Imaging device and imaging method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10044957-B2
Application number	US-201615346905-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2016
Priority date	Jun 5, 2014
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

An imaging device comprising: an image sensor includes a first focus detection pixel being arranged at a position corresponding to a first color filter of the imaging pixel, and a second focus detection pixel being arranged at a position corresponding to a second color filter, a read-out section mixes a plurality of pixel signals including the output of the first focus detection pixel and reads out a first mixed pixel output, in mixing and reading out the outputs of the imaging pixels corresponding to the first color filter, while the read-out section mixes a plurality of pixel signals without including the output of the second focus detection pixel and reads out a second mixed pixel output, in mixing and reading out the outputs of the imaging pixels corresponding to the second color filter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising:
an image sensor including a plurality of imaging pixels and a plurality of focus detection pixels, each of the focus detection pixels having an opening position of a light receiving portion different from each of the imaging pixels;
a read-out section which mixes and reads out pixel signals of the image sensor, and outputs a mixed pixel output; and
a pixel correction section which corrects the mixed pixel output, wherein
in the image sensor, a first focus detection pixel is arranged at a position corresponding to a first color filter of the imaging pixel and a second focus detection pixel is arranged at a position corresponding to a second color filter different from the first color filter of the imaging pixel, wherein
in mixing and reading out the outputs of the imaging pixels corresponding to the first color filter, the read-out section mixes a plurality of pixel signals including the output of the first focus detection pixel and reads out a first mixed pixel output, while in mixing and reading out the outputs of the imaging pixels corresponding to the second color filter, the read-out section mixes a plurality of pixel signals without including the output of the second focus detection pixel and reads out a second mixed pixel output, and wherein
the pixel correction section corrects the output value of the first mixed pixel output, and does not correct the output value of the second mixed pixel output.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein both of the color filters arranged in the first and second focus detection pixels are the first color filters.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first color filter is green and the second color filter is blue or red.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the pixel correction section corrects the output value of the first mixed pixel output based on the mixed pixel output of only the imaging pixels corresponding to the first color filter positioned on a periphery of the first mixed pixels.

5. The imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein the first focus detection pixel is a pixel having an opening position shifted to a left or right direction relative to an opening position of the imaging pixel, while the second focus detection pixel is a pixel having an opening position shifted to an upper or lower direction relative to an opening position of the imaging pixel.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the image sensors are arranged at a same cycle as a cycle of the mixing of pixels in which the second focus detection pixel is mixed by the read-out section.

7. The imaging device according to claim 6 , wherein the image sensor has a pixel area where the second focus detection pixel is not arranged, and wherein the read-out section mixes pixels at a same cycle in a whole pixel area and reads out a mixed pixel output, regardless of an arrangement state of the second focus detection pixels.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein
the read-out section additionally has a function to read out the pixel signals of an image sensor and output a pixel output without mixing pixel signals, and wherein
the pixel correction section interpolates the output values of the first and second focus detection pixels using output values of imaging pixels corresponding to the respective filters positioned in a periphery of the respective focus detection pixels to calculate output values of imaging pixels corresponding to positions of the first and second focus detection pixels.

9. An imaging method of an imaging device including: a plurality of imaging pixels and a plurality of focus detection pixels, each of the focus detection pixels having an opening position of a light receiving portion different from each of the imaging pixels; a read-out section which mixes and reads out pixel signals of the image sensor, and outputs a mixed pixel output; and a pixel correction section which corrects the mixed pixel output, in which in the image sensor, a first focus detection pixel is arranged at a position corresponding to a first color filter of the imaging pixel and a second focus detection pixel is arranged at a position corresponding to a second color filter different from the first color filter of the imaging pixel, wherein
in mixing and reading out the outputs of the imaging pixels corresponding to the first color filter, the read-out section mixes a plurality of pixel signals including the output of the first focus detection pixel and reads out a first mixed pixel output, while in mixing and reading out the outputs of the imaging pixels corresponding to the second color filter, the read-out section mixes a plurality of pixel signals without including the output of the second focus detection pixel and reads out a second mixed pixel output, and wherein
the pixel correction section corrects the output value of the first mixed pixel output, and does not correct the output value of the second mixed pixel output.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Toyoda Tetsuya

Classifications

• H04N23/672 Primary

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H04N25/134

  based on three different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N23/12

  with one sensor only · CPC title

• H04N25/704

  Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets · CPC title

• H04N25/672 Primary

  between adjacent sensors or output registers for reading a single image · CPC title