High dynamic range imaging device

• US 9,013,616 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HL Klemove Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Bechtel, Jon H., Andrus, Jeremy C.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC YEN T
• Application Number:
  US13/613,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20130009042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 348308-310
• US Class Current: 348/308
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/583 with different integration times
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/155 Control of the image-sensor operation, e.g. image processing within the image-sensor

Abstract

The present invention relates to improved imaging devices having high dynamic range and to monitoring and automatic control systems incorporating the improved imaging devices.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

an array of pixels comprising a plurality of rows and columns;

a plurality of circuits corresponding to at least one of the plurality of rows and columns, wherein the circuits are operable to;

initiate a scanning sequence at a current column time;

selectively apply a plurality of conditional resets for each pixel of the array at a plurality of future column times to control a duration of each of the plurality of integration times,

apply a plurality of row read tasks configured to readout each of the pixel values, wherein a first timing of at least one of the conditional resets is controlled by a row read time remaining for a current row.

2. The Imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the conditional resets and at least one of the row read tasks are interleaved in the scanning sequence to be performed without conflicting requirements for use of the circuits associated with the conditional resets and the row read tasks.

3. The Imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a second timing of at least one of the conditional resets is controlled by a row offset.

5. The Imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the circuits are further operable to update a conditional reset identifier configured to identify one of the plurality of conditional resets.

6. The Imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the circuits correspond to at least one of a row select circuit, a plurality of column readout lines, a sample-and-hold circuit, and a plurality of conditional reset comparators.

4. The Imaging device according to claim if 3, wherein the row offset corresponds to a row read time of a row of the plurality of rows.

7. An imaging device comprising:

an array of pixels comprising a plurality of columns, and

a plurality of control circuits, each control circuit in communication with at least one column of the plurality of columns, wherein the plurality of control circuits is operable to;

selectively apply a plurality of conditional resets to each pixel of the array in a conditional reset sequence to initiate an integration period of a plurality of integration periods for each pixel, and

apply a read task configured to readout a pixel value for each of the pixels, wherein the plurality of conditional resets and read tasks are interleaved within a row read time, wherein a timing of at least one integration period of the plurality of integration periods is controlled by a row read time remaining for a current row of the plurality of rows.

8. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of conditional resets and read tasks are interleaved to be performed by each of the control circuits without conflicting requirements for use of at least one shared component of the imaging device.

9. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of control circuits is further operable to sequentially unconditionally reset a plurality of rows of the array of pixels to begin a first integration period of a plurality of integration periods.

10. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the conditional reset sequence comprises selectively applying the conditional resets to a plurality of pixels corresponding to a plurality of future read out rows relative to the current row.

11. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the imaging device further comprises at least one of a row select circuit, a readout line, a sample-and-hold circuit, a conditional reset comparator that corresponds to at least one shared component.

12. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of control circuits are further operable to communicate an integration period identification corresponding to a selected integration period of the plurality of integration periods for each pixel.

13. The imaging device according to claim 12, wherein the imaging device further comprises a plurality of memory blocks in communication with one or more pixels configured to store the integration period identification.

14. An imaging device, comprising an array of pixels grouped into a plurality of parallel addressable portions wherein each pixel of said array of pixels is subjected to a series of tasks occurring at a task sequencing interval, the tasks comprising:

a conditional reset sequence configured to selectively apply a conditional reset task to each of the pixels; and

a readout task configured to readout a pixel value for each of the pixels, wherein the conditional reset sequence and the readout task are interleaved among the plurality of parallel addressable portions, wherein a first timing of at least one of the conditional resets is controlled by a row offset.

15. The imaging device according to claim 14, wherein a second timing of at least one of the conditional resets is controlled by a row read time remaining for a current row undergoing the readout task.

16. The Imaging device according to claim 14, wherein the row offset corresponds to a row read time of a row of the plurality of rows.

17. The imaging device according to claim 14, wherein the parallel addressable portions correspond to at least one of a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of pixels of the array.