Image sensor
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorEun Sub Shim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image sensor including: a pixel array including a plurality of pixels connected to a plurality of row lines and a plurality of column lines, each of the plurality of pixels including a photodiode for generating an electric charge in response to light, and a pixel circuit having a floating diffusion for storing the electric charge; and a controller configured to adjust a capacitance of the floating diffusion to a first value and obtain a first pixel signal from the pixel circuit during a first time period, adjust the capacitance of the floating diffusion to a second value greater than the first value and obtain a second pixel signal from the pixel circuit during a second time period subsequent to the first time period, and generate a result image using the first pixel signal and the second pixel signal.
Claims20
An image sensor, comprising:
- a pixel array including a plurality of pixels connected to a plurality of row lines and a plurality of column lines, each of the plurality of pixels including a photodiode for generating an electric charge in response to light, and a pixel circuit having a floating diffusion for storing the electric charge;
- and
- a controller configured to adjust a capacitance of the floating diffusion to a first value and obtain a first pixel signal from the pixel circuit during a first time period, adjust the capacitance of the floating diffusion to a second value greater than the first value and obtain a second pixel signal from the pixel circuit during a second time period subsequent to the first time period, adjust the capacitance of the floating diffusion to a third value greater than the first value and obtain a third pixel signal from the pixel circuit during a third time period, subsequent to the second time period, and generate a result image using the first pixel signal, the second pixel signal, and the third pixel signal.
An image sensor, comprising:
- a photodiode for generating an electric charge in response to light during an exposure time;
- a floating diffusion for storing the electric charge;
- a reset transistor connected between a power node for supplying a power voltage and the floating diffusion;
- and
- a switch device connected between the reset transistor and the floating diffusion, wherein the switch device is turned off when the exposure time is longer than a reference time to generate a first image frame, the switch device is first turned on when the exposure times shorter than the reference time by a first time to generate a second image frame and the switch device is second turned on when the exposure time is shorter than the reference time by a second time to generate a third image frame, wherein the first, second and third image frames are generated in sequence.
An image sensor, comprising:
- a pixel array including a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels including a photodiode, and a pixel circuit for outputting a reset voltage and a pixel voltage using an electric charge generated from the photodiode;
- and
- a controller configured to adjust a conversion gain of the pixel circuit in accordance with an exposure time of the photodiode while the pixel circuit outputs the reset voltage and the pixel voltage,
- wherein the controller generates a result image using a first reset voltage and a first pixel voltage output from the pixel circuit when the conversion gain is a first value, the controller generates the result image using a second reset voltage and a second pixel voltage output from the pixel circuit when the conversion gain is a second value different from the first value, and the controller generates the result image using a third reset voltage and a third pixel voltage output from the pixel circuit when the conversion gain is a third value different from the first value, and
- wherein the second reset voltage is output after the first reset voltage and the third reset volume is output after the second reset voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.