JPS6320978A - Solid-stage image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a device with the accuracy in terms of time by holding the memory data of a field whose time error from a shutter command is smaller as the data of a shutter image in the shutter command by a memory control means. CONSTITUTION:When there is no shutter command issued, the input data A of a magnitude comparator 20 goes to zero because a latch circuit does not operate. A program input data B goes to zero because it is not loaded, and the data of A=B is outputted, hence the sequence goes to P-1(writing in a field memory 6 is continued). Then, at the time of inputting a shutter command pulse SP, the video signals generated by the shuttering action up to the time t2-t3 are written in the field memory 6 as the shuttered image due to the shutter command pulse SP at the time of t4, then the data is held there. Likewise, if a shutter command pulse SP is inputted during the time t5-t6, the output of the magnitude comparator 21 goes to A>B, and the sequence goes to P-3(the data of the following field is written, and stop writing thereafter).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging device with an electronic shutter function.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, a solid-state imaging device with an electronic shutter function has a configuration as shown in FIG. 5, and an image sensor equipped with an imaging section, a storage section, and a charge sweeping section as shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later in the description of the present invention. By changing the driving method of the element, an electronic shutter function is provided.

In FIG. 5, a lens 1 forms an optical image of reflected light from a subject on a solid-state image sensor 2, which is converted into an electrical signal, and a drive circuit 3 drives this solid-state image sensor 2. , this drive circuit 3 drives the solid-state image sensor 2 based on a synchronization signal from a synchronization signal generation circuit 4.

The signal of the driven solid-state image sensor 2 is transmitted to the signal processing circuit 5
and generates a video signal there.

The video signal generated by the signal processing circuit 5 at any time is stored in a field memory 6.

Further, the video signal generated by the signal processing circuit 5 is taken out from a video signal output terminal 7. Further, the video signal stored in the field memory 6 is taken out from the field memory output terminal 1°. Note that 8: is a shutter command input terminal.

Next, the solid-state image sensor used in the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2, which shows the solid-state image sensor.

In this FIG. 2, 11 is an imaging section, and 12 is an imaging section 11.
This is an accumulation section that stores the charges accumulated in the . The imaging section transfer resistor 13 transfers the charges accumulated in the imaging section 11 to the storage section 12 .

Further, the storage unit transfer register 14 transfers the charges transferred and stored in the storage [12] to the horizontal output register 15.

This horizontal output register 15 is the storage section transfer register 14.
The charges transferred are sequentially output.

The charge overflowing from the horizontal output resistor 15 is released through a cleaning drain 16. In addition,
17 is an output terminal of the image sensor.Next, the operation will be explained. In the system shown in FIG. 5, the driving circuit 3 drives the image sensor 2 with an electronic shutter. FIG. 6 shows the operation timing.

In this Fig. 6, VD in Fig. 6(a) is a vertical synchronizing pulse, SP in Fig. 6(b) is a shutter command pulse,
PI in Figure (c) is the imaging unit transfer pulse, P in Figure 6(d)
S is the storage section transfer pulse, T in Fig. 6(e) is the rh pulse, PH in Fig. 6(f) is the read pulse, and in Fig. 6)
SL is the shutter opening time.

In the case of a field without a shutter command (A field), time t. ~ t11, the imaging unit transfer pulse PI in FIG. 6(c) and the storage unit transfer pulse PS in FIG. 6(d) are output as shown in the figure, and the charge is transferred from the imaging unit 11 to the storage unit 12. will be carried out.

Accumulator transfer pulse PS in FIG. 6(c) after time tll
1 f- in FIG. 6(e)) The signal is taken into the horizontal output resistor 15 by the pulse T, and is output from the horizontal output resistor 15 to the image sensor output terminal 17 by the read pulse PH.

That is, the image of field A is taken into field B. This is the operation during normal imaging.

When a shutter command pulse is input from the shutter command input terminal 8 at time tts, time t1. Time t, ~t+4 due to imaging unit transfer pulse PI and storage unit transfer pulse PS at ~tI6
Charges accumulated in the imaging section 11 during (B field) are transferred to the accumulation section 12.

Next time t16~tl? The charge generated in the imaging unit 11 due to the exposure during the time tl? It is transferred to the storage section 12 by the imaging section transfer pulse PI and the storage section transfer pulse PS of ~tts.

At this time, the charge that had been transferred between time t+5-tta is swept out to the cleaning drain 16 and
2 stores only the charges at intervals indicated by the shutter time SL in FIG. It is output from the output terminal 17.

The output charges are converted into video signals by the signal processing circuit 5 and then stored in the field memory 8.

In other words, when a shutter command pulse enters the B field,
A shutter operation is performed at the beginning of the C field (next field).

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Conventional solid-state imaging devices with an electronic shutter function are configured as described above, so even if a shutter command is received, the actual shutter operation is only performed in the next field, so the maximum time is 1 field (1/60 second). There were problems such as errors occurring and the state of the subject changing.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and provides a solid-state imaging device with an electronic shutter function that reduces the time error between the shutter command time and the actual shutter operation time, and reduces changes in the state of the subject. The purpose is to obtain.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The solid-state imaging device according to the present invention continuously performs an electronic shutter operation for each field, and when a shutter command is input to a totomo that writes a signal into a field memory. Detects where the time is in the field and controls the field memory based on the detection result.
The memory data of the field which is temporally closer to the time when the shutter command is entered is used as the shutter image in the shutter command, and a control means is provided for stopping writing to the field memory.

[For production]

In this invention, the position in the field at which the shutter command was input is detected, and the detected output is used to store the memory data of the field with the smaller time error of the shutter images that are continuously written in the field memory. As the shutter image in the shutter command, writing to the field memory is stopped and the data is held.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the solid-state imaging device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment. In FIG. 1, parts that are the same as those in FIG. 5 are given the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation, and all parts that are different from those in FIG. 5 will be described.

As is clear from comparing FIG. 1 with FIG. 5, in FIG. 1, a memory control circuit 9 is newly added to the configuration of FIG.
This memory control circuit 9 detects the shutter command input time using signals from the synchronizing signal generating circuit 4 and the shutter command input terminal 8, and controls the memory.

The image sensor 2 in FIG. 1 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 2, and the electronic shutter operation in the conventional driving method shown in FIG. 6 is performed continuously for each field, and the signal processing circuit 5, the signal is converted into a rehide signal, and the writing to the field memory 6 is repeated. The memory control circuit 9 has the function of determining which field of memory data is to be held as a shutter image when a shutter command is input.

This memory control circuit 9 is configured as shown in FIG. 3, and a reference clock is input to a counter 18, which counts up the reference clock, and the output data of the counter 18 is temporarily stored in a latch circuit 19. It has become.

A magnitude comparator 20 determines the magnitude of the data in the latch circuit 19 and the program input data, and the counter 18 is reset by the output of the reset pulse generating circuit 21.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. In the time chart of Figure 4, ! 4 m (a) is the vertical synchronization pulse VD.

Figure 4 (b) is the shutter command pulse SP1 Figure 4 (c)
is the imaging section transfer pulse PI, FIG. 4(d) is the output of the magnitude humparator 20, FIG. 4(e) is the storage section transfer pulse PS, FIG. 4(f) is the r-to pulse T, FIG. 4 □
□□) indicates the read pulse PH4-.

The image sensor 2 continuously performs an electronic shutter operation for each field according to the conventional driving method shown in FIG. Writing is stopped by the memory control circuit 9 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows an operation timing chart. When there is no shutter command, the input data A of the magnitude comparator 20 becomes A=O because the latch circuit 19 does not work.

In addition, since program human data B is not loaded, B
=O, and A=B data is output, resulting in P-1 (writing to the field memory 6 continues).

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, when the shutter command pulse SP shown in FIG. 4 cb) is input at time t4, the counter 1
8 operates until t, -'-t, and the data at time t4 becomes X. This data X1l-j is temporarily stored in the latch circuit 19 and sent to the magnitude comparator 21.
becomes input data A.

Comparison data input to the program are time t, ~t5('
4 field) is set to the value when the counter 18 has performed the operation, and is loaded to become B.

In this case, A<B data is output, and P-2 (write the data of that field and stop writing from then on)
becomes.

That is, the video signal in the shutter operation from time t to time t is written into the field memory 6 as a shutter image by the shutter command pulse SP at t4, and thereafter the data is held.

Similarly, the shutter command pulse SP is 1. When inputted between t6 and t6, the output of the magnitude factorizer 21 becomes A>B, and becomes P-3 (write data of the next field and stop old input from then on).

That is, the video signal from the shutter operation from time t to time t8 is written into the field memory 6 as a shutter image, and thereafter the data is held.

Conventionally, as the shutter image for the shutter command pulse SP at time t, a video signal from the shutter operation from time t to t8 was obtained;
+<ta~t, and as already mentioned, there is a large time error with respect to the actual shutter command.

In the example shown in Figure 4, the magnitude comparator 2
As the program input data B to 0, the maximum value of the time error is set to ±1/120 seconds by using the value when the dedicated field counter 18 operates. However, by changing the settings of the program input data B, the time error (+)
, the maximum value of (-) can be varied.

That is, the maximum value of the delay and advance of the shutter image (time) with respect to the shutter command time can be freely set under the condition of (maximum value of delay) + (maximum value of advance) = 1/6o.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, this invention performs electronic shutter operation and writing to field memory continuously for each field, and uses memory control means to transfer memory data of the field with a smaller time error from the actual shutter command to the shutter command. Since it is held as a shutter image, it has the effect of obtaining an image with high temporal precision.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the solid-state imaging device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a solid-state imaging element in the same solid-state imaging device, and FIG. 3 is the solid-state imaging device of FIG. 1. 4 is an operation timing chart of the solid-state imaging device of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional solid-state imaging device with an electronic shutter. FIG. 6 is an operation timing chart of the solid-state imaging device with electronic shutter shown in FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Lens, 2... Solid-state image sensor, 3... Drive circuit, 4... Synchronization signal generation circuit, 5... Signal processing circuit, 6... Field memory, 11... Imaging Part 1
2...Storage unit, 13...Imaging unit transfer recorder, 14
... Accumulation unit transfer reno star, 15... Horizontal output reno star, 16... Cleaning drain, 18... Counter, 19... Latch circuit, 20... Magnitude comparator, 21... Reset pulse generation circuit. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or corresponding parts. Agent Masuo Oiwa Figure 2! 6; Cleaning τ Drezun, procedural amendment to 8he phrase P' (voluntary)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A solid-state imaging device including an imaging section, a storage section, and a charge sweeping section, a driving means for continuously operating the electronic shutter of the solid-state imaging device, and a storage means for storing signals of the solid-state imaging device obtained by the driving means. and a control means that makes it possible to store and hold in the storage means an electronic shutter image with little time error with respect to an actual shutter command.