normal transfer pulse control signal F shown in FIG. 1 controls which field's normal transfer pulse is to be supplied to the image sensor 100, and the high-speed pulse number control signals m and n control vertical transfer pulses, respectively.

The number of horizontal high-speed pulses can be controlled. For example, a flowchart for shifting one line in one vertical direction is shown in FIG. According to this flowchart, transfer pulse generation circuit 102 outputs transfer pulse P(F, m, n).

Here, r represents whether the normal transfer pulse is for the A field or the B field, and m and n represent the number of vertical and horizontal high speed pulses, respectively. Here, the case where the IC is shifted by one line in one vertical direction is shown, but the same can be done in the opposite direction or the case where it is shifted by multiple lines. Furthermore, as is clear from the above explanation, when changing the scanning pixel area continuously over two fields, normal transfer pulses for A field or B field are continuously supplied to the image sensor 100. I will do it.

In addition, the switching of the normal transfer pulse and the number of high-speed transfer pulses should be performed during the vertical retrace period.In order to prevent disturbance of the video signal, control signal F is used.

It is desirable to change m and n during the vertical retrace period. Figure 17 shows an example of image blur suppression. In the figure, 104 is a motion detection circuit. The motion detection circuit uses an angular velocity sensor. The shake of the imaging device may be detected, or the shake may be detected from the video signal. The motion detection circuit supplies a motion detection signal indicating how many pixels the image has moved in which direction to the scanning pixel area control circuit, and controls the scanning pixel area based on the detection signal. An example is shown below. In the figure, 105 is a counter circuit.

By supplying a control signal whose value increases or decreases gradually to the scanning pixel area control circuit, the counter circuit causes the image to gradually rise, fall, or move left or right on the monitor screen. [Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, while reading two lines simultaneously, the pixel area where normal transfer is performed, that is, the scanning pixel area, is moved at a one-pixel pitch. Therefore, smooth image movement can be realized.

A diagram showing an example of a specific structure and an explanation of the operation of the image sensor shown in FIG.
7 to 10 are diagrams showing another specific structural example and explanation of the operation of the image sensor shown in FIG. 1, FIGS. 11 to 16 are diagrams explaining the operation of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing still another embodiment.

100...Imaging element, 102...Transfer pulse generation circuit, 10S...Scanning pixel area control circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image sensor (100), a signal processing circuit (101) that processes signals output from the image sensor to generate a video signal, and a transfer circuit for reading signals from the image sensor. a transfer pulse generation circuit (102) that supplies pulses to the image sensor; and a scan pixel area control circuit (102) that supplies the transfer pulse generation circuit with a control signal that controls the scan pixel area of the image sensor.
103), and is arranged in the image sensor and configured to simultaneously read out signals of vertically adjacent pixels, and to change the scanning pixel area at a minimum pitch of one pixel. Imaging device. 2. An image sensor (100), a signal processing circuit (104) that processes a signal output from the image sensor to generate a video signal, and a transfer pulse for reading a signal from the image sensor to the image sensor. a transfer pulse generation circuit (102) for supplying a transfer pulse, and a scanning pixel area control circuit (102) for supplying a control signal for controlling a scanning pixel area of the image sensor to the transfer pulse generation circuit;
103), and when the signals of vertically adjacent pixels arranged in the image sensor are simultaneously read out by the transfer pulse, and when the control signal does not change, the transfer pulse generating circuit reads out the signals of pixels arranged in the image sensor and adjacent in the vertical direction, and when the control signal does not change, the transfer pulse generating circuit It is configured to alternately output transfer pulses and even field transfer pulses, and to continuously output odd field or even field transfer pulses when a certain change occurs in the control signal. An imaging device characterized by: 3. The above-mentioned transfer pulse generation circuit includes a normal transfer pulse generation circuit (105), a high-speed transfer pulse generation circuit (106), and a normal transfer pulse output from the normal transfer pulse generation circuit and the high-speed transfer pulse generation circuit. 3. A synthesis circuit (104) for synthesizing the output high-speed transfer pulses, and configured to read out signals using the normal transfer pulses in the scanning pixel area. Imaging device. 4. The imaging device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the period of the change in the scanning pixel area or the switching of the transfer pulse is a field period or a multiple of the field period. 5. The imaging device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the transfer pulse is switched within a vertical blanking period. 6. Claims 1 and 2, further comprising a motion detection circuit (104) for detecting shake of the video signal, and correcting the shake.
6. The imaging device according to 3, 4 or 5. 7. Claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, comprising a counter circuit (105) and scrolling the image in vertical and horizontal directions.
The imaging device described in .