US 9,961,278 B2Granted

Solid-state image-capturing element and electronic device having improved linearity

AssigneeSony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

InventorsYusuke Ikeda, Hideki Shoyama, Yoshimasa Sakamoto, Yuuichi Udou, Oichi Kumagai

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Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image-capturing element and electronic device capable of improving the linearity of illuminance values. The dynamic-range expander 118 expands dynamic range of a pixel value for each pixel based on the pixel value having different exposure times of a plurality of pixels. The integrator 119 integrates pixel values having the dynamic range expanded by the dynamic-range expander 118 and generates an illuminance value. The present disclosure is applicable to complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor or the like used in, for example, an illuminometer.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A solid-state image-capturing element comprising:

a dynamic-range expander configured to expand dynamic range of a pixel value for each pixel based on pixel values having different exposure times of a plurality of pixels;
and
an integrator configured to integrate pixel values having the dynamic range expanded by the dynamic-range expander and generate an illuminance value,
wherein each pixel includes a short-term accumulation pixel and a long-term accumulation pixel, the short-term accumulation pixel being used to accumulate a charge corresponding to an amount of light incident during a first exposure time, the long-term accumulation pixel being used to accumulate a charge corresponding to an amount of light incident during a second exposure time longer than the first exposure time,
wherein the dynamic-range expander is configured to expand the dynamic range of the pixel value for each pixel formed by the short-term accumulation pixel and the long-term accumulation pixel, based on a pixel value corresponding to the charge accumulated in the short-term accumulation pixel and a pixel value corresponding to the charge accumulated in the long-term accumulation pixel,
a selector configured to select a pair of the first exposure time and the second exposure time of a next frame of a frame corresponding to the illuminance value generated by the integrator from multiple ones of a predetermined pair based on the illuminance value,
wherein the short-term accumulation pixel is configured to accumulate a charge corresponding to an amount of light incident during the first exposure time of the pair selected by the selector, and
wherein the long-term accumulation pixel is configured to accumulate a charge corresponding to an amount of light incident during the second exposure time of the pair selected by the selector,
wherein the selector is configured to select the multiple ones of the predetermined pair having a small multiplying factor when the illuminance value is greater than or equal to a threshold, and select the multiple of the predetermined pair having a large multiplying factor when the illuminance value is smaller than the threshold.

6 more elements

A solid-state image-capturing element comprising:

a dynamic-range expander configured to expand a dynamic range of an integration value of pixel values of a plurality of pixels based on a pixel value of a first exposure time and a pixel value of a second exposure time of the plurality of pixels;
a multiplier configured to generate, as an illuminance value, a value obtained by multiplying the integration value having the dynamic range expanded by the dynamic-range expander by a gain corresponding to a pair of the first exposure time and the exposure time;
and
a selector configured to select the pair of a next frame of a frame corresponding to the illuminance value generated by the multiplier from multiple ones of a predetermined pair based on the illuminance value,
wherein the selector is configured to select the multiple ones of the predetermined pair having a small multiplying factor when the illuminance value is greater than or equal to a threshold, and select the multiple of the predetermined pair having a large multiplying factor when the illuminance value is smaller than the threshold.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/029,556Filed 10 Oct 2014
Priority: JP 2013-21806621 Oct 2013
Published: US 2016/0269659 A115 Sep 2016
Granted: 1 May 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04N 25/589
Acquired sequentially, e.g. using the combination of odd and even image fields: with different integration times, e.g. short and long exposures
H04N 25/134
Characterised by the spectral characteristics of the filter elements: based on three different wavelength filter elements
H04N 25/70
Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof: sSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
H04N 25/76
SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith: addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors