IP Library Granted Patent US 10,462,430
Granted Patent B2
US 10,462,430 · App. 14/523,621 · Granted Oct 29, 2019

Imaging device, signal processing device, and electronic apparatus having pixel sharing units that include portions of a color filter arrangement

Inventor: Atsuhiko Yamamoto (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
H04N9/045H01L27/14621H01L27/14641H04N5/367H04N5/3653H01L27/14643
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,462,430
App. No.
14/523,621
Granted
Oct 29, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A solid state imaging device includes: a group of a plurality of pixels configured to include pixels of the same color coding and with no pixel sharing between each other; and a color filter that is formed by Bayer arrangement of the group of a plurality of pixels.

Claims (23)

1. An imaging device, comprising:

a first plurality of pixels configured to include only adjacent pixels of a same color;

a first pixel sharing unit including a color filter that is formed by a Bayer arrangement, wherein pixels of the first pixel sharing unit share a floating diffusion and include one or more pixels of the first plurality of pixels;

wherein a defect generated in at least one of the one or more pixels of the first pixel sharing unit that share the floating diffusion is corrected using at least one of the adjacent pixels in the first plurality of pixels that does not share the floating diffusion,

wherein the first pixel sharing unit is 2×4 pixels that include the color filter formed by the Bayer arrangement and that share an amplification transistor.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of pixels is 2×2 pixels.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the group of the first plurality of pixels includes four pixels.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a color coding of the adjacent pixels of the same color is a coding of primary color checker.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a color coding of the adjacent pixels of the same color is a coding of WRGB.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein pixels in a second pixel sharing unit share a second floating diffusion region, and the second pixel sharing unit is 2×4 pixels, and wherein the adjacent pixels are directly adjacent to the at least one of the one or more pixels having the defect.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the pixels in the first plurality of pixels that are not included in the first pixel sharing unit are directly adjacent to at least some of the pixels in the first pixel sharing unit.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the pixels of the first pixel sharing unit include exactly one pixel of the first plurality of pixels, and wherein the adjacent pixels are directly adjacent to the pixels in the first pixel sharing unit.

9. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the pixels of the first pixel sharing unit include exactly two pixels of the first plurality of pixels.

10. The imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein the pixels of the first pixel sharing unit include exactly one pixel of the first plurality of pixels.

11. The imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein the pixels of the first pixel sharing unit include exactly two pixels of the first plurality of pixels.

12. The imaging device according to claim 7 , wherein the defective pixel has the same color.

13. A signal processing device, comprising:

a correction processing unit that corrects a defect generated in at least one or more pixels of a first pixel sharing unit, from an output signal output from an imaging device including a first plurality of pixels configured to include only adjacent pixels of a same color, wherein the first pixel sharing unit includes a color filter formed by a Bayer arrangement and the pixels of the first pixel sharing unit share a floating diffusion region and include one or more pixels of the first plurality of pixels, wherein the defect is corrected using at least one of the adjacent pixels in the first plurality of pixels that does not share the floating diffusion, and wherein pixels in the first pixel sharing unit that include the color filter formed by the Bayer arrangement share an amplification transistor.

14. The signal processing device according to claim 13 , wherein the correction processing unit corrects a defective pixel generated in the first pixel sharing unit using pixels in the group of the first plurality of pixels according to a number of defective pixels generated in the first pixel sharing unit.

15. The signal processing device according to claim 13 , wherein the correction processing unit corrects a defective pixel generated in the first pixel sharing unit using all pixels in the group of the first plurality of pixels.

16. The signal processing device according to claim 13 , wherein the correction processing unit corrects a defective pixel generated in the first pixel sharing unit using data in the group of the first plurality of pixels according to a storage time of the defective pixel generated in the first pixel sharing unit.

17. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device that includes a first plurality of pixels configured to include only adjacent pixels of a same color, a first pixel sharing unit including a color filter formed by a Bayer arrangement, wherein pixels of the first pixel sharing unit share a floating diffusion and include one or more pixels of the first plurality of pixels, wherein a defect generated in at least one of the one or more pixels of the first pixel sharing unit that share the floating diffusion is corrected using at least one of the adjacent pixels in the first plurality of pixels that does not share the floating diffusion, wherein the first pixel sharing unit is 2×4 pixels that include the color filter formed by the Bayer arrangement and that share an amplification transistor.

Assignments (4)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE REMOVE INCORRECT APPLICATION NUMBER 14/572221 AND REPLACE IT WITH 14/527221 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 040815 FRAME: 0649. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jan 27, 2022
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058875/0887 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE NATURE OF CONVEYANCE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 039635 FRAME 0495. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Dec 5, 2016
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 040815/0649 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 9, 2016
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 039635/0495 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 24, 2014
From: YAMAMOTO, ATSUHIKO
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 034046/0817 →