Patent ID: 7821539
Filing Date: 2010-10-26
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for inspecting a solid-state image pickup device comprising: a plurality of photoelectric converters that performs photoelectric conversion on incident light to generate signal charges; a plurality of vertical charge transfer paths that vertically transfers the signal charges generated by the photoelectric converters; and a horizontal charge transfer path that horizontally transfers the signal charges respectively transferred from said plurality of charge transfer paths, wherein said plurality of photoelectric converters are arranged two-dimensionally in horizontal and vertical directions so as to comprise a plurality of sets, each comprising the photoelectric converters arranged along an extension direction of the vertical charge transfer paths, the method comprising: adding a set of data values, each of which corresponds to each of the set of photoelectric converters, in a column direction corresponding to the extension direction of the vertical charge transfer paths, for each set of said plurality of sets of the photoelectric converters, based on the signal charges transferred from the vertical charge transfer path and the horizontal charge transfer path, so as to obtain a set of one-dimensional addition data in each of which the set of the data values are added in the column direction; obtaining a set of difference data, each of which is based on: each of the set of one-dimensional addition data; and difference information with respect to its adjacent one among the set of the one-dimensional addition data; setting a plurality of staged level regions each having a level information, and voting for any one of the level regions where each of the set of difference data is contained, and counting the number of votes for each of the level regions; and judging whether the solid-state image pickup device is good by an evaluation value based on: the level information on each of the level regions; and the number of votes for each of the level regions.