US 12,720,227 B2Granted

Imaging device and photodetection device

AssigneeSony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

InventorTomohiro Matsuura

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Abstract

In one example, an imaging device includes a light-receiving pixel, a first coupling terminal, a first voltage generation circuit, a drive circuit, a reference signal generation circuit, a noise correction circuit, a comparison circuit, and a processing circuit. The light-receiving pixel generates a pixel signal. The drive circuit is configured to drive the light-receiving pixel on the basis of a voltage from the first voltage generation circuit at the first coupling terminal. The reference signal generation circuit generates a reference signal having a ramp waveform. The noise correction circuit generates a noise correction signal corresponding to the voltage at the first coupling terminal, and superimposes the noise correction signal on the reference signal. The comparison circuit compares the pixel signal and the reference signal with the superimposed noise correction signal. The processing circuit calculates a pixel value based on a result of the comparison.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An imaging device comprising:

a light-receiving pixel that is configured to generate a pixel signal including a pixel voltage corresponding to an amount of received light;
a first coupling terminal coupled to a first external capacitor;
a first voltage generation circuit that is configured to generate a voltage at the first coupling terminal;
a drive circuit that is configured to drive the light-receiving pixel on a basis of the voltage at the first coupling terminal;
a reference signal generation circuit that is configured to generate a reference signal having a ramp waveform;
a noise correction circuit that is configured to generate a noise correction signal corresponding to the voltage at the first coupling terminal, and is configured to superimpose the noise correction signal on the reference signal;
a comparison circuit that is configured to perform comparison between the pixel signal and the reference signal with the superimposed noise correction signal;
a processing circuit that is configured to calculate a pixel value on a basis of a result of the comparison by the comparison circuit;
a second coupling terminal coupled to a second external capacitor;
and
a second voltage generation circuit that is configured to generate a voltage at the second coupling terminal, wherein
the drive circuit is configured to drive the light-receiving pixel on a basis of the voltage at the first coupling terminal and the voltage at the second coupling terminal,
the noise correction circuit is configured to generate the noise correction signal on a basis of the voltage at the first coupling terminal and the voltage at the second coupling terminal,
the noise correction circuit is configured to generate the noise correction signal corresponding to at least one of the voltage at the first coupling terminal or the voltage at the second coupling terminal,
the light-receiving pixel is configured to output the pixel signal in a predetermined period,
the noise correction circuit is configured to generate the noise correction signal corresponding to the voltage at the first coupling terminal in a first period within the predetermined period, and
the noise correction circuit is configured to generate the noise correction signal corresponding to the voltage at the second coupling terminal in a second period within the predetermined period.

14 more elements

An imaging device comprising:

a light-receiving pixel that is configured to generate a pixel signal including a pixel voltage corresponding to an amount of received light;
a first coupling terminal coupled to a first external capacitor;
a first voltage generation circuit that is configured to generate a voltage at the first coupling terminal;
a drive circuit that is configured to drive the light-receiving pixel on a basis of the voltage at the first coupling terminal;
a reference signal generation circuit that is configured to generate a reference signal having a ramp waveform;
a noise correction circuit that is configured to generate a noise correction signal corresponding to the voltage at the first coupling terminal, and is configured to superimpose the noise correction signal on the reference signal;
a comparison circuit that is configured to perform comparison between the pixel signal and the reference signal with the superimposed noise correction signal;
a processing circuit that is configured to calculate a pixel value on a basis of a result of the comparison by the comparison circuit;
a second coupling terminal coupled to a second external capacitor;
and
a second voltage generation circuit that is configured to generate a voltage at the second coupling terminal, wherein
the drive circuit is configured to drive the light-receiving pixel on a basis of the voltage at the first coupling terminal and the voltage at the second coupling terminal,
the noise correction circuit is configured to generate the noise correction signal on a basis of the voltage at the first coupling terminal and the voltage at the second coupling terminal,
the noise correction circuit is configured to generate the noise correction signal corresponding to at least one of the voltage at the first coupling terminal or the voltage at the second coupling terminal, and wherein
the noise correction circuit includes
a first high-pass filter that extracts a first noise signal superimposed on the voltage at the first coupling terminal,
a second high-pass filter that extracts a second noise signal superimposed on the voltage at the second coupling terminal,
a switch that selects one of the first noise signal and the second noise signal, and
a generation circuit that generates the noise correction signal on a basis of a noise signal selected by the switch.

16 more elements

An imaging device comprising:

a light-receiving pixel that is configured to generate a pixel signal including a pixel voltage corresponding to an amount of received light;
a first coupling terminal coupled to a first external capacitor;
a first voltage generation circuit that is configured to generate a voltage at the first coupling terminal;
a drive circuit that is configured to drive the light-receiving pixel on a basis of the voltage at the first coupling terminal;
a reference signal generation circuit that is configured to generate a reference signal having a ramp waveform;
a noise correction circuit that is configured to generate a noise correction signal corresponding to the voltage at the first coupling terminal, and is configured to superimpose the noise correction signal on the reference signal;
a comparison circuit that is configured to perform comparison between the pixel signal and the reference signal with the superimposed noise correction signal;
a processing circuit that is configured to calculate a pixel value on a basis of a result of the comparison by the comparison circuit;
a second coupling terminal coupled to a second external capacitor;
and
a second voltage generation circuit that is configured to generate a voltage at the second coupling terminal, wherein
the drive circuit is configured to drive the light-receiving pixel on a basis of the voltage at the first coupling terminal and the voltage at the second coupling terminal,
the noise correction circuit is configured to generate the noise correction signal on a basis of the voltage at the first coupling terminal and the voltage at the second coupling terminal,
the noise correction circuit is configured to generate the noise correction signal corresponding to at least one of the voltage at the first coupling terminal or the voltage at the second coupling terminal, and wherein
the noise correction circuit includes
a switch that selects one of the voltage at the first coupling terminal and the voltage at the second coupling terminal,
a high-pass filter that extracts a noise signal superimposed on the voltage selected by the switch, and
a generation circuit that generates the noise correction signal on a basis of the noise signal.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/869,167Filed 15 May 2023
Priority: JP 2022-11140611 Jul 2022
Published: US 2025/0350862 A113 Nov 2025
Granted: 25 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H04N 25/60
Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof: noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise
H04N 25/673
For non-uniformity detection or correction: by using reference sources
H04N 25/616
Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise: involving a correlated sampling function, e.g. correlated double…
H04N 25/617
Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise: for reducing electromagnetic interference, e.g. clocking noise