COLOR FILTER ARRAY, IMAGE SENSOR HAVING THE SAME, AND SIGNAL INTERPOLATING METHOD

• US 20110085063A1
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jin, Young Gu, Min, Dong Ki
• Granted Patent: US 8,599,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/280
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/046 Colour interpolation to calculate the missing colour values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/131 including elements passing infrared wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

A color filter array of an image sensor, the color filter array including a plurality of infrared ray (IR) filters, each of which filters out light to transmit wavelengths in an IR region; a plurality of first type color filters; a plurality of second type color filters; and a plurality of third type color filters, wherein some adjacent IR filters are arranged to form a T shape.

Claims

1. A color filter array for use with an image sensor, the color filter array comprising:

a plurality of infrared ray (IR) filters, each of which filters out light to transmit wavelengths in an IR region;

a plurality of first type color filters;

a plurality of second type color filters; and

a plurality of third type color filters,

wherein some adjacent IR filters are arranged to form a T shape.

2. The color filter array as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sum of the number of first type color filters and the number of second type color filters is equal to the number of third type color filters.

3. The color filter array as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first type color filters are red filters, the second type color filters are blue filters, and the third type color filters are green filters.

4. The color filter array as claimed in claim 1, wherein the T shape is a T shape rotated 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees.

5. The color filter array as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of IR filters equals a sum of the number of the first to third color filters.

6. A color filter array for use with an image sensor, the color filter array comprising:

a plurality of white filters, each of which filters out light to transmit visible light;

a plurality of first type color filters;

a plurality of second type color filters; and

a plurality of third type color filters,

wherein some adjacent white filters are arranged to form a T shape.

7. The color filter array as claimed in claim 6, wherein a sum of the number of first type color filters and the number of second type color filters is equal to the number of third type color filters.

8. The color filter array as claimed in claim 6, wherein the T shape is a T shape rotated 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees.

9. The color filter array as claimed in claim 6, wherein each white filter is transparent to visible light.

10. The color filter array as claimed in claim 6, wherein each white filter blocks infrared light.

11. The color filter array as claimed in claim 6, wherein the number of white filters equals a sum of the number of the first to third color filters.

12. A method of interpolating signals output from an image sensor comprising an N*N unit matrix, the method comprising:

interpolating signals output from two vertically or horizontally adjacent pixels of the image sensor; and

interpolating signals output from four diagonally adjacent pixels of the image sensor.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein interpolating signals output from the two vertically or horizontally adjacent pixels comprises calculating a mean of the signals output from the two vertically or horizontally adjacent pixels.

14. The method as claimed claim 12, wherein interpolating the signals output from the four diagonally adjacent pixels comprises calculating a mean of the signals output from the four diagonally adjacent pixels.