Active pixel sensor with electronic shutter

• US 6,556,244 B1
• Filed: 08/26/1998
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: So, Hwang-Young, Lee, Ghun-Jung
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VILLECCO, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/140,328
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 348/296, 348/229, 348/301, 348/297, 348/300, 348/302, 348/303, 348/304, 348/305, 348/306, 348/307, 348/308, 348/309, 348/310, 348/311
• US Class Current: 348/296
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/53 Control of the integration time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/771 comprising storage means other than floating diffusion

Abstract

An active pixel sensor (APS) with an electronic shutter is provided that performs an auto exposure function so that all pixels have substantially equal photosensitive time by controlling a photo-electric charge that is generated in accordance with light transmitted to a photo-diode. The APS includes a switching unit that throughputs the photo-electric charge for a prescribed time based on an externally inputted shutter control signal, and an electric charge storing unit that stores the photo-electric-charge from the switching unit for the prescribed time. The electric charge storing unit outputs the stored photo-electric charge to an electric charge amplifying and outputting unit based on an externally inputted electric charge resetting signal. The APS provides uniform screen brightness for a display apparatus by allowing all pixels to use a substantially identical photosensitive (e.g., exposure) time.

Claims

1. An active pixel sensor comprising:

a sensor that generates a charge;

a first transistor that discharges the sensor based on a first signal;

a second transistor that receives and amplifies the charge;

a third transistor that outputs the amplified charge from the second transistor in accordance with a second signal;

a fourth transistor coupled to.the sensor that passes the charge based on a third signal; and

a fifth transistor that receives a fourth signal and is respectively coupled to the fourth transistor and the second transistor, wherein the fifth transistor receives and stores the charge passed from the sensor through the fourth transistor, and wherein the fifth transistor outputs the stored charge to the second transistor based on the fourth signal, wherein the second transistor has a first electrode coupled to a second prescribed voltage, and a control electrode coupled to the second electrodes of the fourth and fifth transistors.

2. The active pixel sensor of claim 1, wherein said fourth transistor operates as an electronic shutter, and wherein the fourth signal is a shutter control signal that is modulated during a prescribed interval.

3. The active pixel sensor of claim 2, wherein the prescribed interval is an enabled vertical blank signal of a TV synchronous signal.

4. The active pixel sensor of claim 3, wherein in the shutter control signal is generated by a shutter controller with a shutter speed based on a data signal.

5. The active pixel sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a photo-diode, and wherein said fifth transistor only stores a photo-electric charge generated by incident light to the photo-diode during a photosensitive time based on the third signal.

6. The active pixel sensor of claim 5, wherein the photosensitive time is proportional to a width of a high level third signal.

7. The active pixel sensor of claim 1, wherein the first signal discharges the charge generated by the sensor and the fourth signal discharges the stored charge in the fifth transistor, and wherein the first signal is used as the fourth signal.

8. The active pixel sensor of claim 1, wherein the light sensor is a photo-diode, wherein the photo-diode is coupled to a first prescribed voltage, and wherein the first transistor has a second electrode coupled to the photo-diode, a first electrode coupled to a second prescribed voltage and a gate that receives the first signal.

9. The active pixel sensor of claim 1, wherein the third transistor has a first electrode coupled to a second electrode of the second transistor and a control electrode that receives the second signal.

10. The active pixel sensor of claim 1, wherein the fourth transistor has a first electrode coupled to the sensor and the second electrode of the first transistor, and a control electrode coupled to the third signal.

11. The active pixel sensor of claim 1, wherein the fifth transistor has a second electrode coupled to a second electrode of the fourth transistor and a control electrode of the second transistor, a first electrode coupled to a first voltage potential, and a control electrode that receives the fourth signal.

12. The active pixel sensor of claim 1, wherein the first prescribed voltage is a ground voltage and a second prescribed voltage is a power voltage, wherein the first signal is a reset signal, the second signal is a row selection signal, the third signal is a shutter control signal and a fourth signal is an electric charge reset signal, and wherein the first through fifth transistors are NMOS transistors.

13. The active pixel sensor of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein each of the sensors have a substantially equal exposure time based on the fourth signal.