An image sensor includes: first lines transferring a first clock having the same phase as that of modulated light in a first phase and a third clock having a phase difference of a ½ cycle from the phase of the modulated light in a second phase; second lines transferring the third clock in the first phase and the first clock in the second phase; third lines transferring a second clock having a phase difference of a ¼ cycle from the phase of the modulated light in the first phase and a fourth clock having a phase difference of a ¾ cycle from the phase of the modulated light in the second phase; fourth lines transferring the fourth clock in the first phase and the second clock in the second phase; and a pixel array including first pixels and second pixels that are alternately arranged in row and column directions.

An imaging device including an image sensor; an image data generation portion that generates image data on the basis of output data from the image sensor; a display portion that displays the image data within a display scanning period in a display cycle that is N times the sensor cycle (N>=2); and a display control portion that, when a partial image constituting the image and corresponding to a predetermined one of the lines forming the image has become ready for display on the basis of partial image data constituting the image data and representing the partial image, performs control of causing the display portion to start display of partial images constituting the image and corresponding to one frame, at a rate of once every N iterations of the imaging operation by the image sensor.

A readout circuit for use in an image sensor includes a system ramp generator coupled to generate a system ramp signal. A plurality of analog-to-digital converters is coupled to a plurality of column bitlines from a pixel array to receive corresponding analog column image signals. An isolation ramp buffer is coupled between the system ramp generator and the analog-to-digital converters. The isolation ramp buffer includes a single input to receive the system ramp signal, and a plurality of isolated outputs. Each of the isolated outputs is coupled to provide an isolated column ramp signal to a corresponding analog-to-digital converter. Each of the of analog-to-digital converters is coupled to generate a corresponding digital column image signal in response to the corresponding analog column image signal and corresponding isolated column ramp signal.

An imaging apparatus includes a rolling shutter type first image sensor and second image sensor, a timing generator that controls operation timings of these two image sensors, and a controller that subjects generated image data to image processing and controls the timing generator. The first image sensor captures an image of a subject to generate first image data, and the second image sensor captures an image of the subject to generate second image data. Each of the first image data and the second image data has a duplicate region in which the subject is partly duplicated. The controller controls the timing generator in such a way that a period over which the first image sensor exposes lines within the duplicate region in the first image data coincides with a period over which the second image sensor exposes lines within the duplicate region in the second image data.

A driver includes a first level shifting unit generating a second signal swinging in a second threshold range in response to a first signal swinging in a first threshold range, a second level shifting unit generating a third signal swinging in a third threshold range in response to the second signal, a first pull-up driving unit driving an output terminal with a first high-voltage in response to the second signal, a first pull-down driving unit driving the output terminal with a first low voltage in response to the third signal, a second pull-down driving unit driving the output terminal with a second low voltage higher than the first low voltage in response to the fourth signal, and a first path coupling unit coupling the second pull-down driving unit with the output terminal in response to the second signal.

An imaging device includes: first and second image sensors; a first communication controller configured to be connected to the first image sensor; a first clock generator that generates a first clock signal that is a reference for operation of the first communication controller; a second communication controller configured to be connected to the second image sensor; a second clock generator that generates a second clock signal that is a reference for operation of the second communication controller; a reference synchronization signal generator that generates a reference synchronization signal; and an imaging synchronization signal generator that generates an imaging synchronization signal which is a trigger for determining timings of imaging by the first and second image sensors, and outputs the imaging synchronization signal to the first and second communication controllers at a timing when a predetermined period of time has elapsed from a reference timing based on the reference synchronization signal.

An image sensor which operates in a global shutter mode is provided. The image sensor includes a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, a timing generator configured to generate row driver control signals which controls an integration period of a pixel of the plurality of pixels to include at least two sub integration periods, and a row driver configured to generate a plurality of row control signals which controls each of the rows in the pixel array based on the row driver control signals, wherein the timing generator is further configured to control a single image frame to include the integration period and a readout period of the pixel, based on the row driver control signals.

An endoscope system includes an image pickup section provided with an image sensor and configured to obtain an examination image; a cable that transmits the examination image; and a processor that receives the examination image, performs image processing, and displays the processed image. The processor includes: a cable driver that applies a voltage higher than an input voltage standard of the image pickup section so as to compensate for attenuation of a high-frequency signal caused by the cable and outputs a clock signal for driving the image pickup section; a peaking circuit that performs waveform correction of the clock signal; and a DC level limiting circuit configured to limit, when a clock signal inputted from the first peaking circuit is switched to a DC voltage, an amplitude level of the DC voltage so as not to exceed a level of the input voltage standard of the image pickup section.

Provided is an imaging apparatus, including: a driving circuit switching between a current supplying state and a current non-supplying state of the current sources included in column circuits in the respective columns; at least one second readout line to which image signals output from the column circuits in the respective columns are input; switches each having one terminal and another terminal; and a switch control circuit configured to output switch control signals for respectively controlling the switches to be turned on or off, each of the one terminals being connected to corresponding second readout line and each of the another terminals being connected commonly to an output line, in which, in a period in which the switch control signals for respectively controlling the switches to be turned on are output, the number of the current sources controlled to be in the current supplying state by the driving circuit is constant.

A monolithic sensor for detecting infrared and visible light according to an example includes a semiconductor substrate and a semiconductor layer coupled to the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor layer includes a device surface opposite the semiconductor substrate. A visible light photodiode is formed at the device surface. An infrared photodiode is also formed at the device surface and in proximity to the visible light photodiode. A textured region is coupled to the infrared photodiode and positioned to interact with electromagnetic radiation.