Multi-array sensor with integrated sub-array for parallax detection and photometer functionality

A method of correcting parallax in an imaging system comprising the steps of:

• receiving color information from multi-array sensors arranged on a substrate;
• receiving luminance information from a sub-array sensor arranged with the multi-array sensors on the substrate;
• correlating color information received from at least one of the multi-array sensors with the luminance information received from the sub-array sensor;
• and
• shifting the color information among the multi-array sensors, based on the correlation, to correct the parallax;
• wherein correlating the color information includes:
• receiving a row of the luminance information from the sub-array sensor;
• receiving two or more rows of the color information from the at least one multi-array sensor corresponding to the row of the luminance information;
• binning the two or more rows of the color information;
• correlating the binned color information with the row of the luminance information to determine a maximum correlation value;
• determining a pixel shift in the at least one multi-array sensor from the maximum correlation value;
• and
• determining average column shift values for the multi-array sensors from the pixel shift value for a number of rows of the luminance information;
• and
• the color information is shifted based on the average column shift values.

An imaging system comprising:

• multi-array sensors, arranged on a substrate, configured to produce color information per each array sensor;
• a sub-array sensor;
• arranged with the multi-array sensors on the substrate, configured to produce luminance information;
• and
• a processor configured to (a) receive color information from at least one array sensor of the multi-array sensors and the luminance information from the sub-array sensor, and (b) correlate the received color information with the luminance information to detect parallax between the one array sensor and the sub-array sensor;
• wherein the processor is configured to shift the color information among the multi-array sensors, based on the detected parallax;
• and
• first and second clock readout control circuits are configured to separately control clock rates of the multi-array sensors and the sub-array sensor, respectively;
• wherein the first and second clock rates are different in a first time interval and are the same in a second time interval.

A method of correcting parallax in an imaging system comprising the steps of:

• in a first time interval:
• setting a read out speed of a sub-array sensor faster than a read out speed of multi-array sensors, and
• receiving an amount of light onto the sub-array sensor;
• and
• in a second time interval:
• setting a read out speed of the sub-array sensor substantially equal to the read out speed of the multi-array sensors,
• receiving color information from the multi-array sensors and luminance information from the sub-array sensor, and
• correcting the parallax in the received color information from the multi-array sensors based on a color information received from the multi-array sensors and the luminance information received from the sub-array sensor.