Ramp voltage generator, image sensing device including the same and method for driving the image sensing device

• US 9,781,368 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2016
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Original Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Inventors: Song, Jung-Eun
• Primary Examiner(s): Haliyur, Padma
• Application Number:
  US15/084,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20170127001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/16 being semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/709 Circuitry for control of the power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/78 Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters

Abstract

A ramp voltage generator may include: a correction block suitable for generating a slope correction signal for first and second periods based on a period signal for distinguishing the periods; a common bias voltage generation block suitable for generating a common bias voltage based on the slope correction signal and a source bias voltage; and a first ramp voltage generation block suitable for generating a first ramp voltage having a predetermined slope during the first period based on the common bias voltage and a first ramp group control signal; and a second ramp voltage generation block suitable for generating ramp voltages having the predetermined slope during the second period based on the common bias voltage and a second ramp group control signal.

Claims

1. A ramp voltage generator, comprising:

a correction block suitable for generating a slope correction signal for first and second periods based on a period signal for distinguishing the periods;

a common bias voltage generation block suitable for generating a common bias voltage based on the slope correction signal and a source bias voltage;

a first ramp voltage generation block suitable for generating a first ramp voltage having a predetermined slope during the first period based on the common bias voltage and a first ramp group control signal; and

a second ramp voltage generation block suitable for generating a second ramp voltage having the predetermined slope during the second period based on the common bias voltage and a second ramp group control signal.

2. The ramp voltage generator of claim 1, wherein the correction block includes:

first and second correction units suitable for storing first and second group correction signals, respectively; and

a slope correction unit suitable for outputting the first group correction signal or the second group correction signal as the slope correction signal based on the period signal.

3. The ramp voltage generator of claim 1, wherein the common bias voltage generation block includes:

a sinking section coupled between an output terminal of the common bias voltage and a low voltage terminal, and suitable for sinking a first source current based on the source bias voltage;

a plurality of second sourcing sections coupled between a high voltage terminal and a plurality of first sourcing nodes, respectively, and suitable for sourcing the first source current based on the common bias voltage; and

a plurality of second switching sections coupled between the respective first sourcing nodes and the output terminal of the common bias voltage, and suitable for selectively switching based on the slope correction signal.

4. An image sensing device, comprising:

a pixel array suitable for generating a plurality of pixel signals;

an analog-to-digital converter suitable for generating a plurality of digital signals corresponding to the plurality of pixel signals based on a coarse ramp voltage and a fine ramp voltage; and

a ramp voltage generator suitable for generating the coarse ramp voltage during a coarse conversion period and the fine ramp voltage during a fine conversion period based on a coarse conversion period signal, a fine conversion period signal, a source bias voltage, a coarse ramp group control signal, and a fine ramp group control signal, and for correcting at least one of a slope of the coarse ramp voltage and a slope of the fine ramp voltage,

wherein the analog-to-digital converter includes;

a plurality of comparison units suitable for comparing respective pixel signals with the coarse ramp voltage during the coarse conversion period, and comparing the respective pixel signals with the fine ramp voltage during the fine conversion period, and

wherein the ramp voltage generator includes;

a common bias voltage generation block suitable for generating a common bias voltage based on a slope correction signal and a source bias voltage;

a coarse ramp voltage generation block suitable for generating the coarse ramp voltage having a predetermined slope during the coarse conversion period based on the common bias voltage and a coarse ramp group control signal; and

a fine ramp voltage generation block suitable for generating the fine ramp voltage having the predetermined slope during the fine conversion period based on the common bias voltage and a fine ramp group control signal.

5. The image sensing device of claim 4, wherein the ramp voltage generator further includes:

a correction block suitable for generating the slope correction signal previously set for each of the coarse and fine conversion periods, based on the coarse conversion period signal and the fine conversion period signal.

6. The image sensing device of claim 5, wherein the correction block includes:

a coarse correction unit suitable for storing a coarse group correction signal;

a fine correction unit suitable for storing a fine group correction signal; and

a slope correction unit suitable for outputting the coarse group correction signal or the fine group correction signal as the slope correction signal based on the coarse conversion period signal and the fine conversion period signal.

7. The image sensing device of claim 4, wherein the common bias voltage generation block includes:

a sinking section coupled between an output terminal of the common bias voltage and a low voltage terminal, and suitable for sinking a first source current based on the source bias voltage;

a plurality of second sourcing sections coupled between a high voltage terminal and a plurality of first sourcing nodes, respectively, and suitable for sourcing the first source current based on the common bias voltage; and

a plurality of second switching sections coupled between the respective first sourcing nodes and the output terminal of the common bias voltage, and suitable for selectively switching based on the slope correction signal.

8. A method for driving an image sensing device, comprising:

setting a coarse correction group signal corresponding to a coarse conversion period and a fine correction group signal corresponding to a fine conversion period so that at least one of a slope of a coarse ramp voltage and a slope of a fine ramp voltage is corrected;

generating a common bias voltage having a first voltage level based on the coarse correction group signal and a source bias voltage during the coarse conversion period, and generating the coarse ramp voltage having a predetermined slope based on the common bias voltage having the first voltage level; and

generating the common bias voltage having a second voltage level based on the fine correction group signal and the source bias voltage during the fine conversion period, and generating the fine ramp voltage having the predetermined slope based on the common bias voltage having the second voltage level.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the setting of the coarse correction group signal and the fine correction group signal includes storing the coarse correction group signal and the fine correction group signal previously set through a test or a simulation.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first voltage level and the second voltage level are identical to each other.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first voltage level and the second voltage level are different from each other.