JPS58119279A - Storage type photoelectric converter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a correct storage time without destructive operation by providing a selective non-destructive readout element possible for sequential selection and controlling the storage time with the readout element. CONSTITUTION:Optical charges are stored in photoelectric conversion elements 1-4, a transfer switch 5 is closed with the input from a transfer terminal 6, optical information is converted into a serial signal at an analog shift register 7 with a clock 8 and outputted to a terminal 10 via an amplifier 9. In this case, the clock from a terminal 11 is counted at a counter 12, the count value sequentially turns on a selecting switch 13, the amount of optical charge is read out at a terminal 16 with non-destruction at an FET14 and a resistor 15, and transferred just before the saturation of the maximum optical charge through the discrimination of the maximum value of the level. Thus, the correct storage time is obtained without destruction. When the signal is used as the detection of correlation, a selection address is latched to a latch 18 at a maximum value circuit 17 at maximum and outputted as the maximum value address at a terminal 19.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a storage type photoelectric conversion device, and in particular to an improvement for controlling the storage time thereof.

Conventionally, in order to control the correct accumulation time in this kind of accumulation-type photoelectric conversion device, there were two methods: 1) trial control of the accumulation time based on the magnitude of the signal during the previous accumulation; There is a method to complete the accumulation by detecting the presence or absence of the error, but in the case of 1), since it depends on the previous trial, it takes time to obtain the correct accumulation time in case of a sudden change in state, and 2) In this case, although the number of bits is small, there is a drawback that the signal may be clipped due to overflow.

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional example described above, and it is possible to control the accumulation time appropriately and rationally, and at the same time to know the bit immediately before overflow or overflow, that is, the maximum brightness bit, and to detect correlation, etc. An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Closed by input from sending terminal 6, connected to parallel terminal 1 by clock 8
The output is set to 0.

This must be done before the conversion elements 1 to 4 are saturated and when a large output can be obtained just before saturation.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the clock from the terminal 11 is counted by the counter 12, and the selection switch 16 is sequentially turned on based on the counted value, that is, the first sequential electrical information is selected, and the FgT 14 and the resistor 15 are switched on. Terminal 1 with a non-destructive amount
6, and by determining the maximum value of this level, it is possible to transfer just before the maximum amount of photoelectric charge is saturated. Due to such sequential readout, even if there is a slight charge leakage from the readout device, only a slight crosstalk occurs due to the sequential readout, and saturation detection is possible without damaging the characteristics of the photoelectric information.

In addition, the counter 12 shows the bright area from the previous scan, that is, the terminals 1 to 1.
By limiting the selection to those with the highest output of 16, it is possible to detect the maximum accumulation while further reducing cross talk.

Also, when used for correlation detection, the maximum value (peak value)
The circuit 17 can be configured to latch the selected address in the latch 18 at the maximum value and output it to the terminal 19 as the maximum value address.

Such a unit is used as a sensor 20, 21, as shown in FIG. A baseline rangefinder is formed by forming an image of an object using the interlocking movable lens 26 extended by the photographing lens.

Then, the maximum value address signals of both sensors 20 and 21 are set to the magnitude /-? .
1 by controlling the lighting of 29 through resistors 30 and 31.
Comparison of the positions of the highest brightness elements can be easily performed together with the storage time control described above.

Thermal theory: Since this correlation is only for the object point with the maximum brightness, it is preferable to detect the maximum correlation between the two signals, that is, the maximum amount of bit deviation, as is well known in the public domain. There is an advantage in that only the pit cover around the number of bits of the difference in the position signal of the maximum brightness element described above needs to be calculated without calculating the violet.

If the counter 12 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a ring counter using a COD, it is structurally easy to use as an analog shift register for a sensor using a CCD.

As described above, according to the photoelectric conversion device of the present invention, the correct accumulation time can be obtained non-destructively by the accumulation control by the selector F, and the image signal can also be obtained correctly without clipping.

In addition, the maximum value address, which is an important index for correlation calculations, can be easily obtained, and complex calculations can be easily performed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a distance meter using the photoelectric conversion device shown in FIG. 1 to 4...Photoelectric conversion element, 5-...0 transfer switch, 9@...Output amplifier, 12...Counter, 13...Selection switch, 14...Fist・dFE
T. 15.0...Resistance, 17...Maximum value detection circuit, 1
Day...Latch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A selective non-destructive readout storage photoelectric conversion device that can be selected sequentially in a storage photoelectric conversion device comprising a large number of photoelectric conversion elements.