Imaging device and control method

• US 10,602,071 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takayama, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morehead, III, John H
• Application Number:
  US15/735,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20180183985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/12 with one sensor only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/70 SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/702 SSIS architectures characterised by non-identical, non-equidistant or non-planar pixel layout

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an imaging device and a control method that achieve low electric power consumption. A light source is of a wavelength received by an OPD pixel which is a pixel that detects light exposure, and its light emission is controlled by a PC or the like. The OPD pixel is a pixel specialized to detect a brightness of an imaging environment, and converts a received light amount to a current value, without electric power consumption, by utilizing photoelectric conversion. A detector detects a change (light intensity, light reception time, blinking pattern, etc.) of the current value of the OPD pixel, and upon detection, issues an operation instruction to another device (not depicted) or a solid state imaging device, by supplying a detection result to a control unit. The present disclosure can be applied to the solid state imaging device that includes the OPD pixel, for example.

Claims

1. An imaging device, comprising:

a pixel configured to;

receive first light from a light source; and

convert the received first light to a current value of the pixel by photoelectric conversion; and

a detector configured to;

detect a change of the current value of the pixel;

detect an instruction trigger based on;

the change of the current value of the pixel, and

a temporal change of the received first light of a same color and a same frequency from the light source,

wherein the instruction trigger includes a first combination of changes of the current value of the pixel; and

issue an operation instruction based on the detected instruction trigger.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the pixel is further configured to detect a brightness of an imaging environment, and

the conversion of the received first light to the current value is without electric power consumption.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the detector is further configured to detect at least one of a light intensity, a light reception time, a blinking pattern, or a wavelength, as the change of the current value of the pixel.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein

the pixel is further configured to receive second light from the light source,

the detector is further configured to detect instruction triggers that are different for different colors, based on a temporal change of the second light of different colors and different frequencies from the light source, and

the instruction triggers include a second combination of changes of the current value of the pixel.

5. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein

the pixel is further configured to receive second light from the light source,

the detector is further configured to detect, at a same time point, instruction triggers having different frequencies, based on emission of the second light of different frequencies from the light source at a same time, and

the instruction triggers include a second combination of changes of the current value of the pixel.

6. The imaging device according to claim 2, further comprising a main circuit, wherein

the detector is further configured to issue a system operation start instruction to the main circuit, and

the main circuit is different from the detector.

7. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the detector is further configured to issue an instruction to transmit image data to a device.

8. The imaging device according to claim 2, further comprising a solid state imaging device that includes the pixel, wherein the detector is further configured to issue an imaging instruction to the solid state imaging device.

9. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the detector is further configured to issue a transfer instruction of data including the first combination of changes of the current value of the pixel.

10. A control method, comprising:

receiving, by a pixel of an imaging device, light from a light source;

converting, by the pixel, the received light to a current value of the pixel by photoelectric conversion;

detecting, by a detector of the imaging device, a change of the current value of the pixel;

detecting, by the detector, an instruction trigger based on;

the change of the current value of the pixel, and

a temporal change of the received light of a same color and a same frequency from the light source,

wherein the instruction trigger includes a combination of changes of the current value of the pixel; and

issuing, by the detector, an operation instruction based on the detected instruction trigger.