Image sensor, image capturing apparatus, method of performing phase difference focus detection, and storage medium
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsMakiko Saito, Nobuhiro Takeda
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Abstract
An image sensor comprises: a plurality of microlenses; and a pixel region including, with respect to each of the plurality of microlenses, a plurality of first sensitivity regions formed at first depth from a light incident surface, a plurality of second sensitivity regions formed at second depth which is deeper than the first depth, and a plurality of connection portions that electrically connect the plurality of first regions and the plurality of second regions in different combinations.
Claims10
An image sensor comprising:
- a plurality of microlenses;
- and
- a plurality of pixel regions, each of which includes, with respect to each of the plurality of microlenses,
- a plurality of first sensitivity regions formed at first depth from a light incident surface,
- a plurality of second sensitivity regions formed at second depth which is deeper than the first depth, and
- a plurality of connection portions that electrically connect the plurality of first sensitivity regions and the plurality of second sensitivity regions, respectively,
- wherein a first pixel region of the plurality of pixel regions is formed with a first combination of the first sensitivity regions and the second sensitivity regions connected by the connection portions and a second pixel region of the plurality of pixel regions that is different from the first pixel region is formed with a second combination of the first sensitivity regions and the second sensitivity regions connected by the connection portions in a different combination from the first combination.
An image capturing apparatus comprising:
- an image sensor comprising:
- a plurality of microlenses;
- and
- a plurality of pixel regions, each of which includes, with respect to each of the plurality of microlenses,
- a plurality of first sensitivity regions formed at first depth from a light incident surface,
- a plurality of second sensitivity regions formed at second depth which is deeper than the first depth, and
- a plurality of connection portions that electrically connect the plurality of first sensitivity regions and the plurality of second sensitivity regions, respectively, wherein a first pixel region of the plurality of pixel regions is formed with a first combination of the first sensitivity regions and the second sensitivity regions connected by the connection portions and a second pixel region of the plurality of pixel regions that is different from the first pixel region is formed with a second combination of connecting the first sensitivity regions and the second sensitivity regions connected by the connection portions in a different combination from the first combination, and
- a focus detection unit that obtains pupil division signals corresponding to light fluxes passing through different pupil regions, respectively, from signals output from the pixel region and performs phase difference focus detection for each of structures formed by connecting the plurality of first sensitivity regions and the plurality of second sensitivity regions by the plurality of connection portions in the first and second combinations based on the pupil division signals,
- wherein the focus detection unit is implemented by one or more processors, circuitry or a combination thereof.
A method of controlling an image capturing apparatus which comprises an image sensor that includes a plurality of microlenses, and a plurality of pixel regions, each of which includes, with respect to each of the plurality of microlenses, a plurality of first sensitivity regions formed at first depth from a light incident surface, a plurality of second sensitivity regions formed at second depth which is deeper than the first depth, and a plurality of connection portions that electrically connect the plurality of first sensitivity regions and the plurality of second sensitivity regions, respectively, wherein a first pixel region of the plurality of pixel regions is formed with a first combination of the first sensitivity regions and the second sensitivity regions connected by the connection portions and a second pixel region of the plurality of pixel regions that is different from the first pixel region is formed with a second combination of the first sensitivity regions and the second sensitivity regions connected by the connection portions in a different combination from the first combination, the method comprising
- obtaining pupil division signals corresponding to light fluxes passing through different pupil regions, respectively, from signals output from the pixel region;
- and
- performing phase difference focus detection for each of structures formed by connecting the plurality of first sensitivity regions and the plurality of second sensitivity regions by the plurality of connection portions in the first and second combinations based on the pupil division signals.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the storage medium storing a program that is executable by the computer, wherein the program includes program code for causing the computer to function as a method of controlling an image capturing apparatus which comprises an image sensor that includes a plurality of microlenses, and a plurality of pixel regions, each of which includes, with respect to each of the plurality of microlenses, a plurality of first sensitivity regions formed at first depth from a light incident surface, a plurality of second sensitivity regions formed at second depth which is deeper than the first depth, and a plurality of connection portions that electrically connect the plurality of first sensitivity regions and the plurality of second sensitivity regions, respectively, wherein a first pixel region of the plurality of pixel regions is formed with a first combination of the first sensitivity regions and the second sensitivity regions connected by the connection portions and a second pixel region of the plurality of pixel regions that is different from the first pixel region is formed with a second combination of the first sensitivity regions and the second sensitivity regions connected by the connection portions in a different combination from the first combination, the method comprising
- obtaining pupil division signals corresponding to light fluxes passing through different pupil regions, respectively, from signals output from the pixel region;
- and
- performing phase difference focus detection for each of structures formed by connecting the plurality of first sensitivity regions and the plurality of second sensitivity regions by the plurality of connection portions in the first and second combinations based on the pupil division signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.