# US 10,313,609 B2 · Image sensors having pixel-binning with configurable shared floating diffusion > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,313,609 B2 - Document ID: US10313609B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/264,431 - Filed: 2016-09-13 - Published: 2017-10-19 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-14 - Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Inventors: Zhengming Fu; Soo Youn Kim; Jan Christian Huber - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10313609B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/46: by combining or binning pixels - H04N 25/59: by controlling the amount of charge storable in the pixel, e.g. modification of the charge conversion ratio of the floating node capacitance - H04N 25/76: Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors - H04N 25/77: Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components - H10F 39/18: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors - H10F 39/191: {Photoconductor image sensors} - H10F 39/8037: {the integrated elements comprising a transistor} - H10F 39/8053: {Colour filters} - H10F 39/806: {Optical elements or arrangements associated with the image sensors} - H10F 39/812: {Arrangements for transferring the charges in the image sensor perpendicular to the imaging plane, e.g. buried regions used to transfer generated charges to circuitry under the photosensitive region} - H10F 39/813: {Electronic components shared by multiple pixels, e.g. one amplifier shared by two pixels} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for image sensors with pixel binning with configurable shared floating diffusion are presented. In one example, an image sensor system includes a plurality of sensor elements; a photo-sensitive layer coupled to the plurality of sensor elements; a plurality of floating diffusion regions in communication with the photo-sensitive layer, each floating diffusion region of the plurality of floating diffusion regions configured to be selectively enabled; and at least one bridge coupled to two floating diffusion regions of the plurality of floating diffusion regions, the bridge configured to be selectively enabled and, when enabled, to allow a transfer of charge between the two floating diffusion regions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image sensor system comprising: a plurality of sensor elements corresponding to a plurality of pixels, each sensor element corresponding to a different pixel of the plurality of pixels; a photo-sensitive layer coupled to the plurality of sensor elements; a plurality of floating diffusion regions in communication with the photo-sensitive layer, each floating diffusion region of the plurality of floating diffusion regions corresponding to a sensor element of the plurality of sensor elements and configured to be selectively enabled; a plurality of bridges, each bridge coupled to two floating diffusion regions of the plurality of floating diffusion regions, the two floating diffusion regions corresponding to different pixels, each of the plurality of bridges configured to be individually and selectively enabled and, when enabled, to allow a sharing of charge between the respective two floating diffusion regions; wherein each of the plurality of bridges is further configured to be disabled responsive to a determination that a sampled indication of charge does not exceed a threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image sensor system of claim 1, wherein no floating diffusion region is coupled to more than one bridge. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image sensor system of claim 1, wherein one or more floating diffusion regions is coupled to more than one bridge. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image sensor system of claim 1, wherein the photo-sensitive layer comprises an organic photoconductive film or a quantum dot film. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image sensor system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor elements are arranged as a two-dimensional array of sensor elements. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image sensor system of claim 1, wherein each of the bridges comprises a transistor, wherein gating-on the transistor enables the respective bridge. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image sensor system of claim 1, wherein each sensor element has a corresponding floating diffusion region. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image sensor system of claim 1, wherein each sensor element of the plurality of sensor elements comprises a lens and a color filter. ### Claim 9 A method comprising: enabling a pixel binning configuration in an image sensor, the image sensor comprising: a plurality of sensor elements corresponding to a plurality of pixels, each sensor element corresponding to a different pixel of the plurality of pixels, a photo-sensitive layer coupled to the plurality of sensor elements, a plurality of floating diffusion regions in communication with the photo-sensitive layer, each floating diffusion region of the plurality of floating diffusion regions corresponding to a sensor element of the plurality of sensor elements and configured to be selectively enabled, and a plurality of bridges, each bridge coupled to two floating diffusion regions of the plurality of floating diffusion regions, the two floating diffusion regions corresponding to different pixels, each of the plurality of bridges configured to be individually and selectively enabled and, when enabled, to allow a sharing of charge between the respective two floating diffusion regions, wherein the pixel binning configuration is established based on one or more floating diffusion regions of the plurality of floating diffusion regions being selectively disabled, and one or more bridges of the plurality of bridges being individually and selectively enabled; measuring a sampled indication of charge at one or more enabled floating diffusion regions; comparing the sampled indication of charge to a threshold; responsive to determining the sampled indication of charge does not exceed the threshold, disabling one or more bridges associated with one or more of the enabled floating diffusion regions; and responsive to determining the sampled indication of charge exceeds the threshold, enabling one or more bridges associated with one or more of the enabled floating diffusion regions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein enabling the one or more bridges comprises: for each enabled floating diffusion regions, enabling a bridge to a disabled floating diffusion region. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein enabling the respective bridges to the respective disabled floating diffusion regions comprises enabling only one bridge to each disabled floating diffusion region. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein a bridged enabled floating diffusion region and a disabled floating diffusion region form a shared floating diffusion region, and further comprising: measuring a shared sampled indication of charge at one or more shared enabled floating diffusion regions; comparing the shared sampled indication of charge to a threshold; and responsive to determining the shared sampled indication of charge exceeds the threshold, enabling one or more bridges associated with one or more of the shared floating diffusion regions to a further disabled floating diffusion region such that the shared floating diffusion region comprises an enabled floating diffusion region and at least two disabled floating diffusion regions. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor to: enabling a pixel binning configuration in an image sensor, the image sensor comprising: a plurality of sensor elements corresponding to a plurality of pixels, each sensor element corresponding to a different pixel of the plurality of pixels, a photo-sensitive layer coupled to the plurality of sensor elements, a plurality of floating diffusion regions in communication with the photo-sensitive layer, each floating diffusion region of the plurality of floating diffusion regions corresponding to a sensor element of the plurality of sensor elements and configured to be selectively enabled, and a plurality of bridges, each bridge coupled to two floating diffusion regions of the plurality of floating diffusion regions, the two floating diffusion regions corresponding to different pixels, each of the plurality of bridges configured to be individually and selectively enabled and, when enabled, to allow a sharing of charge between the respective two floating diffusion regions, wherein the pixel binning configuration is established based on one or more floating diffusion regions of the plurality of floating diffusion regions being selectively disabled, and one or more bridges of the plurality of bridges being individually and selectively enabled; measuring a sampled indication of charge at one or more enabled floating diffusion regions; comparing the sampled indication of charge to a threshold; responsive to determining the sampled indication of charge does not exceed the threshold, disabling one or more bridges associated with one or more of the enabled floating diffusion regions; and responsive to determining the sampled indication of charge exceeds the threshold, enabling one or more bridges associated with one or more of the enabled floating diffusion regions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein enabling the one or more bridges comprises: for each enabled floating diffusion regions, enabling a bridge to a disabled floating diffusion region. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein enabling the respective bridges to the respective disabled floating diffusion regions comprises enabling only one bridge to each disabled floating diffusion region. ### Claim 16 An image sensor system comprising: a plurality of means for receiving light corresponding to a plurality of pixels, each means for receiving light corresponding to a different pixel of the plurality of pixels; means for releasing electrons in response to receiving photons coupled to the means for receiving light; a plurality of means for accumulating electric charge coupled to the means for releasing electrons, each means for accumulating electric charge of the plurality of means for accumulating electric charge corresponding to a means for receiving light of the plurality of means for receiving light and configured to be selectively enabled; a plurality of means for sampling an indication of charge coupled to the means for accumulating electric charge; and a plurality of means for selectively electrically coupling two means for accumulating electric charge to allow a sharing of charge between the two means for accumulating electric charge, each of the two means for accumulating electric charge corresponding to different pixels, each of the plurality of means for selectively electrically coupling two means for accumulating electric charge configured to be individually and selectively enabled, and further configured to be selectively disabled responsive to a determination that a sampled indication of charge does not exceed a threshold. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The image sensor system of claim 16, wherein no means for accumulating electric charge is coupled to more than one means for selectively electrically coupling two means for accumulating electric charge. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The image sensor system of claim 16, wherein one or more means for accumulating electric charge is coupled to more than one means for selectively electrically coupling two means for accumulating electric charge. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The image sensor system of claim 16, wherein the means for releasing electrons comprises an organic photoconductive film or a quantum dot film. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The image sensor system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of means for receiving light are arranged as a two-dimensional array of sensor elements. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The image sensor system of claim 16, wherein each means for receiving light has a corresponding means for accumulating electric charge. ### Claim 22 (depends on 16) The image sensor system of claim 16, wherein each means for receiving light of the plurality of means for receiving light comprises a lens and a color filter.