1. A solid-state imaging device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers comprising three photoelectric conversion layers stacked above the semiconductor substrate, each detecting a different color from the others of the three photoelectric conversion layers,
a plurality of signal charge accumulators comprising three signal charge accumulators in the semiconductor substrate, each accumulating signal charges generated in a corresponding layer of the three photoelectric conversion layers; and
a signal readout circuit in the semiconductor substrate, the signal readout circuit reading out signals corresponding to the signal charges accumulated in the three signal charge accumulators,
wherein a plurality of pixels is arranged in a square lattice pattern on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the square lattice pattern extending in a column direction and a row direction perpendicular to the column direction, the column and row direction being parallel to the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and each of the pixels comprising the three signal charge accumulators which are arranged in the column direction on the surface of the semiconductor substrate,
wherein an arrangement of the pixels is such that the square lattice pattern of the pixels includes a first pixel row comprising:
a first array comprising signal charge accumulators in a first sub-row of each pixel in the first pixel row;
a second array comprising signal charge accumulators arranged in a second sub-row of each pixel in the first pixel row; and
a third array comprising signal charge accumulators in a third sub-row of each pixel in first pixel row,
wherein the three signal charge accumulators are arranged such that each of the first, second and third arrays includes all of the three signal charge accumulators, and
wherein the three signal charge accumulators are provided apart from the three photoelectric conversion layers and are electrically connected to the three photoelectric conversion layers via respective wirings, and the signal charges accumulating in the three signal charge accumulators are transferred through the respective wirings from the three photoelectric conversion layers.
2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first array, second array and third array comprise a longitudinal stripe layout.
3. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a part of all rows of the pixels arranged in the surface of the semiconductor substrate comprises the first pixel row.
4. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the three photoelectric conversion layers include a green-light photoelectric conversion layer detecting green light, and
wherein the square lattice pattern of the pixels includes a second pixel row other than the first pixel row, the second pixel array comprises: a first array of signal charge accumulators in a first sub-row of each pixel in the second pixel row; a second array of signal charge accumulators in the second sub-row of each pixel in the second pixel row; and a third array of signal charge accumulators in a third sub-row of each pixel in the second pixel row, and the three signal charge accumulators are arranged such that at least one of the first, second and third arrays is an array including only the signal charge accumulators accumulating the signal charges generated in the green-light photoelectric conversion layers.
5. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the signals are read out from the array of the longitudinal stripe layout to achieve video acquisition.
6. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the signals are read out from all of the pixels to achieve still image acquisition.
7. A digital camera comprising a solid-state imaging device according to claim 1.
8. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein said three photoelectric conversion layers comprise a green photoelectric conversion layer for detecting a green color, a red photoelectric conversion layer for detecting a red color, and a blue photoelectric conversion layer for detecting a blue color.
9. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 8, wherein said three signal charge accumulators comprise a green signal charge accumulator which is electrically connected to said green photoelectric conversion layer by a wiring, a red signal charge accumulator which is electrically connected to said red photoelectric conversion layer by a wiring, and a blue signal charge accumulator which is electrically connected to said blue photoelectric conversion layer by a wiring.
10. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein said three photoelectric conversion layers comprise an organic material.
11. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein said signal readout portion comprises:
a vertical transfer portion for reading out signal charges accumulated in the signal charge accumulators and transferring the signal charges in the column direction;
a horizontal transfer portion for transferring the signal charges transferred from the vertical transfer portion in the row direction; and
an output portion for outputting a signal outside corresponding to the signal charges transferred from the horizontal transfer portion.
12. A digital camera comprising:
a solid-state imaging device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
plural photoelectric conversion layers stacked above the semiconductor substrate, each detecting a different color from the others of the plural photoelectric conversion layers; and
plural signal charge accumulators formed in the semiconductor substrate and electrically connected to said plural photoelectric conversion layers, said plural signal charge accumulators accumulating signal charges generated in a corresponding layer of the plural photoelectric conversion layers,
wherein the plural photoelectric conversion layers and plural signal charge accumulators are included in plural pixels arranged in a square lattice pattern on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the square lattice pattern extending in a column direction and a row direction perpendicular to the column direction, the column and row direction being parallel to the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and each of the plural pixels comprising the plural signal charge accumulators which are arranged in the column direction on the surface of the semiconductor substrate,
wherein an arrangement of the pixels is such that the square lattice pattern of the plural pixels includes a first pixel row comprising a first array comprising said plural signal charge accumulators in a first sub-row of each pixel in the first pixel row, a second array comprising said plural signal charge accumulators arranged in a second sub-row of each pixel in the first pixel row, and a third array comprising plural signal charge accumulators in a third sub-row of each pixel in the first pixel row,
wherein the plural signal charge accumulators are arranged such that each of the first, second and third arrays includes all of the three signal charge accumulators, and
wherein the plural signal charge accumulators are provided apart from the plural photoelectric conversion layers and are electrically connected to the plural photoelectric conversion layers via respective wirings, and the signal charges accumulating in the plural signal charge accumulators are transferred through the respective wirings from the plural photoelectric conversion layers.
13. The digital camera of claim 12, wherein said camera comprises a thinning-out readout mode in which signals are read out only from the pixels in odd rows of said solid-state imaging device, and a normal readout mode in which signals are readout from the pixels in both odd and even rows of said solid-state imaging device.
14. The digital camera of claim 13, wherein said plural signal charge accumulators comprise three signal charge accumulators including a red signal charge accumulator, a green signal charge accumulator and a blue signal charge accumulator, such that a row from which a signal is read out in said thinning-out readout mode includes said three signal charge accumulators.
15. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement of the pixels comprises a plan view arrangement of the pixels.
16. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the pixels in the first pixel row are arranged in one of a row direction and a column direction.
17. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9, wherein the pixels comprise:
a first pixel comprising red, green and blue signal charge accumulators arranged in a column direction in that order;
a second pixel comprising green, red and blue signal charge accumulators arranged in a column direction in that order.
18. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 17, wherein the arrangement of the pixels comprises one of:
a row including the first, fourth, fifth and fourth pixels arranged repeatedly in that order in a row direction such that the three signal charge accumulators are arranged in a longitudinal stripe layout;
a column including the sixth, second, third and second pixels arranged repeatedly in that order in a column direction such that the three signal charge accumulators are arranged in a lateral stripe layout; and
a row including the first and fourth pixels arranged alternately in a row direction and a row including the fourth and fifth pixels arranged alternately in a row direction such that the three signal charge accumulators are arranged in a Bayer layout.
19. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9, wherein the pixels comprise:
a pixel comprising blue, green and red signal charge accumulators arranged in a column direction in that order;
a pixel comprising green, blue and red signal charge accumulators arranged in a column direction in that order; and
a pixel comprising blue, red and green signal charge accumulators arranged in a column direction in that order.
20. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9, wherein the pixels comprise:
a pixel comprising red, blue and green signal charge accumulators arranged in a column direction in that order.
21. A solid-state imaging device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers comprising three photoelectric conversion layers stacked above the semiconductor substrate, each detecting a different color from the others of the three photoelectric conversion layers,
a plurality of signal charge accumulators comprising three signal charge accumulators in the semiconductor substrate, each accumulating signal charges generated in a corresponding layer of the three photoelectric conversion layers; and
a signal readout circuit in the semiconductor substrate, the signal readout circuit reading out signals corresponding to the signal charges accumulated in the three signal charge accumulators,
wherein a plurality of pixels is arranged in a square lattice pattern on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the square lattice pattern extending in a column direction and a row direction perpendicular to the column direction, the column and row direction being parallel to the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and each of the pixels comprising the three signal charge accumulators which are arranged in the column direction on the surface of the semiconductor substrate,
wherein an arrangement of the pixels is such that the square lattice pattern of the pixels includes a first pixel row comprising:
a first array comprising signal charge accumulators in a first sub-row of each pixel in the first pixel row;
a second array comprising signal charge accumulators arranged in a second sub-row of each pixel in the first pixel row; and
a third array comprising signal charge accumulators in a third sub-row of each pixel in first pixel row,
wherein the three signal charge accumulators are provided apart from the three photoelectric conversion layers and are electrically connected to the three photoelectric conversion layers via respective wirings, and the signal charges accumulating in the three signal charge accumulators are transferred through the respective wirings from the three photoelectric conversion layers, and
wherein the first array, second array and third array comprise a lateral stripe layout.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for characterizing an audio signal representing an audio content, comprising:
determining a measure for a tonality of the audio signal; and
making a statement about the audio content of the audio signal on the basis of the measure for the tonality of the audio signal,
wherein the measure for the tonality is derived from a quotient Fx;y which is defined as follows:
F
x
;
y
=
1
N
\u2062
\u2211
n
=
0
N
–
1
\u2062
X
\u2061
(
n
)
x
x
1
N
\u2062
\u2211
n
=
0
N
–
1
\u2062
X
\u2061
(
n
)
y
y
wherein X(n) is a spectral component of the audio signal for a numeration index n, wherein n equal to 0 represents a lower frequency index, wherein N represents an upper frequency index, wherein x is the first power and y the second power and wherein the first and second powers are different.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first power x is greater than the second power y and wherein a quotient value greater than \u201c1\u201d indicates a tonal audio signal.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first power x is smaller than the second power y and wherein a quotient value smaller than \u201c1\u201d and greater than \u201c0\u201d indicates a tonal audio signal.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first power x is equal to 2and the second power y is equal to 1, such that the quotient of the quadratic mean value and the arithmetic mean value of spectral components of the audio signal serves to derive the measure for the tonality.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the quotient is calculated using all the spectral components of the audio signal.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the quotient is calculated using some of the spectral components of the audio signal.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein at least two quotients are calculated for a spectrum of the audio signal, the quotients being calculated using spectral components which differ at least partly.
8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of making a statement comprises the following steps:
comparing the measure for the tonality of the audio signal with a plurality of known tonality measures for a plurality of known audio signals representing different audio contents; and
establishing whether the audio content of the audio signal to be characterized agrees with the content of a known audio signal when the tonality measure of the audio signal to be characterized differs from the tonality measure assigned to the known audio signal by less than a predetermined amount.
9. A method according to claim 8, which includes the following additional step:
supplying a title, an author or other meta information for the audio signal to be characterized when a match is found.
10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the measure for the tonality is a quantitative value and where the method also includes the following steps:
calculating a tonality distance between the determined measure for the tonality of the audio signal and a known tonality measure for a known audio signal; and
quoting a similarity measure for the audio signal to be characterized, said similarity measure depending on the tonality distance and representing the similarity of the content of the known audio signal to the content of the audio signal to be characterized.
11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the audio signal to be characterized is derived from an original audio signal by coding,
said coding exhibiting a blockwise conversion of the original audio signal into the frequency domain and a quantization of spectral values of the original audio signal under the control of a psychoacoustic model.
12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the audio signal to be characterized is provided by emitting an original audio signal by means of a loudspeaker and receiving it by means of a microphone.
13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the audio signal to be characterized contains a measure for the tonality as additional information, and
wherein the step of determining includes reading the measure for the tonality from the additional information.
14. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least two neighboring spectral components in the frequency domain are grouped together and it is these grouped spectral components and not the individual spectral components which are then processed further.
15. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of determining a short-time spectrum of the audio signal to be characterized is subdivided into n bands and a tonality value is determined for each band,
wherein also for each of m successive short-time spectra of the audio signal to be characterized n tonality values are determined, and
wherein a tonality vector with a dimension m x n is formed, where m and n are greater than or equal to 1.
16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the measure for the tonality is the tonality vector or a statistical value from a plurality of temporally successive tonality vectors of the audio signal to be characterized and the statistical value is a mean value, a variance or a central moment of higher order or a combination of the cited statistical values.
17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the measure for the tonality is derived from a difference between a plurality of tonality vectors or a linear filtering of a plurality of tonality vectors.
18. A method for producing an indexed audio signal which has an audio content, comprising:
determining a measure for a tonality of the audio signal; and
recording the measure for the tonality as the index associated with the audio signal, said index indicating the audio content of the audio signal,
wherein the measure for the tonality is derived from a quotient Fx;y which is defined as follows:
F
x
;
y
=
1
N
\u2062
\u2211
n
=
0
N
–
1
\u2062
X
\u2061
(
n
)
x
x
1
N
\u2062
\u2211
n
=
0
N
–
1
\u2062
X
\u2061
(
n
)
y
y
wherein X(n) is a spectral component of the audio signal for a numeration index n, wherein n equal to 0 represents a lower frequency index, wherein N represents an upper frequency index, wherein x is the first power and y the second power and wherein the first and second powers are different.
19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the step of determining a measure for the tonality comprises the following steps:
calculating tonality values for different spectral components or groups of spectral components of the audio signal;
processing the tonality values to obtain the measure for the tonality; and allocating the audio signal to an audio signal category on the basis of the measure for the tonality.
20. A method according to claim 18, which is performed for a plurality of audio signals to obtain a data bank consisting of references to the plurality of audio signals together with the assigned indices, which indicate tonality properties of the audio signals.
21. A device for characterizing an audio signal representing an audio content, comprising:
a unit for determining a measure for a tonality of the audio signal; and
a unit for making a statement about the audio content of the audio signal on the basis of the measure for the tonality of the audio signal,
wherein the measure for the tonality is derived from a quotient Fx;y which is defined as follows:
F
x
;
y
=
1
N
\u2062
\u2211
n
=
0
N
–
1
\u2062
X
\u2061
(
n
)
x
x
1
N
\u2062
\u2211
n
=
0
N
–
1
\u2062
X
\u2061
(
n
)
y
y
wherein X(n) is a spectral component of the audio signal for a numeration index n, wherein n equal to 0 represents a lower frequency index, wherein N represents an upper frequency index, wherein x is the first power and y the second power and wherein the first and second powers are different.
22. A device for producing an indexed audio signal which has an audio content, comprising:
a unit for determining a measure for a tonality of the audio signal; and
a unit for recording the measure for the tonality as the index associated with the audio signal, said index indicating the audio content of the audio signal,
wherein the measure for the tonality is derived from a quotient Fx;y which is defined as follows:
F
x
;
y
=
1
N
\u2062
\u2211
n
=
0
N
–
1
\u2062
X
\u2061
(
n
)
x
x
1
N
\u2062
\u2211
n
=
0
N
–
1
\u2062
X
\u2061
(
n
)
y
y
wherein X(n) is a spectral component of the audio signal for a numeration index n, wherein n equal to 0 represents a lower frequency index, wherein N represents an upper frequency index, wherein x is the first power and y the second power and wherein the first and second powers are different.