IMAGE CAPTURE DEVICE

• US 20150092019A1
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: ASANO, Takuya, YAMADA, Tohru, FUJII, Toshiya, TERANISHI, Nobukazu, MATSUO, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,787,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/026 by measuring distance between sensor and object G01B11/0608 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/04 Interpretation of pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/30 by triangulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/36 Videogrammetry, i.e. electronic processing of video signals from a single source or from different sources to give parallax or range information
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/085 with electronic parallax measurement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/271 wherein the generated image signals comprise depth maps or disparity maps
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/46 by combining or binning pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/587 acquired sequentially, e.g. using the combination of odd and even image fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/705 Pixels for depth measurement, e.g. RGBZ
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/713 Transfer or readout registers; Split readout registers or multiple readout registers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

Read electrodes are provided to drain signal charge of pixels from photoelectric conversion units provided in the pixels separately to a vertical transfer unit. During a first exposure period during which an object is illuminated with infrared light, signal charge obtained from a first pixel, and signal charge obtained from a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel, are added together in the vertical transfer unit to produce first signal charge. During a second exposure period during which the object is not illuminated with infrared light, signal charge obtained from the first pixel, and signal charge obtained from the second pixel adjacent to the first pixel, are transferred without being added to the first signal charge in the vertical transfer unit, and are added together in another packet to produce second signal charge.

Claims

1. An image capture device comprising:

an infrared light source configured to illuminate an object with infrared light; and

a solid-state image capture device including first pixels and second pixels adjacent to the respective corresponding first pixels, the first and second pixels being arranged in a matrix,

wherein

the solid-state image capture device includes

a photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert incident light from the object into signal charge,

a read electrode configured to read the signal charge from the photoelectric conversion unit, and

a vertical transfer unit including a plurality of electrodes and configured to read all pixels and transfer the signal charge in an upward column direction and a downward column direction, and

in the solid-state image capture device, there is a repetition of a first exposure period and a second exposure period during one frame scanning period,

during the first exposure period, the signal charge from the first pixel and the signal charge from the second pixel adjacent to the first pixel are added together in the vertical transfer unit to produce first signal charge, and

during the second exposure period, the signal charge from the first pixel and the signal charge from the second pixel adjacent to the first pixel are transferred without being added to the first signal charge in the vertical transfer unit, and are added together in another packet to produce second signal charge.

2. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein

the first and second pixels alternate in each row, and

the signal charge from the first pixel and the signal charge from the second pixel are added together, the first and second pixels being adjacent to each other in the vertical direction.

3. The image capture device of claim 2, wherein

after signal charge is read from the first pixel, the signal charge is vertically transferred by one pixel, and the signal charge is read from the second pixel, so that the signal charge from the first pixel and the signal charge from the second pixel are added together.

4. The image capture device of claim 2, wherein

a distance between the read electrode of the first pixel and the read electrode of the second pixel is smaller than one pixel interval, so that the signal charge is simultaneously read into a single packet.

8. The image capture device of claim 3, wherein

the first and second pixels alternate in each column and row to form a checkerboard pattern, and

the signal charge from the first pixel and the signal charge from the second pixel are added together, the first and second pixels being adjacent to each other in the vertical direction.

9. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein

the first and second pixels alternate in each row and column to form a checkerboard pattern, and

the signal charge from the first pixel and the signal charge from the second pixel are added together, the first and second pixels being adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction.

10. The image capture device of claim 9, wherein

the vertical transfer unit includes a plurality of electrodes for each pair of two pixels, and holds at least three signals in each pair of two pixels, and

the one frame scanning period includes a third exposure period during which the signal charge from the first pixel, and the signal charge from the second pixel adjacent to the first pixel, are added together in the vertical transfer unit to produce third signal charge.

11. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein

the solid-state image capture device is a stereo distance measuring sensor,

during the first exposure period, an image of the object is captured while a space including the object is illuminated with the infrared light, to generate the first signal charge,

after the signal charge remaining in the photoelectric conversion units of all pixels is drained off to a substrate, an image of the object is captured in the presence of only ambient light without illumination with the infrared light to produce the second signal charge during the second exposure period, and

the image capture device removes an ambient light component by subtracting the second signal charge from the first signal charge, and calculates a distance to the object by triangulation.

12. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein

the solid-state image capture device is a pattern projection distance measuring sensor,

during the first exposure period, an image of the object is captured while a space including the object is illuminated with the infrared light having a predetermined pattern, to generate the first signal charge,

after the signal charge remaining in the photoelectric conversion units of all pixels is drained off to a substrate, an image of the object is captured without illumination with the infrared light to produce the second signal charge during the second exposure period, and

the image capture device removes an ambient light component by subtracting the second signal charge from the first signal charge, and calculates a distance to the object based on a difference in position between each projection pattern.

13. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein

the solid-state image capture device is a TOF distance measuring sensor,

during the first exposure period, while a space including the object is illuminated with the infrared light having a pulse form, reflected light received during a predetermined period of time is read from the photoelectric conversion unit, to produce the first signal charge,

during the second exposure period, reflected light received during another predetermined period of time is read from the photoelectric conversion unit to produce the second signal charge, and

the image capture device calculates a distance to the object based on a ratio of the first signal charge to the second signal charge.

14. The image capture device of claim 10, wherein

the solid-state image capture device is a TOF distance measuring sensor,

during the first exposure period, while a space including the object is illuminated with the infrared light having a pulse form, reflected light received during a predetermined period of time is read from the photoelectric conversion unit to produce the first signal charge,

during the second exposure period, reflected light received during another predetermined period of time is read from the photoelectric conversion unit to produce the second signal charge, and

during the third exposure period, an image of the object is captured without illumination with infrared light during another predetermined period of time to produce the third signal charge including only an ambient light component, and

the image capture device calculates a distance to the object based on a difference and ratio between the first signal charge, the second signal charge, and the third signal charge.

15. The image capture device of claim 4, wherein

the first and second pixels alternate in each column and row to form a checkerboard pattern, and

the signal charge from the first pixel and the signal charge from the second pixel are added together, the first and second pixels being adjacent to each other in the vertical direction.

5. An image capture device comprising:

an infrared light source configured to illuminate an object with infrared light; and

a solid-state image capture device including first pixels and second pixels adjacent to the respective corresponding first pixels, the first and second pixels being arranged in a matrix,

wherein

the solid-state image capture device includes

a photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert incident light from the object into signal charge,

a read electrode configured to read the signal charge from the photoelectric conversion unit, and

a vertical transfer unit including a plurality of electrodes and configured to read all pixels and transfer the signal charge in an upward column direction and a downward column direction, and

the first and second pixels alternate in each column,

in the solid-state image capture device, there is a repetition of a first exposure period and a second exposure period during one frame scanning period,

during the first exposure period, the signal charge from the first pixel and the signal charge from the second pixel adjacent to the first pixel in the horizontal direction are added together in the vertical transfer unit to produce first signal charge, and

during the second exposure period, the signal charge from the first pixel and the signal charge from another second pixel adjacent to the first pixel in the horizontal direction are added together in the vertical transfer unit at a position which is different from a position during the first exposure period, to produce second signal charge.

6. The image capture device of claim 5, wherein

the signal charge is read from the first and the second pixels into a single packet through the read electrode common to the first and second pixels.

7. The image capture device of claim 5, wherein

the signal charge is read from the first and the second pixels into a single packet through the separate read electrodes.

16. The image capture device of claim 5, wherein

the solid-state image capture device is a stereo distance measuring sensor,

during the first exposure period, an image of the object is captured while a space including the object is illuminated with the infrared light, to generate the first signal charge,

after the signal charge remaining in the photoelectric conversion units of all pixels is drained off to a substrate, an image of the object is captured in the presence of only ambient light without illumination with the infrared light to produce the second signal charge during the second exposure period, and

the image capture device removes an ambient light component by subtracting the second signal charge from the first signal charge, and calculates a distance to the object by triangulation.

17. The image capture device of claim 5, wherein

the solid-state image capture device is a pattern projection distance measuring sensor,

during the first exposure period, an image of the object is captured while a space including the object is illuminated with the infrared light having a predetermined pattern, to generate the first signal charge,

after the signal charge remaining in the photoelectric conversion units of all pixels is drained off to a substrate, an image of the object is captured without illumination with the infrared light to produce the second signal charge during the second exposure period, and

the image capture device removes an ambient light component by subtracting the second signal charge from the first signal charge, and calculates a distance to the object based on a difference in position between each projection pattern.

18. The image capture device of claim 5, wherein

the solid-state image capture device is a TOF distance measuring sensor,

during the first exposure period, while a space including the object is illuminated with the infrared light having a pulse form, reflected light received during a predetermined period of time is read from the photoelectric conversion unit, to produce the first signal charge,

during the second exposure period, reflected light received during another predetermined period of time is read from the photoelectric conversion unit to produce the second signal charge, and

the image capture device calculates a distance to the object based on a ratio of the first signal charge to the second signal charge.