# US 11,451,751 B2 · Solid-state image pickup device and image pickup device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,751 B2 - Document ID: US11451751B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/276,426 - Filed: 2019-09-11 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2018-10-02 - Assignees: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Applicants: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Inventors: Koya Tsuchimoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451751B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/447: by preserving the colour pattern with or without loss of information - H04N 25/134: {based on three different wavelength filter elements} - H04N 25/441: by reading contiguous pixels from selected rows or columns of the array, e.g. interlaced scanning - H04N 25/443: by reading pixels from selected two-dimensional [2D] regions of the array, e.g. for windowing or digital zooming - H04N 25/47: Image sensors with pixel address output; Event-driven image sensors; Selection of pixels to be read out based on image data - H04N 25/707: Pixels for event detection - H04N 25/77: Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components - H04N 25/79: Arrangements of circuitry being divided between different or multiple substrates, chips or circuit boards, e.g. stacked image sensors - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract To acquire a color image. A solid-state image pickup device according to an embodiment includes a plurality of light receiving portions, each of which receives light of a specific wavelength to generate an electric charge corresponding to an amount of the received light, a detector that detects a photoelectric current based on an electric charge generated in at least one of the plurality of light receiving portions, a generator that generates a voltage signal based on the electric charge generated in each of the plurality of light receiving portions, and a driving circuit that causes the generator to generate voltage signals based on electric charges generated in at least two of the plurality of light receiving portions, respectively, on the basis of a detection result of the photoelectric current by the detector. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A solid-state image pickup device comprising: a plurality of light receiving portions grouped into pixel blocks having at least two light receiving portions per pixel block, wherein each light receiving portion generates electric charge based on an amount of received light; an integration node that integrates photoelectric currents output from a pixel block, wherein the photoelectric currents are generated based on electric charge generated in light receiving portions of a pixel block; a detector provided for each pixel block and that detects the integrated photoelectric currents; a generator that generates a-voltage signals based on the electric charge generated in each of the plurality of light receiving portions; and a driving circuit that causes the generator to generate the voltage signals for a pixel block based on the integrated photoelectric currents detected by the detector. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the detector detects a current value of the integrated photoelectric currents or an amount of change in the current value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein light receiving portions of each pixel block receive different wavelengths of light. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein each pixel block includes a first light receiving portion receiving a wavelength component of red, a second light receiving portion receiving a wavelength component of green, and a third light receiving portion receiving a wavelength component of blue. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light receiving portions are arrayed in a 2D lattice pattern according to a predetermined array. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined array corresponds to one of a Bayer array, an X-Trans® type array, and a Quad Bayer array. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined array has a configuration in which a pattern is repeated, and wherein each pixel block has the pattern. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light receiving portions includes: a photoelectric conversion element that generates electric charge corresponding to the amount of received light, and a first transistor that supplies the electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion element to a respective detector as photoelectric current according to control from the driving circuit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of light receiving portions further includes a second transistor that transfers the electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion element to the generator according to control from the driving circuit, and wherein the generator includes: a floating diffusion layer that accumulates electric charge transferred from any one of the plurality of light receiving portions through the second transistor, a third transistor that discharges the electric charge accumulated in the floating diffusion layer according to control from the driving circuit, a fourth transistor that causes a voltage signal corresponding to an amount of the electric charge accumulated in the floating diffusion layer to appear on a predetermined signal line, and a fifth transistor that switches connection between the fourth transistor and the predetermined signal line according to control from the driving circuit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 9, further comprising: a converter that converts the voltage signal appearing on the predetermined signal line into a digital value corresponding to a voltage value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light receiving portions further includes: a photoelectric conversion element that generates electric charge corresponding to the amount of received light, a first transistor that supplies the electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion element to a respective detector as photoelectric current according to control from the driving circuit, and a second transistor that transfers the electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion element to the generator according to control from the driving circuit, wherein the generator includes: a floating diffusion layer that accumulates electric charge transferred from any one of the plurality of light receiving portions through the second transistor, a third transistor that discharges electric charge accumulated in the floating diffusion layer according to control from the driving circuit, a fourth transistor that causes a voltage signal corresponding to an amount of the electric charge accumulated in the floating diffusion layer to appear on a predetermined signal line, and a fifth transistor that switches connection between the fourth transistor and the predetermined signal line according to control from the driving circuit, wherein each detector detects presence or absence of firing of an event on a basis of the integrated photoelectric currents, and wherein in a case where a detector detects firing of the event during a period in which the first transistor is controlled to be in an ON state, the driving circuit performs a control operation to turn OFF the first transistor of each of light receiving portions belonging to a pixel block from which firing of the event is detected, performs a control operation to turn ON the fifth transistor, turns ON the third transistor for a certain period, and then performs a control operation to turn ON the second transistor of each light receiving portions belonging to the pixel block for a certain period according to a predetermined order. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light receiving portions includes: a photoelectric conversion element that generates electric charge corresponding to the amount of received light, and a wavelength selection element that limits a wavelength of light incident on the photoelectric conversion element to a specific wavelength or range of wavelengths. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising: a polarizer provided for each of the plurality of light receiving portions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising: a polarizer provided for each of the plurality of light receiving portions, wherein polarizers provided for at least two light receiving portions of a pixel block have different rotation angles. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 14, wherein a number of light receiving portions in a pixel block is obtained by multiplying a number of wavelength components used to reconstruct a color of incident light by a number of polarizers with different rotation angles. ### Claim 16 A solid-state image pickup device comprising: a plurality of light receiving portions grouped into pixel blocks having at least two light receiving portions per pixel block, wherein each light receiving portion generates electric charge based on an amount of received light; a plurality of detectors, each detector being provided for a respective light receiving portion and detecting photoelectric current that is generated based on electric charge generated in the respective light receiving portion; an integration node that integrates outputs of detectors of a pixel block; a generator that generates voltage signals based on the electric charge generated in each of the plurality of light receiving portions; and a driving circuit that causes the generator to generate the voltage signals for a pixel block based on the integrated outputs. ### Claim 17 An image pickup device comprising: an imaging lens; and a solid-state image pickup device comprising: a plurality of light receiving portions grouped into pixel blocks having at least two light receiving portions per pixel block, wherein each light receiving portion generates electric charge based on an amount of received light; an integration node that integrates photoelectric currents output from a pixel block, wherein the photoelectric currents are generated based on electric charge generated in light receiving portions of a pixel block; a detector provided for each pixel block and that detects the integrated photoelectric currents; a generator that generates voltage signals based on the electric charge generated in each of the plurality of light receiving portions; and a driving circuit that causes the generator to generate the voltage signals for a pixel block based on the integrated photoelectric currents detected by the detector.