IMAGE SENSOR AND METHOD OF GENERATING RESTORATION IMAGE

• US 20170237957A1
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Nam, Dong Kyung, Kang, Byong Min, Hwang, Hyoseok, Park, Du-Sik, CHO, Yang Ho
• Granted Patent: US 10,171,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/047 using multispectral pick-up elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/43 Conversion of monochrome picture signals to colour picture signals for colour picture display

Abstract

An image sensor includes a plurality of non-color pixel sensors each configured to sense a non-color signal; and a color pixel sensing region including at least one color pixel sensor configured to sense a color signal, wherein the color pixel sensing region has an area physically greater than an area of each of the non-color pixel sensors.

Claims

1. An image sensor comprising:

a plurality of non-color pixel sensors each configured to sense a non-color signal; and

a color pixel sensing region including at least one color pixel sensor configured to sense a color signal,

wherein the color pixel sensing region has an area physically greater than an area of each of the non-color pixel sensors.

2. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the color pixel sensing region is encompassed by the non-color pixel sensors.

3. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein each of the non-color pixel sensors is a panchromatic pixel sensor.

4. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein in a pixel array of the image sensor, a proportion of an area of the color pixel sensing region to an entire area of the pixel array is less than a proportion of an area of a non-color pixel sensing region to the entire area of the pixel array, the non-color pixel sensing region including the non-color pixel sensors.

5. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the color pixel sensing region is configured to sense at least two colors from among red, green, blue, magenta, yellow, and cyan.

6. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein a distance between color pixel sensing regions included in the pixel array is determined based on the proportion of the area of the non-color pixel sensing region to the entire area of the pixel array.

7. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the area of the color pixel sensing region is a multiple of the area of each of the non-color pixel sensors, the multiple being a real number greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to 9.

8. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the color pixel sensing region includes one color pixel sensor configured to receive a wavelength indicating at least one color from among red, green, blue, magenta, yellow, and cyan.

9. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the color pixel sensing region includes a plurality of color pixel sensors each configured to receive a wavelength indicating at least one color from among red, green, blue, magenta, yellow, and cyan.

10. An image sensor comprising:

a plurality of non-color pixel sensors each configured to sense a non-color signal; and

a color pixel sensing region including at least one color pixel sensor configured to sense a color signal,

wherein the color pixel sensing region is encompassed by the non-color pixel sensors.

11. The image sensor of claim 10, wherein the color pixel sensing region has an area physically greater than an area of each of the non-color pixel sensors.

12. The image sensor of claim 10, wherein, in a pixel array of the image sensor, a proportion of an area of the color pixel sensing region to an entire area of the pixel array is less than a proportion of an area of a non-color pixel sensing region to the entire area of the pixel array, the non-color pixel sensing region including the non-color pixel sensors.

13. The image sensor of claim 12, wherein the color pixel sensing region is configured to sense at least two colors from among red, green, blue, magenta, yellow, and cyan in the pixel array.

14. The image sensor of claim 12, wherein a distance between color pixel sensing regions included in the pixel array is determined based on the proportion of the area of the non-color pixel sensing region to the entire area of the pixel array.

15. The image sensor of claim 10, wherein the color pixel sensing region includes a plurality of color pixel sensors each configured to receive a wavelength indicating at least one color from among red, green, blue, magenta, yellow, and cyan.

16. A method of generating a restoration image, the method comprising:

receiving an initial image from an image sensor;

determining a panchromatic pixel value corresponding to a color pixel among pixels of the initial image;

generating a panchromatic image by setting the panchromatic pixel value to the color pixel; and

generating a restoration image based on a color pixel value of the color pixel of the initial image and the panchromatic image,

wherein the initial image includes a plurality of non-color pixels and one or more color pixel regions, and each of the one or more color pixel regions has an area physically greater than an area of each of the non-color pixels.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the one or more color pixel regions is encompassed by the non-color pixels.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the generating of the restoration image includes generating the restoration image by diffusing the color pixel value of the initial image to the panchromatic image.