JPH033578A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a double horizontal resolution by adding a signal of one preceding horizontal scanning time and a current scanning signal having a sampling point at a position of offset sampling and outputting the result. CONSTITUTION:Optical sensors are arranged in a tilt lattice shape in a tilt lattice arrangement photoelectric conversion means 11. Suppose that readout scanning is applied to a line 2, a signal of a read line 2 is inputted to an adder 13 and a signal of a line 1 is inputted to the adder 13 simultaneously via a one horizontal scanning delay means 12. Since the lines 1, 2 are in the relation of the offset sampling and the sampling point interval of the output of the adder 13 is a/2 and the resolution is improved twice apparently. Thus, the horizontal resolution is doubled while keeping the conventional picture element.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an imaging device such as a video camera having a light-to-electricity conversion means.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, solid-state imaging devices have come to be used in imaging devices such as video cameras. Solid-state image sensors are small, lightweight,
It has various advantages such as uniform spatial resolution across the screen and low afterimage. However, in response to demands for further improvement in resolution, such as EDTV and HDTV, it has become difficult to increase the number of pixels in solid-state image sensors from the viewpoint of IC processing accuracy and yield. This will be explained below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3(A) is a bronch diagram showing the configuration of a conventional imaging device 23, and FIG.
) is a pixel arrangement of a solid-state image sensor used in a conventional imaging device. In FIG. 3(A), 20 is an imaging lens, 21 is an imaging element having the pixel arrangement shown in FIG. 3(B), and 2
2 is an output end.

In the conventional embodiment configured as described above, the resolution of the imaging device 23 is determined by the pixel interval a of the optical sensor 24 shown in FIG. 3(B). In order to improve the resolution,
It is necessary to make the pixel interval a smaller.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with the above configuration, the pixel spacing a must simply be reduced, and there is a limit in terms of IC processing accuracy, making it difficult to achieve a sufficiently high resolution. there were.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, an imaging device according to the present invention includes:
It is composed of an imaging lens, a diagonal grid photoelectric conversion means in which optical sensors are arranged in a diagonal grid pattern, one horizontal scanning delay means, an adder, and an output end, and the incident light passing through the II image lens is
The diagonal lattice arrangement photoelectric conversion means performs optical-to-electrical conversion, outputs the signal as an electrical signal, inputs the signal to the adder and the one horizontal scan delay means, and inputs the signal to the one horizontal scan delay means. The signal is input to the adder after being delayed by one horizontal scanning period, and the adder inputs the sampling point at the offset sampling position for the signal from one horizontal scanning period before and the signal from one horizontal scanning period before. It is configured to add a certain current scanning signal and output the result to the output terminal.

Effect: Due to the above-described configuration, the imaging device of the present invention has twice the resolution as compared to the conventional example.

Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the imaging apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the imaging device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, ▪ is an imaging lens, and a subject image formed by the imaging lens 1 is subjected to optical-to-electrical conversion by a photoelectric conversion means 11 arranged in a diagonal grid. Here, in the diagonal grid arrangement photoelectric conversion means 11, optical sensors are arranged in a diagonal grid pattern, as shown in FIG. Assuming that line 2 is now being read out and scanned, the signal of line 2 that is successively output is sent to the adder 1.
3 is input. At the same time, the signal on line 1 is input to adder 13 via one horizontal scan delay means 12 . Since line 1 and line 2 are in an offset sampling relationship, the output of the adder 13 has a negative sample point interval as shown in Figure 2 (B), which apparently doubles the resolution. .

In addition, in the configuration of FIG. 1, an analog-to-digital converter is provided at the next stage of the diagonal grating arrangement photoelectric conversion means 11,
1. A FIFO (first-in, first-out) circuit is used as the horizontal scanning delay means, and a digital adder is used as the adder 13. A digital circuit configuration may also be used.

It is more desirable to double the number of pixels (scanning lines) in the vertical direction in order to improve the resolution in the horizontal direction.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the imaging device of the present invention has the effect of doubling the horizontal resolution while maintaining the conventional number of pixels.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2(A) is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of optical sensors in the diagonal lattice arrangement photoelectric conversion means 11, and FIG. 2(B) is a block diagram of the imaging device. FIG. 3(A) is a block diagram of an imaging device in a conventional example, and FIG. 3(B) is a schematic diagram showing an optical sensor arrangement of a photoelectric conversion element in a conventional example. . DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Imaging lens, 11... Diagonal grating arrangement photoelectric conversion means, 12... 1 Horizontal scanning delay means, 13... Adder, 14... ...output end, 10...imaging device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] It is composed of an imaging lens, a diagonal lattice arranged photoelectric conversion means in which optical sensors are arranged in a diagonal lattice shape, one horizontal scanning delay means, an adder, and an output end, and the incident light passing through the imaging lens is The lattice arrangement photoelectric conversion means performs optical-to-electrical conversion, outputs it as an electrical signal, and inputs it to the adder and the one horizontal scanning delay means.The signal input to the one horizontal scanning delay means is one horizontal signal. After a delay of a scanning period, the signal is input to the adder, and the adder inputs the signal from one horizontal scanning period ago and the current signal having a sampling point at the offset sampling position with respect to the signal from one horizontal scanning period ago. An imaging device characterized in that it is configured to add the scanning signal and the scanning signal and output the resultant to the output terminal.