Appeal No. 2003-0089
Application No. 08/976,474
to a neighboring diode (specification, page 2). Appellants
provide for a “spillover protection device” as an anti-blooming
device which removes the excess charges and stops blooming. On
the other hand, in order for the photodiode to operate in a
linear range, a predetermined bias charge is periodically
injected on the photodiode (specification, page 6). However,
according to Appellants, the spillover protection device should
be momentarily disabled so as not to interfere with the injection
of a bias charge during the read out (specification, page 9).
Representative independent claim 1 is reproduced below:
1. A photosensitive apparatus, comprising:
a photodiode;
a transfer circuit associated with the photodiode, for
transferring a signal from the photodiode to an output line; and
a spillover protection device, independently controllable
relative to the transfer circuit, for applying a potential to the
photodiode in response to a spillover condition in which a charge
on the photodiode exceeds a predetermined threshold; and
clocking means for providing, within each cycle of
operation, an integration period in which charge generated by the
photodiode is integrated to yield a signal related to light
impinging on the photodiode, and an inactive period wherein light
impinging on the photodiode is not integrated to yield a signal,
and causing the transfer circuit to periodically inject a
predetermined bias charge on the photodiode during the inactive
period of each cycle of operation, the clocking means further
disabling the spillover protection device while the predetermined
bias charge is injected on the photodiode.
2
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