# US 2021/0344882 A1 · Image sensor

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2021/0344882 A1
- Document ID: US20210344882A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/142,652
- Filed: 2021-01-06
- Published: 2021-11-04
- Earliest claimed: 2020-05-04
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Heeryung PARK; Juhyun KO; Jinwoo KIM; Joonyoung PARK; Jongmin YOU
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210344882A1

## CPC

- H04N 25/447: by preserving the colour pattern with or without loss of information
- H04N 25/133: including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light
- H04N 25/46: by combining or binning pixels
- H04N 25/534: depending on the spectral component
- H04N 25/616: involving a correlated sampling function, e.g. correlated double sampling [CDS] or triple sampling
- H04N 25/704: Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets
- H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters
- H10F 39/18: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors
- H10F 39/8037: {the integrated elements comprising a transistor}
- H10F 39/8057: {Optical shielding}
- H10F 39/8063: {Microlenses}
- H10F 39/813: {Electronic components shared by multiple pixels, e.g. one amplifier shared by two pixels}
- H04N 23/843: {Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values}
- H10F 39/8053: {Colour filters}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION

## Abstract

An image sensor includes a Bayer pattern-type pixel array including a plurality of Bayer pattern-type extended blocks each having first to fourth pixel blocks, each of the first to fourth pixel blocks including first to fourth pixels, the first and fourth pixels of the first and fourth pixel blocks being configured to sense green light, the first and fourth pixels of the second and third pixel blocks being configured to sense red light and blue light, respectively, and the second and third pixels of the first to fourth pixel blocks being configured to sense white light, and a signal processing unit merging Bayer pattern color information generated from the first and fourth pixels of the first to fourth pixel blocks, and the Bayer pattern illuminance information generated from the second and third pixels of the first to fourth pixel blocks.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image sensor comprising:
a Bayer pattern-type pixel array including a plurality of Bayer pattern-type extended blocks each having first to fourth pixel blocks arranged in a big 2×2 matrix, each of the first to fourth pixel blocks including first to fourth pixels arranged in a small 2×2 matrix, the first and fourth pixels of the first and fourth pixel blocks configured to sense green light, the first and fourth pixels of the second and third pixel blocks configured to sense red light and blue light, respectively, and the second and third pixels of the first to fourth pixel blocks configured to sense white light; and
a signal processing circuitry configured to generate Bayer pattern color information by binning signals of the first and fourth pixels of the first to fourth pixel blocks, to generate Bayer pattern illuminance information by binning signals of the second and third pixels of the first to fourth pixel blocks, and to generate a color image by merging the Bayer pattern color information and the Bayer pattern illuminance information.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, wherein in each of the plurality of Bayer pattern-type extended blocks, the first and fourth pixel blocks are arranged in a first diagonal direction, and the second and third pixel blocks are arranged in a second diagonal direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The image sensor of claim 2, wherein in each of the first to fourth pixel blocks, the first and fourth pixels are arranged in one of the first diagonal direction and the second diagonal direction, and the second and third pixels are arranged in the other of the first diagonal direction and the second diagonal direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The image sensor of claim 2, wherein each of the Bayer pattern color information and the color image are in a big 2×2 matrix including first and second green patterns arranged in the first diagonal direction and red and blue patterns arranged in the second diagonal direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the Bayer pattern-type pixel array comprises an array of pixels arranged in a 2m×2n matrix (where m and n are integers), and
the Bayer pattern color information, the Bayer pattern illuminance information, and the color image each have a resolution of m×n.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the pixel array comprises a floating diffusion (FD) respectively in the first to fourth pixel blocks,
wherein the floating diffusion is configured to be shared by two or all of the first to fourth pixels.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, wherein two adjacent pixels of the pixel array are configured to sense light of the same color, and the two adjacent pixels are provided as first and second phase detection pixels configured to generate a phase signal corresponding to a calculated phase difference between images.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The image sensor of claim 7, wherein each of the first and second phase detection pixels comprises an optical sensing element and an optical shielding layer blocking a portion of light incident on the optical sensing element.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The image sensor of claim 7, wherein one micro lens covers the first and second phase detection pixels.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, further comprising a control circuitry configured to control pixels of the same color of the first to fourth pixel blocks with different exposure times.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The image sensor of claim 10, wherein in each of the first to fourth pixel blocks, the first and fourth pixels are arranged in one of a first diagonal direction and a second diagonal direction, and the second and third pixels are arranged in the other of the first diagonal direction and the second diagonal direction, and
the control circuitry is configured to control pixels located in a 2m−1 th row among the first to fourth pixels with a first exposure time, and is configured to control pixels located in a 2m-th row among the first to fourth pixels with a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

### Claim 12

An image sensor comprising:
a pixel array including a plurality of Bayer pattern-type extended blocks each having first to fourth pixel blocks, the first to fourth pixel blocks respectively including a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, the plurality of pixels being divided into first and second groups each having at least two pixels, pixels of a first group of the first and fourth pixel blocks respectively configured to sense first color light, pixels of a first group of the second pixel block configured to sense second color light, pixels of a first group of the third pixel configured to sense third color light, and pixels of a second group of the first to fourth pixel blocks respectively configured to sense light of a wavelength band wider than a wavelength band of each of at least second and third color light, respectively; and
a signal processing circuitry configured to generate Bayer pattern color information by binning signals of pixels of the first group of the first to fourth pixel blocks, to generate Bayer pattern illuminance information by binning signals of pixels of a second group of the first to fourth pixel blocks, and to generate a color image by merging the Bayer pattern color information and the Bayer pattern illuminance information.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The image sensor of claim 12, wherein when numbers of the first to fourth pixel blocks in a row direction and a column direction in the pixel array are m and n, respectively (where m and n are integers), the Bayer pattern color information, the Bayer pattern illuminance information, and the color image, each have a resolution of m×n.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The image sensor of claim 12, wherein the first color light, the second color light and the third color light are green, red and blue, respectively, and
the first and second pixel blocks are arranged in a first diagonal direction, and the third and fourth pixel blocks are arranged in a second diagonal direction.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The image sensor of claim 14, wherein the pixels of a second group are configured to sense white light that covers bands of the green, red and blue light.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The image sensor of claim 12, wherein the second color light and the third color light are red and blue light, respectively, and the first color is yellow light that covers at least a portion of green light, and
the pixels of a second group are configured to sense the yellow light.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The image sensor of claim 12, wherein the first to fourth pixel blocks have the same arrangement of pixels in which pixels of the first and second groups alternate in a row direction and a column direction, respectively.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The image sensor of claim 12, wherein the first to fourth pixel blocks each comprise first to fourth pixels arranged in a big 2×2 matrix, the first and fourth pixels arranged in a first diagonal direction, and the second and third pixels arranged in a second diagonal direction,
and the first and fourth pixels are pixels of the first group, and the second and third pixels are pixels of the second group.

### Claim 19

An image sensor comprising:
a pixel array including a plurality of Bayer pattern-type extended blocks each having first to fourth pixel blocks arranged in a big 2×2 matrix, each of the first to fourth pixel blocks including first to fourth pixels arranged in a small 2×2 matrix, the first and fourth pixels of the first and fourth pixel blocks configured to receive light of a first color, the first and fourth pixels of the second and third pixel blocks configured to receive light of second and third colors, respectively, and the second and third pixels of the first to fourth pixel blocks configured to receive white light; and
a signal processing circuitry configured to generate Bayer pattern color information by binning signals of the first and fourth pixels of the first to fourth pixel blocks, and to generate Bayer pattern illuminance information by binning signals of the second and third pixels of the first to fourth pixel blocks,
wherein the first and fourth pixel blocks are arranged in a first diagonal direction, the second and third pixel blocks are arranged in a second diagonal direction, the first and fourth pixels are arranged in one of the first diagonal direction and the second diagonal direction, and the second and third pixels are arranged in the other of the first diagonal direction and the second diagonal direction.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The image sensor of claim 19, further comprising a control circuitry configured to control pixels with an exposure time of each of pixels of the same color of the first to fourth pixel blocks,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to control pixels located in a (2m−1)th row among the first to fourth pixels with a first exposure time, and is configured to control pixels located in a 2m-th row by a second exposure time different from the first exposure time, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 1.