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US 6,320,618 B1Granted
Semiconductor image sensor with a plurality of different resolution areas
AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorChiaki Aoyama
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AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorChiaki Aoyama
Estimating the term…
A semiconductor image sensor comprises a number of photosensitive elements which are provided as a two dimensional array on a substrate. This image sensor also comprises a plurality of different resolution areas in a single plane. This is made possible by changing the size or density of the photosensitive elements which are used for a respective different resolution areas in the array on the substrate. In this image sensor, an output from each photosensitive element as a pixel composes an image signal. Particularly, if this semiconductor image sensor is designed as a sensor for monitoring forward views of a vehicle, then the photosensitive portion is divided into a plurality of areas in a vertical direction so that a resultant imaging device is suitable for monitoring views from the front of a vehicle, comprising a high resolution area in the upper portion of the photosensitive portion where distant views are captured and subsequently lower resolution areas in the succeeding lower portions of the photosensitive portion where subsequently closer views are captured.
A semiconductor image sensor comprising:
A semiconductor image sensor comprising, a two dimensional photosensitive area with an array of a multiplicity of photosensitive elements for sensing an entire image, said photosensitive area comprised of at least two separate areas arranged vertically, one above another, across the entire horizontal width of the photosensitive area, and each said separate area having a different number of said photosensitive elements per unit of area for causing different densities of said photosensitive elements in said separate areas for producing different levels of image resolution from different said separate areas for the entire image, said separate areas located on an upper portion of said photosensitive portion in the vertical direction comprise high resolution areas for imaging objects at a distance from the sensor for a distant view, said high resolution areas having a high density of said photosensitive elements in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, said separate areas located on a lower portion of said photosensitive portion in the vertical direction comprise low resolution areas for imaging objects near the sensor for a near view, said low resolution areas having a low density of said photosensitive elements in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and said low density of photosensitive elements being of a lower density than said high density of photosensitive elements in both the vertical and horizontal directions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.