Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for driving a high resolution CCD image pickup device by transferring empty packets

US5376967A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
5References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 6, 1992
Grant dateDec 27, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 6, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N25/67
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of driving a solid state image pickup device having a number of photoelectric conversion elements disposed in a matrix shape, a plurality of columns of vertical CCDs disposed adjacent to each column of the photoelectric conversion elements and capable of storing electric charges accumulated in the photoelectric conversion elements, and a horizontal CCD connected to the vertical CCDs and capable of receiving in parallel electric charges transferred from the vertical CCDs and serially outputting the electric charges. The method includes the steps of reading electric charges accumulated in the photoelectric conversion elements and storing the electric charges in the vertical CCDs sending an empty packet from the horizontal CCD to each of the vertical CCDs, the empty packet representing an area where no electric charge is present and causing electric charges in the vertical CCDs to be sequentially transferred to the horizontal CCD in relation to the empty packet being transferred form the horizontal CCD to the vertical CCDs.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.