Multi-spectrum photosensitive devices and methods for sampling the same

• US 9,100,597 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2010
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BOLY Media Holdings Company Limited
• Original Assignee: BOLY Media Holdings Company Limited
• Inventors: Hu, Xiaoping
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Thanh
• Application Number:
  US13/699,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20130068934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• Field of Search: 250/208.1, 250/226, 348/273
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/136 using complementary colours
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/46 by combining or binning pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/62 Detection or reduction of noise due to excess charges produced by the exposure, e.g. smear, blooming, ghost image, crosstalk or leakage between pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/70 SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/778 comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself

Abstract

A multi-spectrum photosensitive device and method for sampling the same, the method includes a first combining process for combining-and-sampling two adjacent pixels in same row different column, or in different row same column, or in different row different column in the pixel array to obtain a sampling data of a first combined pixel; a second combining process for combining-and-sampling the sampling data of the first combined pixel obtained from the first combining unit to obtain a sampling data of a second combined pixel; and a third combining process, a sampling data of a third combined pixel is obtained by a method for color conversion and image scaling in a digital space. The application is applied for a multi-pixel sharing reading and amplifying circuit of a single-layer color photosensitive chip, a single-sided multi-layer photosensitive chip, and a double-sided double-layer photosensitive chip. In the basis of the spirit of the existing pixel reading circuit, the application has orders of magnitude breakthrough in principle, basic circuit and performance, and implements a YUV format output of a sub-sampling image in a photosensitive device at the same time of implementing sub-sampling with high performance.

Claims

1. A multi-spectrum photosensitive device, comprising:

a pixel array arranged in row and column;

first combining units, each adapted for combining-and-sampling two neighboring pixels in the pixel array which are in a same row but different columns, or in different rows but a same column, or in different rows and different columns to obtain sampling data of a first combined pixel, wherein at least one of the first combining units is adapted for combining pixels with different colors; and

second combining units, each adapted for combining-and-sampling the sampling data of the first combined pixels obtained in the first combining units to obtain sampling data of a second combined pixel,

wherein the way of combining of the first or second combining unit is a charge superposition between pixels with same or different colors or a signal averaging of pixels with different colors, wherein pixels with different colors are combined according to color space conversion.

2. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 1, further comprising a third combining unit adapted for combining-and-sampling the sampling data of the second combined pixels obtained in the second combining units to obtain sampling data of a third combined pixel.

3. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 2, wherein the third combining unit is performed by at least one of color space conversion and backend digital image scaling;

the color space conversion includes a conversion from RGB to CyYeMgX space, a conversion from RGB to YUV space, or a conversion from CyYeMgX to YUV space, wherein X is any one of red, green and blue.

4. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 1, wherein the charge superposition is accomplished in a reading capacitor.

5. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 1, wherein combining-and-sampling performed in the first or the second combining unit includes same-color combining, different-color combining, hybrid combining, or selectively abandoning redundant colors, and at least one of the first and the second combining unit is not performed by the same-color combining.

6. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 1, wherein combining-and-sampling performed in the first or the second combining unit includes at least one of automatic averaging of signals output directly to a bus, row skipping or column skipping, and one-by-one sampling.

7. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 1, wherein the pixel array consisted of a plurality of macro-pixels each including at least one basic pixel, wherein the basic pixel is a passive pixel or an active pixel.

8. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 7, wherein the basic pixels of the pixel array are arranged in a square pattern or a honeycomb pattern.

9. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 7, wherein the macro-pixel is consisted of at least of one of the following:

a 3T active pixel without a reading capacitor and a 4T active pixel with one reading capacitor.

10. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 9, wherein the 4T active pixel with one reading capacitor employs a reading circuit which adopts a 4-pixel sharing mode, or 6-pixel sharing mode, or 8-pixel sharing mode.

11. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 7, wherein the macro-pixel is consisted of four pixels arranged in the square pattern and two opaque reading capacitors located between two rows, wherein one reading capacitor is shared by pixels in a preceding row and pixels in a next row, charges are transferred between the two reading capacitors, and at least one of the reading capacitors is connected to a reading circuit.

12. The multi-spectrum photosensitive device of claim 7, wherein the macro-pixel is consisted of at least one basic pixel having a 3T or 4T active pixel with a reading capacitor shared by two points, three points, or four points, wherein the basic pixel employs a reading circuit which adopts a 4-points bridge sharing mode, or a 6-points bridge sharing mode, or a 8-points bridge sharing mode.

13. A sampling method for a multi-spectrum photosensitive device, comprising:

a first combining process for combining-and-sampling two neighboring pixels in the pixel array which are in a same row but different columns, different rows but a same column, or different rows and different columns to obtain sampling data of first combined pixels, including combining of pixels with different colors; and

a second combining process for combining-and-sampling the sampling data of the first combined pixels obtained in the first combining process to obtain sampling data of second combined pixels,

wherein the way of combining of the first or second combining unit is a charge superposition between pixels with same or different colors or a signal averaging of pixels with different colors, wherein pixels with different colors are combined according to color space conversion.

14. The sampling method of claim 13, further comprising a third combining process for combining-and-sampling the sampling data of the second combined pixels obtained in the second combining process to obtain sampling data of a third combined pixel.

15. The sampling method of claim 14, wherein the third combining process is performed by at least one of color space conversion and backend digital image scaling;

the color space conversion includes a conversion from RGB to CyYeMgX space, a conversion from RGB to YUV space, or a conversion from CyYeMgX to YUV space, wherein X is any one of red, green and blue.

16. The sampling method of claim 13, wherein combining-and-sampling performed in the first combining process or the second combining process includes same-color combining, different-color combining, hybrid combining, or selectively abandoning redundant colors, and at least one of the first and the second combining processes is not performed by the same-color combining.

17. The sampling method of claim 13, wherein combining-and-sampling performed in the first or the second combining process includes at least one of automatic averaging of signals output directly to a bus, row skipping or column skipping, and one-by-one sampling.

18. The sampling method of claim 13, wherein full-image sampling is performed by progressive scanning progressive reading or progressive scanning interlacing reading.