JPS61280187A - Solid-state image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simply realize a simple video signal of a muse type high definition television system by shifting a solid state image pickup element by one picture element horizontally and by one picture element vertically and disposing, a changing a combination of the picture elements taking out a signal and successively reading four types of different field signals. CONSTITUTION:An incident optical image 6 forms the image on solid state image pickup elements 1, 2 disposed by shifting by one picture element pitch vertically and shifting by one picture element horizontally in the same brightness and the same magnification by a half mirror 7 and a total reflecting mirror 8. In the 4n-th field, a signal of the picture element of a white circle section is read by the solid state image pickup element 1 and a signal of a black circle section is subjected to a removing processing. In the next field, the signal of the picture element of the white square section is read by the solid state image pickup element 2 and the signal of the picture element of the black square section is removed. Further, the signal of the black circle section is read and the signal of the picture element of the black square is read. By successively repeating these four fields, a muse signal of the high definition television system and a similar video signal can be produced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging device that easily generates a signal similar to a muse signal of a high-definition television system using band compression technology.

[Conventional technology]

A high-definition television system has 1,125 scanning lines per image, which is more than double the conventional one, a screen aspect ratio of 3:5, a frame frequency of 30 Hz, a luminance signal band of 20 MHz, a wide chrominance signal band of 7 MHz, and a narrow chrominance signal band of 5. It is 5MH2. As a result, it is necessary to transmit approximately five times as much information as current televisions, and high-definition imaging devices using image pickup tubes with improved frequency characteristics have been developed and used. ing.

The configuration of a conventional high-quality imaging device is shown in Fig. tli6.

In the figure, between 1 and 1 is the incident light gR% Clear is the lens, color separation optical system, - is the high-quality image pickup tube, - is the signal processing circuit, - is the encoder, Akane is the deflection circuit, the space between 1 is the registration adjustment circuit, and fM3I is the The synchronous signal generation circuit and the plane are the output terminals.

Furthermore, FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an encoder circuit for generating a muse signal in a high-definition television system. In the figure, numeral 1 is an input terminal, 鈥υ is a signal processing circuit, and 4 is an output terminal.

Next, we will explain the operation of the conventional high-definition imaging device. The incident light image (44) in FIG. It is converted into a signal.Then, it goes through a signal processing circuit and an encoder to an output terminal as a signal for a high-definition television system.
Take it out. In this case, the synchronization signal generation circuit generates a reference signal for a high-definition television system that serves as a reference, and the registration adjustment circuit W) deflects deflection power that matches the characteristics of the high-definition image pickup tube. Generate it in the circuit and supply it to the high-definition image pickup tube, and generate a standard synchronization signal for the encoder on the other side. Generate a specified high-definition television signal and take it out as an output from the output terminal. .

The signal obtained as described above is input between the input terminals of the signal processing circuit 151) shown in FIG. , the transmission output is 0 Here, the signal pattern of the transmission signal in the MUSE method is K as shown in Figure 8. In the diagram, the horizontal line indicates the horizontal scanning line, black circle, white circle, black square, white square, The marks indicate sampling positions on the light-receiving surface of the image sensor.

In addition, the scanning is performed by interlacing scanning, and in each scanning, sample points from which signals are read out are selected, for example, in the following order, and the signals are transmitted.

The white circle is the point transmitted in the 4nth field, the white square is the point transmitted in the 4n+1st field, the black circle is the point transmitted in the 4nth field.
+The point transmitted in the second field, the black square is 4n+
These are the points that are transmitted in the third field, and the x marks are sample points that are not transmitted. That is, the pixels transmit the signals of the pixels constituting the entire screen in four fields, but the signals corresponding to half the sample points on the screen are not transmitted.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The high-quality image pickup tube used in the conventional high-quality image pickup device described above requires ultra-high resolution and low afterimage electron guns to be manufactured using ultra-precise component processing technology and assembly technology. Due to the need to develop cathode materials with high density, advanced material technology was required and the product cost was high.In addition, the above-mentioned high-quality image pickup tubes were developed for the field of thermionic emission. Since it is a type of vacuum tube, its lifespan is a major problem, and its maintenance costs are enormous.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a solid-state imaging device that significantly improves the life characteristics, requires no maintenance costs, and can be manufactured at low cost. This is the purpose.

[Means for solving problems]

A solid-state imaging device according to the present invention prepares two solid-state imaging devices each having a light-receiving section spaced apart by a pixel pitch interval in the horizontal and vertical directions, and arranges these solid-state imaging devices by one pixel in the horizontal direction and one pixel in the vertical direction. By changing the combination of pixels arranged one pixel apart and taking out signals using the solid-state imaging device, four different field signals are sequentially read out with four fields as one cycle.

[Effect]

Two identical solid-state image sensing devices are installed horizontally and vertically with a one-pixel pitch shift, and four different field signals are sequentially read out with four fields as one period. With this, it is possible to easily obtain a simple video signal using the Muse method for a high-definition television system, and the solid-state image sensor itself can be realized with approximately half the number of pixels that make up one screen of a high-definition television system. This means that current semiconductor microfabrication technology is sufficient.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a solid-state imaging device of the present invention.

In the figure, s (1) and (2) are solid-state image sensing devices, which are installed so as to be shifted by one pixel pitch in the horizontal and vertical directions relative to the optical image. (3) is a drive signal generator that drives the solid-state image sensors (1) and (2);
4) is a composite signal processing circuit for combining the output signals of solid-state image sensors (1) and (2), and (5) is an output terminal %(
6) is an incident optical image, (η is a total reflection mirror that divides the incident optical image into two, and the half mirror 1 (3) is a total reflection mirror that totally reflects the optical image that has been divided and reflected by the half mirror (γ).

Figure 2 shows a solid-state image sensor (1) which is a component of this invention.
, (2) is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of (2).

In the figure, (b) is a pixel with a photoelectric conversion function composed of a photodiode, etc., and each pixel (b) is placed apart from adjacent pixels at an interval of one pixel pitch in both the horizontal and vertical directions. ing.

Figure 3 shows the solid-state image sensors (1) and (2) shown in Figure 1.
) are prepared and arranged so as to be relatively shifted by one pixel pitch in each of the horizontal and vertical directions.

FIG. 4 shows a drive signal generator (3) which is a component of this invention.
) is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the.

In the figure s i! 111 is a basic signal oscillator, - is a synchronizing signal generator, open is a divider, open is a horizontal drive selection circuit for selecting one pixel at a time and extracting a signal when performing horizontal drive; A horizontal drive signal generator that generates a signal for directional driving, - is a synchronization signal generator - A field discriminator that discriminates between odd and even fields from the synchronization signal output, and (b) a vertical drive signal generator. It is.

In the above configuration, the horizontal drive signal is output from the output terminal and the vertical drive signal is output from the output terminal.

Next, the operation of the solid-state imaging device of the present invention will be explained.

In the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the incident light image (6
) is a half mirror (η, 1/2 of the incident light image (6) with the same magnification and the same brightness due to the total reflection mirror (3)), and is installed with a 1 pixel pitch in the vertical direction and a 1 pixel pitch in the horizontal direction. K images are formed on the solid-state image sensors (1) and (2).

The solid-state image sensor (1) # (2) used in this invention is:
As described above, as shown in FIG. 2, pixels are arranged at intervals of one pixel pitch in the horizontal and vertical directions.

The solid-state image sensor (1) # (2) is driven by the drive signal generator (3) to read out the signal, and the combined signal processing circuit (4) converts the solid-state image sensor (1), (2)
The signals read out from the synthesizer are synthesized and taken out from the output terminal (5) as a high-quality muse signal.

This operation will be described in more detail using FIG.

As shown in the figure, the solid-state imaging probes (1) and (2) are arranged substantially shifted by one pixel pitch in the horizontal and vertical directions,
It is driven by the drive signal generator (3) as follows. For example, in the 4nth field, the solid-state image sensor (1) reads out the signals of the pixels in the white circle area, and after reading out the signals of the pixels in the black circle area, signal processing is performed to discard them.

In the next 4n+1st field, the solid-state imaging probe (2) reads out the signal of the pixel in the native corner.

After reading out the signals of the pixels in the black square area, signal processing is performed to discard them.

Furthermore, in the next 4n+2nd field, the solid-state image sensor (1) reads out the signal in the black circle.

After reading out the signals of the pixels in the white circle area, the signals are processed to be discarded.

Finally, in the 4n+3rd field.

The solid-state image sensor (2) reads out the signals of the pixels in the black square area, and after reading out the signals of the pixels in the native corner, performs signal processing to discard them. By selectively extracting and transmitting signals in this way, it is possible to obtain exactly the same signal as in the method described in the conventional example.

By sequentially repeating the four fields as described above, a video signal similar to the muse signal of a high-definition television system can be generated.

In the above operation, the signal of 2 field accumulation period is read out, but when reading the signal of 1 field accumulation period, the operation is performed as follows. In (1), the signal of the pixel in the white circle is read out, and the signal of the pixel in the black circle is read out, and then signal processing is performed to discard it.

Signal processing is performed to read out and discard signals from the black angle of view.

In the next 4n+1st field, the signals of the pixels in the white angle of view of the solid-state imaging element (2) are read out, the signals of the pixels in the black angle of view are read out, and then signal processing is performed to discard them. ) is also read out and processed to discard the signals in the white and black circles.

Furthermore, in the next 4n+2nd field, the signal of the black circle part of the solid-state image sensor (1) is read out.

After reading out the signals in the white circle area, signal processing is performed to discard them, and at the same time, the signals of the pixels in the black field corner of the solid-state image sensor (2) are read out, and after the signals of the pixels in the white field corner are read out, they are subjected to signal processing to be discarded. do.

As described above, two identical solid-state image sensors are installed with a one-pixel pitch shifted in the horizontal and vertical directions, and each frame is a field period, so even when the subject is moving at high speed, flicker-like phenomena can occur. Stable images can be reproduced without the appearance of

On the other hand, as mentioned above, when reading out signals during the two-field accumulation period, the device has high sensitivity and operates stably even in a dark place.

By the way, in the case of a high-definition television system, the number of pixels constituting one screen is approximately 1900 pixels in the horizontal direction and approximately 1000 pixels in the vertical direction.

In the case of this invention, this pixel is connected to two solid-state image sensors (1).
, (2) is necessary. One solid-state image sensor has approximately 950 pixels in the horizontal direction and 500 pixels in the vertical direction. If the number of pixels can be reduced to this level, semiconductor microfabrication will be possible. Technological support will also become easier and realization will become easier. Also%
Two solid-state image sensors (1).

For (2), it is sufficient to manufacture exactly the same thing, which improves productivity.

Furthermore, as is clear from Figure 2, there is a non-light-receiving area around the light-receiving area with an interval corresponding to one pixel in both the horizontal and vertical directions, so this area can be used effectively to perform signal processing and transmission. If used as a base, the area of the base can be secured as wide as possible.

It also becomes possible to improve the aperture ratio and improve the sensitivity of the solid-state image sensor.

Note that in the above embodiment, the two sheets having light receiving sections spaced apart by one pixel pitch in the horizontal and vertical directions are not limited to this example, and the spacing between the light receiving sections may not be exactly one pixel pitch. Furthermore, the relative arrangement of the two solid-state image sensors does not have to be precisely shifted by one pixel pitch in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, two solid-state image sensors with the same configuration are installed with a one-pixel pitch shift in the horizontal and vertical directions, and the pixel combinations are changed to create four types of four fields with one period. Since different field signals are read out sequentially, it is possible to easily obtain a simple video signal of the high-definition TV system Muse method, and the solid-state image sensor itself has approximately half the number of pixels that make up one screen of a high-definition TV system. Since it can be realized in numbers, it can be sufficiently handled using current semiconductor microfabrication technology, and has the advantage of being able to manufacture high-performance, long-life solid-state imaging devices at low cost.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a solid-state imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a solid-state imaging device that is a component of the solid-state imaging device, and FIG. 3 is the above-mentioned solid-state imaging device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the drive signal generator in the solid-state imaging device;
Fig. 5 is a layout diagram showing how the signal range of two solid-state imaging devices is developed, Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional imaging device, and Fig. 7 is a muse signal in the above-mentioned conventional imaging device. FIG. 8 is a signal pattern diagram of a Muse encoder that generates a Muse signal from the signals of the conventional imaging device. In the figure, % (i) * (2) is the solid-state image sensor, (
3) is a drive signal generator, (4) is a composite signal processing circuit, (
6) is an output terminal, (6) is an input optical device, (7) is a half mirror, and (3) is a total reflection mirror. In the figures, the same reference numerals indicate corresponding parts.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) In a solid-state imaging device that photoelectrically converts an optically divided image into two using two solid-state imaging devices placed at different positions vertically by one pixel pitch and horizontally by one pixel pitch to extract a muse signal, A solid-state imaging device characterized in that four different field signals are sequentially read out with four fields as one cycle by changing the combination of pixels from which signals are extracted by a drive signal generator. (2) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the solid-state imaging device uses a solid-state imaging device in which pixels constituting a light-receiving surface are arranged at intervals of one pixel pitch in both the horizontal and vertical directions. (3) A solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the signal of each pixel of the solid-state imaging device is read out after being accumulated for two field periods. (4) A solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the signal of each pixel of the solid-state imaging device is read out after being accumulated for one field period.