IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,341,620
Granted Patent B2
US 10,341,620 · App. 15/845,408 · Granted Jul 2, 2019

Image sensor and image-capturing device

Inventor: Hironobu Murata (Yokohama, JP)
Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
H04N9/045H01L27/14603H01L27/14627H01L27/14645H04N5/3696G02B3/0056G02B7/34H01L27/1469H01L27/14621H01L27/14634H01L27/14641H04N5/23212
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,341,620
App. No.
15/845,408
Granted
Jul 2, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image sensor includes: a plurality of microlenses arranged in a two-dimensional pattern; and a plurality of pixels that are provided in correspondence to each of the microlenses and receive lights of different color components, respectively. Pixels that are provided at adjacent microlenses among the microlenses and that receive lights of same color components, are adjacently arranged.

Claims (69)

1. An image sensor comprising:

a first microlens;

a first filter that is transmissive to a first wavelength of light having passed through the first microlens;

a first photoelectric converter that generates charges by performing photoelectric conversion of the first wavelength light transmitted through the first filter;

a second filter that is transmissive to a second wavelength of the light having passed through the first microlens;

a second photoelectric converter that generates charges by performing photoelectric conversion of the second wavelength light transmitted through the second filter;

a second microlens;

a third filter that is transmissive to the first wavelength of light having passed through the second microlens;

a third photoelectric converter that generates charges by performing photoelectric conversion of the first wavelength light transmitted through the third filter;

a fourth filter that is transmissive to the second wavelength of light having passed through the second microlens;

a fourth photoelectric converter that generates charges by performing photoelectric conversion of the second wavelength light transmitted through the fourth filter;

a first output unit that outputs a first signal based upon at least one of the charges generated by the first photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the third photoelectric converter; and

a second output unit that outputs a second signal based upon at least one of the charges generated by the second photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the fourth photoelectric converter.

2. The image sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a first storage that stores at least one of the charges generated by the first photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the third photoelectric converter; and

a second storage that stores at least one of the charges generated by the second photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the fourth photoelectric converter.

3. The image sensor according to claim 2 , wherein:

the first storage is shared by the first photoelectric converter and the third photoelectric converter; and

the second storage is shared by the second photoelectric converter and the fourth photoelectric converter.

4. The image sensor according to claim 2 , wherein:

the first output unit outputs a signal based upon charges stored in the first storage; and

the second output unit outputs a signal based upon charges stored in the second storage.

5. The image sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising a signal processing unit that processes at least one of the first signal output from the first output unit and the second signal output from the second output unit.

6. The image sensor according to claim 5 , wherein:

the signal processing unit comprises:

a first signal processing unit that processes the first signal output from the first output unit; and

a second signal processing unit that processes the second signal output from the second output unit.

7. The image sensor according to claim 6 , further comprising:

an image sensor chip including the first photoelectric converter, the second photoelectric converter, the third photoelectric converter, the fourth photoelectric converter, the first output unit, and the second output unit; and

a signal processing chip that is provided with the signal processing unit and is stacked on the image sensor chip.

8. The image sensor according to claim 7 , further comprising:

a first joint unit that is provided between the image sensor chip and the signal processing chip and that electrically connects the first output unit and the first signal processing unit to each other; and

a second joint unit that is provided between the image sensor chip and the signal processing chip and that electrically connects the second output unit and the second signal processing unit to each other.

9. The image sensor according to claim 5 , wherein:

both of the first signal output from the first output unit and the second signal output from the second output unit are analog signals; and

the signal processing unit is a circuit that converts the analog signals into digital signals.

10. The image sensor according to claim 5 , wherein:

the signal processing unit is a memory in which the first signal output from the first output unit and the second signal output from the second output unit are stored; or

the signal processing unit is a circuit that performs correlated double sampling for the first signal output from the first output unit and the second signal output from the second output unit.

11. And image-capturing device comprising:

the image sensor according to claim 1 ; and

a generation unit that generates image data based upon at least one of the first signal output from the first output unit and the second signal output from the second output unit.

12. An image-capturing device comprising:

the image sensor according to claim 1 , which receives light having passed through an optical system; and

a control unit that controls a position of the optical system so that an image formed by the optical system is focused on the image sensor based upon at least one of the first signal output from the first output unit and the second signal output from the second output unit.

13. An image-capturing device comprising:

an image sensor including:

a first microlens;

a first filter that is transmissive to a first wavelength of light having passed through the first microlens;

a first photoelectric converter that generates charges by performing photoelectric conversion of the first wavelength light transmitted through the first filter;

a second filter that is transmissive to a second wavelength of the light having passed through the first microlens;

a second photoelectric converter that generates charges by performing photoelectric conversion of the second wavelength light transmitted through the second filter;

a second microlens;

a third filter that is transmissive to the first wavelength of light having passed through the second microlens;

a third photoelectric converter that generates charges by performing photoelectric conversion of the first wavelength light transmitted through the third filter;

a fourth filter that is transmissive to the second wavelength of light having passed through the second microlens; and

a fourth photoelectric converter that generates charges by performing photoelectric conversion of the second wavelength light transmitted through the fourth filter; and

an image generation unit that performs at least one of:

first image generation processing for generating a first image by using first signals based upon the charges generated by the first photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the third photoelectric converter and by using second signals based upon the charges generated by the second photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the fourth photoelectric converter; and

second image generation processing for generating a second image by performing interpolation processing for at least one of a signal based upon the charges generated by the second photoelectric converter and a signal based upon the charges generated by the fourth photoelectric converter by using the first signals based upon the charges generated by the first photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the third photoelectric converter.

14. The image-capturing device according to claim 13 , wherein in the first image generation processing, the first image is generated by using a signal based upon charges obtained by adding the charges generated by the first photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the third photoelectric converter and a signal based upon charges obtained by adding the charges generated by the second photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the fourth photoelectric converter.

15. The image-capturing device according to claim 13 , wherein in the second image generation processing, the second image is generated by further performing interpolation processing for at least one of a signal based upon the charges generated by the first photoelectric converter and a signal based upon the charges generated by the third photoelectric converter by using the second signals based upon the charges generated by the second photoelectric converter and the charges generated by the fourth photoelectric converter.

16. The image-capturing device according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a display that displays thereon the first image generated by the image generation unit in the first image generation processing; and

a memory that records image data of the second image generated by the image generation unit in the second image generation processing.

17. The image-capturing device according to claim 13 , wherein the image generation unit generates video images by performing the first image generation processing and generates still images by performing the second image generation processing.

18. The image-capturing device according to claim 13 , wherein:

the first filter is provided adjacent to the third filter; and

the second filter is provided adjacent to the fourth filter.

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2012-081167 · Mar 30, 2012 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 14389458
Related Publication 20180109768A1 · Apr 19, 2018
Cited By (1)
US 12,250,468