US 11,778,337 B2Granted

Image sensor and method for sensing image

AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

InventorsEun Jae Hyun, Seong Yeong Jeong, Hee Kang, Hyoung Seok Ko, Young Jun Song, Jong Min You, Chan Young Jang

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Abstract

An image sensor having improved image quality is provided. The image sensor includes a first array of pixels, a second array of pixels, and a binning module. The first array of pixels has a color pattern formed in an n×m array and includes at least first-color pixels, second-color pixels, and third color-pixels. The second array of pixels is adjacent to the first array of pixels and has the same color pattern formed in an n×m array as the first array of pixels, to include at least first-color pixels, second-color pixels, and third color-pixels. The binning module is configured to, for a sensed image: perform binning on the first-color pixels of the first array, the first-color pixels of the second array, the second-color pixels of the first array, and the third-color pixels of the second array, and not perform binning on the third-color pixels of the first array, and not perform binning on the second-color pixels of the second array.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An image sensor comprising:

a first pixel, a second pixel, a third pixel and a fourth pixel arranged in a first direction;
a fifth pixel, a sixth pixel, a seventh pixel and an eighth pixel respectively disposed adjacent to the first to fourth pixels in a second direction intersecting the first direction, wherein the fifth to eighth pixels are arranged in the first direction;
a ninth pixel, a tenth pixel, an eleventh pixel and a twelfth pixel respectively disposed adjacent to the fifth to eighth pixels in the second direction, wherein the ninth to twelfth pixels are arranged in the first direction;
a thirteenth pixel, a fourteenth pixel, a fifteenth pixel and a sixteenth pixel respectively disposed adjacent to the ninth to twelfth pixels in the second direction, wherein the thirteenth to sixteenth pixels are arranged in the first direction;
a first analog to digital converter connected to the first pixel, the third pixel, the fifth pixel, the seventh pixel, the ninth pixel, the eleventh pixel, the thirteenth pixel and the fifteenth pixel;
and
a second analog to digital converter connected to the second pixel, the fourth pixel, the sixth pixel, the eighth pixel, the tenth pixel, the twelfth pixel, the fourteenth pixel and the sixteenth pixel,
wherein each of the first to sixteenth pixels is configured to output first to sixteenth pixel signals, respectively,
wherein the first analog to digital converter is configured to:
perform binning based on only the first pixel signal, the third pixel signal, the ninth pixel signal and the eleventh pixel signal to output a first binned signal;
and
perform binning based on only the fifth pixel signal and the fifteenth pixel signal to output a second binned signal, and
wherein the second analog to digital converter is configured to:
perform binning based on only the sixth pixel signal, the eighth pixel signal, the fourteenth pixel signal and the sixteenth pixel signal to output a third binned signal;
and
perform binning based on only the second pixel signal, the fourth pixel signal, the tenth pixel signal, and the twelfth pixel signal to output a fourth binned signal.

13 more elements

An image sensor comprising:

a first pixel array configured to output, for a sensed image, a plurality of first white pixel values, a plurality of first green pixel values, a plurality of first red pixel values, and a plurality of first blue pixel values;
a second pixel array configured to output, for the sensed image, a plurality of second white pixel values, a plurality of second green pixel values, a plurality of second red pixel values, and a plurality of second blue pixel values;
and
a binning module connected to the first pixel array and the second pixel array,
wherein the binning module is configured:
to perform binning based on the first white pixel values to generate a first white binned pixel value;
to perform binning based on the first green pixel values to generate a first green binned pixel value;
to perform binning based on the first red pixel values to generate a first red binned pixel value;
to perform binning based on the second white pixel values to generate a second white binned pixel value;
to perform binning based on the second green pixel values to generate a second green binned pixel value;
to perform binning based on the second blue pixel values to generate a second blue binned pixel value;
to not perform binning based on the first blue pixel values;
and
to not perform binning based on the second red pixel values.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/880,516Filed 3 Aug 2022
Priority: KR 10-2021-01532409 Nov 2021
Published: US 2023/0144410 A111 May 2023
Granted: 3 Oct 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04N 23/843
For processing colour signals: demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
H04N 25/46
Extracting pixel data from image sensors by controlling scanning circuits, e.g. by modifying the number of pixels sampled or to be sampled: by…
H04N 25/11
For transforming different wavelengths into image signals: arrangement of colour filter arrays [CFA]; Filter mosaics
H04N 25/75
Charge-coupled device [CCD] sensors; Charge-transfer registers specially adapted for CCD sensors: circuitry for providing, modifying or processing…