IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,362,279
Granted Patent B2
US 10,362,279 · App. 15/225,089 · Granted Jul 23, 2019

Image capturing device

Inventors: Seongyeong Jeong (Suwon-si, KR); Kyu-Min Kyung (Seoul, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
H04N9/045H04N5/365H04N5/3653H04N5/378
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,362,279
App. No.
15/225,089
Granted
Jul 23, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image capturing device includes a pixel array having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, wherein each of the pixels includes a pair of photoelectric conversion devices, an analog to digital converter that converts a pair of pixel signals corresponding to charges accumulated in the pair of photoelectric conversion devices included in each of the pixels into a pair of digital signals, and a circuit receiving the pair of digital signals being output from each of the pixels, detecting a pixel including a photoelectric conversion device outputting a saturation current based on the received pairs in the detected pixel to output a correction signal.

Claims (27)

1. An image capturing device comprising:

a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, wherein each of the pixels comprises a pair of photoelectric conversion devices;

an analog to digital converter that converts a pair of pixel signals corresponding to charges accumulated in the pair of photoelectric conversion devices included in each of the pixels into a pair of digital signals; and

a circuit receiving the pair of digital signals being output from each of the pixels, detecting a pixel of a first group of the pixels including a first photoelectric conversion device outputting a saturation current based on the received pairs, calculating a ratio of digital signals of adjacent pixels in the first group, determining, based on the ratio, whether to correct a digital signal corresponding to the first photoelectric conversion device based on a second group adjacent to the first group, and correcting the digital signal corresponding to the first photoelectric conversion device based on a result of the determining.

2. The image capturing device of claim 1 , wherein the circuit comprises:

a first circuit that detects the pixel including the first photoelectric conversion device outputting the saturation current to output a first select signal;

a second circuit that outputs a second select signal according to the ratio of the digital signals of the adjacent pixels in the first group to which the detected pixel belongs;

a third circuit that corrects the digital signal corresponding to the saturation current using a digital signal of an output current of a photoelectric conversion device making a pair with the first photoelectric conversion device outputting the saturation current to output a first correction signal; and

a fourth circuit that corrects the digital signal corresponding to the saturation current using a digital signal of a photoelectric conversion device of a position in the second group corresponding to the position of a photoelectric conversion device outputting the saturation current in the first group, to output a second correction signal.

3. The image capturing device of claim 2 , wherein the second group is comprised of pixels that do not output the saturation current.

4. The image capturing device of claim 2 , further comprising a first multiplexer that outputs a compensation signal based on the first correction signal and the second correction signal according to the second select signal.

5. The image capturing device of claim 4 , further comprising a summing circuit that outputs a sum signal which is a sum of the pair of digital signals being outputted from the plurality of pixels.

6. The image capturing device of claim 5 , further comprising a second multiplexer that outputs a correction signal based on the compensation signal and the sum signal according to the first select signal and the second select signal.

7. The image capturing device of claim 6 , further comprising a signal generator outputting a maximum signal to the second multiplexer.

8. The image capturing device of claim 1 , wherein the first group comprises two green pixels, one red pixel and one blue pixel.

9. The image capturing device of claim 2 , wherein the second circuit determines a disparity through block matching using a difference between the pair of digital signals.

10. The image capturing device of claim 9 , wherein the second select signal and the first correction signal are signals in which the disparity determined by the second circuit is reflected.

11. The image capturing device of claim 1 , further comprising a filter receiving the pair of digital signals to cancel a noise that occurs in an analog to digital conversion performed by the analog to digital converter.

12. The image capturing device of claim 1 , wherein the analog to digital converter further comprises a buffer storing the pair of digital signals converted in the analog to digital converter.

13. The image capturing device of claim 12 , wherein the analog to digital converter sequentially outputs the pair of digital signals stored in the buffer according to an output signal of a timing generator.

14. An image capturing method of an image capturing device comprising a plurality of pixels including at least a first group, the method comprising:

detecting a pixel in the first group through which a saturation current flows from a pair of digital signals output from a pair of photoelectric conversion devices disposed in each of a plurality of the pixels;

determining a first ratio of a digital signal output by a first photoelectric conversion device of a first pixel adjacent the detected pixel in the first group to a digital signal output by a first photoelectric conversion device of a second pixel in the first group adjacent the detected pixel;

determining a second ratio of a digital signal output by a second photoelectric conversion device of the first pixel to a digital signal output by a second photoelectric conversion device of the second pixel;

performing a first correction using a digital signal of a photoelectric conversion device disposed within the detected pixel that is part of the pair comprising a photoelectric conversion device outputting the saturation current when a similarity between the first ratio and the second ratio is greater than a certain value; and

compensating a digital signal of the saturation current of the detected pixel using the first correction.

15. The image capturing method of claim 14 , further comprising performing a second correction using a digital signal of a photoelectric conversion device of a pixel in a second group of the pixels adjacent to the first group when the similarity is smaller than the value.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 1, 2016
From: JEONG, SEONGYEONG; KYUNG, KYU-MIN
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 039304/0862 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2015-0134070 · Sep 22, 2015 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170085849A1 · Mar 23, 2017
Cited By (1)
US 12,457,435