JPH0322683A - Solid-state image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate picture reproducibility of an object and to reduce the cost of the device by using a solid-state image pickup element formed through the arrangement of plural optical memory elements, charging/discharging the charge in a battery with light radiation and reading light latent image by the remaining charge capacity of the battery as bit map information. CONSTITUTION:A switch 31 is closed for a prescribed time to store an electric energy of prescribed quantity to a sheet storage battery 2 from an external power supply 32. When a light hnu radiates from the upper part of a discharge switch 3 made of a photoconductive substance 10, the switch 3 is closed and the charge in the battery 1 is discharged through a transparent electrode 9 and a resistor 35 in response to the time and the radiation luminous quantity. Then the stored charge distribution is caused in the battery 1 to form a latent image. Then the witch 33 is closed to measure the discharge current flowing to a load 34 and the latent image is read externally as bit map information. Thus, the intensity distribution of the signal read for each picture element is plotted in 2-dimension to obtain the photosensing image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a fixed f'k imaging device. [Prior Art] Charge-coupled devices (CCDs) have been widely used as solid-state imaging devices. This COD is an element that transfers charges generated by incident light using a transfer signal. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Incidentally, in this COD, the charge transfer efficiency tends to vary depending on the surface unit density, the shape of the device, and various operating conditions.
Therefore, operating conditions must be strictly controlled to accurately extract optical information as electrical signals. Also, CO
D has an extremely low amount of accumulated surface charge, and it is not easy to maintain a power storage function sufficient to perform work on the outside. The present invention solves the above problem by providing a sufficient power storage function for each pixel, and easily collecting information from incident light information.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solid-state imaging device that can accurately measure the amount of stored electricity and reproduce images. [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the solid-state imaging device of the present invention comprises a sheet-like storage battery cell and a photoconductive material formed on the anode or cathode aggregate of the storage battery cell. a solid-state Il image device formed by arranging a plurality of the optical memory elements; a charging circuit for charging the storage battery cell from an external power source; and a charging circuit for irradiating the photoconductive substance with light after charging. The battery cell is equipped with a discharging circuit that discharges the electric charge of the storage battery cell when the storage battery cell is discharged, and a means for reading out the amount of charge remaining in the storage battery cell after discharge. [Function] In the above configuration, the sheet-like battery cell is charged from an external power source, and a specified amount of electrical energy is stored in the cell. Next, when light is irradiated from above the same storage battery, the amount of light irradiated,
Depending on the time, the resistance value of the discharge switch made of photoconductive material changes, and the amount of discharge changes. Therefore, the amount of electricity stored in the sheet-shaped storage battery is different, and a latent optical image is obtained. It is possible to read out the remaining amount of charge in this storage battery cell and obtain an electrical signal corresponding to the optical latent image. [Examples] Hereinafter, examples that embody the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows the ellipse of the image sensor in a solid-state image sensor, and
The figure shows the structure of the optical memory element in the image sensor, FIG. 3 shows the overall structure including the image sensor and electric circuit, and FIG. 4 shows the structure of the optical memory element.

First, an optical memory element, which is a structural element of a solid-state image sensor, will be explained with reference to FIG. The optical memory element 1 consists of a sheet-shaped storage battery (cell) 2 and a discharge switch 3 provided thereon. The sheet-like # battery 2 includes an anode current collector 4 made of N1 or the like, an anode 5 made of VeO13, V20s, etc., an electrolyte 6 made of a polymer electrolyte made of a polyethylene derivative mixed with LiCjO4, etc., and a Li-AJ alloy. and a cathode current collector 8 made of Ni or the like.
The discharge switch t3 is a transparent conductor made of a film such as ITO.
9, TiO2, ZnO and organic photoconductive material (OPC)
) and the like. In this embodiment, the discharging switch 2 is provided on the anode current collector 4, but it may be provided on the negative fi current collector 8. FIG. 1 shows a solid-state imaging device 21 constructed by arranging and coupling a plurality of optical memory devices 1 as described above in a matrix in the X and Y directions. Extracting electrodes 22 (X direction) and 23 (Y direction) for charging and discharging are connected to each electrode of the optical memory element 1 arranged in a matrix. Next, Figure 2. Referring to FIG. 3, extraction electrode 22.
23 and its electric circuit will be explained. Anode current collector 4
An external power supply 32 is connected between the and cathode fk electric body 8 via a switch 31 to form a charging circuit, and a resistor (load) 34 is connected between the same and the cathode fk electric body 8 via a switch 33. A means for reading out the amount of remaining electrical storage in each cell of the storage battery 1 is configured. Further, a resistor 35 for discharging during light irradiation is connected between the transparent electrode 9 and the cathode current collector 8, and a discharging circuit is formed therein. The load 34 is used to measure the amount of remaining power stored in each cell of the storage battery 1 after discharge (take it out as bitmap information), and this discharge current is measured by a measuring means not shown. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the switches 31 and 33 are actually configured to perform matrix scanning for each electrode 22 in the X direction, for example, while the cathode at the other end of each circuit The connection to the collector 8 is made via a matrix-scanned switch outside the country for each electrode 23 in the Y direction.These switches may use a shift register, etc.Next, the operating principle of the above precept is explained. Explanation: The switch 31 is turned on for a certain period of time, and a specified amount of electrical energy is stored in the sheet storage battery 2 from an external power source (preferably a constant current power source) 32. Next, the photoconductive material 10
When light hv is irradiated from above the discharging switch 3, the switch 3 is turned on, and the charge in the storage battery 1 is discharged through the transparent electrode 9 and the resistor 35 depending on the amount of irradiated light and the time. In this way, a distribution of the amount of charge is generated in the storage battery 1, and a photosensitive latent image is formed. Next, by turning on the switch 33 and measuring the discharge current flowing through the load 34, the amount of remaining charge in each storage battery cell, that is, the photosensitive latent image, can be read out as bitmap information. By plotting the intensity distribution of the read signal two-dimensionally, a photosensitive image can be obtained. Therefore, as a solid-state imaging device,
An image of the incident light hν from the subject can be obtained. Further, the electric charge accumulated in the sheet-like storage battery can be used to perform work on the outside, for example, to form an image by adsorbing toner to an image sensor. [Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a solid-state image sensor formed by arranging a plurality of optical memory elements each consisting of a sheet-like storage battery and a discharge switch is used to charge the storage battery by light irradiation. - By discharging, a photosensitive latent image is obtained based on the amount of remaining charge in the storage battery according to the light input, and this is read out as bitmap information. Therefore, it is possible to accurately read out the amount of charge corresponding to each pixel accumulated by the incident light, and there are fewer restrictions on operating conditions than in the case of COD.
The image reproducibility of the object can be easily improved, and it can be obtained at low cost.

Further, the accumulated charges can be used to perform work on an external device, and for example, it is possible to form an image by adsorbing toner to a solid-state image sensor.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a solid-state image sensor in a solid-state image sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of an optical memory element in the image sensor, and FIG. 3 is an optical memory element and an electric circuit. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the optical memory element. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Optical memory element, 2... Sheet-shaped storage battery, 3... Discharge switch, 10... Photoconductive material, 21... Solid-state image sensor, 31.33...
・Switch, 32... External power supply, 34... Resistor (load for continuous output), 35... Resistor for discharging.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An optical memory element is constituted by a sheet-shaped storage battery cell and a discharge switch made of a photoconductive material formed on the anode or cathode current collector of the storage battery cell, and a plurality of these optical memory elements are arranged. a solid-state imaging device; a charging circuit that charges the storage battery cell from an external power source; a discharge circuit that discharges the charge of the storage battery cell when the photoconductive material is irradiated with light after charging; A solid-state imaging device comprising: means for reading out a remaining amount of stored electricity.