Patent
Imaging device camera system and driving method of the same
| العنوان: | Imaging device camera system and driving method of the same |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 8,598,508 |
| تاريخ النشر: | December 03, 2013 |
| Appl. No: | 13/523374 |
| Application Filed: | June 14, 2012 |
| مستخلص: | An imaging device including an electronic shutter and a pixel array with color pixels with different characteristics of spectral sensitivity arranged. The pixel array part has at least one clear pixel, the plurality of color pixels including (i) a first color filter pixel having a peak of spectral sensitivity characteristics for red, (ii) a second color filter pixel having a peak for blue, and (iii) a third color filter pixel having a peak for green. The clear pixel has a high transmittance arranged in an oblique pixel array system at a given position of a given row and a given column with respect to the first color filter pixel, the second color filter pixel, and the third color filter pixel. An electronic shutter is separately driven for the at least one clear pixel and for the plurality of color filter pixels. |
| Inventors: | Kanai, Junichi (Kanagawa, JP); Nakamura, Nobuo (Fukuoka, JP) |
| Assignees: | Sony Corporation (Tokyo, JP) |
| Claim: | 1. An imaging device comprising a pixel array on a substrate in which a plurality of pixels with different characteristics of spectral sensitivity are arranged in an array and in which the pixels convert light into an electric signal, said pixels comprising a plurality of color filter pixels and at least one clear pixel, wherein, the plurality of color filter pixels include (i) a first color filter pixel with a first filter effective to cause the first color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for red light, (ii) a second color filter pixel with a second filter effective to cause the second color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for blue light, and (iii) a third color filter pixel with a third filter effective to cause the third color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for green light, the first, second and third color pixels are arranged in a sub-array, the at least one clear pixel has no filter or a fourth filter with a high transmittance such that the clear pixel is sensitive to white light, the clear pixel is arranged in the sub-array at a given position of a given row and a given column with respect to a first color pixel, a second color pixel, and a third color pixel, the clear pixel has a photoconversion region with an implantation region that is deeper than those of the color filter pixels, and the clear pixel has a microlens that is positioned at a height that is less than a height of the microlenses of the color filter pixels. |
| Claim: | 2. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein the clear pixel has a photoconversion region that extends deeper into the substrate than do those of the color filter pixels. |
| Claim: | 3. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein in cross section, the color filter pixels and the clear pixel have photoconversion regions that are trapezoidal. |
| Claim: | 4. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein in cross section, the clear pixel has a photoconversion region that is larger than those of the color filter pixels. |
| Claim: | 5. A camera system comprising: a shutter; and an imaging device with a pixel array on a substrate in which a plurality of pixels with different characteristics of spectral sensitivity are arranged in an array and in which the pixels convert light into an electric signal, said pixels comprising a plurality of color filter pixels and at least one clear pixel, wherein, the plurality of color filter pixels include (i) a first color filter pixel with a first filter effective to cause the first color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for red light, (ii) a second color filter pixel with a second filter effective to cause the second color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for blue light, and (iii) a third color filter pixel with a third filter effective to cause the third color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for green light, the first, second and third color pixels are arranged in a sub-array, the at least one clear pixel has no filter or a fourth filter with a high transmittance such that the clear pixel is sensitive to white light, the clear pixel is arranged in the sub-array at a given position of a given row and a given column with respect to a first color pixel, a second color pixel, and a third color pixel, the clear pixel has a photoconversion region with an implantation region that is deeper than those of the color filter pixels, and the clear pixel has a microlens that is positioned at a height that is less than a height of the microlenses of the color filter pixels. |
| Claim: | 6. The camera system of claim 5 , wherein the clear pixel has a photoconversion region that extends deeper into the substrate than do those of the color filter pixels. |
| Claim: | 7. The camera system of claim 5 , wherein in cross section, the color filter pixels and the clear pixel have photoconversion regions that are trapezoidal. |
| Claim: | 8. The camera system of claim 5 , wherein in cross section, the clear pixel has a photoconversion region that is larger than those of the color filter pixels. |
| Claim: | 9. A method for driving a camera system, comprising: providing a camera system having (a) an imaging device, (b) an optical system operable to lead incident light to an imaging part of the imaging device, and (c) a signal processing circuit operable to process an output signal of the imaging device, the imaging device comprising a pixel array on a substrate in which a plurality of pixels with different characteristics of spectral sensitivity are arranged in an array and in which the pixels convert light into an electric signal, said pixels comprising a plurality of color filter pixels and at least one clear pixel, the plurality of color filter pixels including (i) a first color filter pixel with a first filter effective to cause the first color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for red light, (ii) a second color filter pixel with a second filter effective to cause the second color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for blue light, and (iii) a third color filter pixel with a third filter effective to cause the third color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for green light, a first read channel being exclusively coupled to the at least one clear pixel and a second read channel is exclusively coupled to the plurality of color filter pixels; separately performing electronic shutter drives for the at least one clear pixel and for the plurality of color filter pixels; and separately changing, for the at least one clear pixel and for the plurality of color filter pixels, at least one of time period, rate and gain in processing, wherein, the first, second and third color pixels are arranged in a sub-array, the at least one clear pixel has no filter or a fourth filter with a high transmittance such that the clear pixel is sensitive to white light, the clear pixel is arranged in the sub-array at a given position of a given row and a given column with respect to a first color pixel, a second color pixel, and a third color pixel, and the clear pixel has a photoconversion region with an implantation region that is deeper than those of the color filter pixels. |
| Claim: | 10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: at bright places, adjusting a white balance of signals of the clear pixel and the color filter pixels based on a signal of a green color filter pixel. |
| Claim: | 11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: at dark places, adjusting a white balance of signals of the clear pixel and the color filter pixels based on a signal of the clear pixel. |
| Claim: | 12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: performing an interpolation process only for the color filter pixels after white balance is adjusted. |
| Claim: | 13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising: performing an interpolation process only for the color filter pixels after white balance is adjusted. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 250/226 |
| Patent References Cited: | 4721999 January 1988 Takemura et al. 5233411 August 1993 Nam et al. 5379069 January 1995 Tani 6714243 March 2004 Mathur et al. 6847397 January 2005 Osada 6876384 April 2005 Hubina et al. 7400332 July 2008 Schweng et al. 7505206 March 2009 Deng et al. 2001/0024237 September 2001 Osada et al. 2003/0086008 May 2003 Nagano 2004/0178478 September 2004 Shizukuishi 2004/0263652 December 2004 Oda 2005/0225563 October 2005 Brown et al. 2006/0038953 February 2006 Moriya 2009/0200623 August 2009 Qian et al. 07176708 July 1995 HEI 08-023542 January 1996 HEI 11-355790 December 1999 2002-135792 May 2002 2004-304706 October 2004 2007-258686 April 2007 |
| Assistant Examiner: | Wyatt, Kevin |
| Primary Examiner: | Sohn, Seung C |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Dentons US LLP |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.08598508 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |