Image sensor for improving nonlinearity of row code region, and device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10623677-B2
Application number	US-201916518298-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2019
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

An image sensor is provided. The image sensor includes a pixel configured to generate a reset signal and an image signal, a comparator configured to compare the reset signal with a reference signal and generate a first comparison signal, a counter configured to generate a first count value corresponding to the reset signal based on a clock signal and the first comparison signal, and a reference signal generator configured to generate the reference signal which changes between a first level corresponding to a maximum reset count value of the counter and a second level corresponding to a minimum reset count value of the counter during a reset signal period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image sensor comprising:
a pixel configured to generate a reset signal and an image signal;
a comparator configured to compare the reset signal with a reference signal and generate a first comparison signal;
a counter configured to generate a first count value corresponding to the reset signal based on a clock signal and the first comparison signal; and
a reference signal generator configured to generate the reference signal which changes between a first level corresponding to a maximum reset count value of the counter and a second level corresponding to a minimum reset count value of the counter during a reset signal period,
wherein the reference signal generator is configured to generate the reference signal from among a first reference signal ramping up from the first level to the second level and a second reference signal ramping down from the second level to the first level in response to control signals during the reset signal period.

2. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the reference signal generator comprises:
a first reference signal generator configured to generate the first reference signal ramping up from the first level to the second level during the reset signal period;
a second reference signal generator configured to generate the second reference signal ramping down from the second level to the first level during the reset signal period; and
a selection circuit configured to output one among the first reference signal and the second reference signal as the reference signal in response to a selection signal.

3. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the reference signal generator is further configured to control the reference signal to change between a third level corresponding to a maximum image signal count value of the counter and a fourth level corresponding to a minimum image signal count value of the counter during an image signal period.

4. The image sensor of claim 3 , wherein the reference signal generator comprises:
a first reference signal generator configured to generate the first reference signal, as the reference signal, ramping up from the third level to the fourth level during the image signal period;
a second reference signal generator configured to generate the second reference signal, as the reference signal, ramping down from the fourth level to the third level during the image signal period; and
a selection circuit configured to output one of the first reference signal and the second reference signal as the reference signal in response to a selection signal.

5. The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
an output circuit configured to output a reset count value corresponding to a difference between the maximum reset count value and the first count value,
wherein one's complement of the first count value is generated after the reset signal period.

6. The image sensor of claim 5 , wherein the output circuit further configured to output an image signal count value corresponding to a difference between a maximum image signal count value and a second count value, and a final count value corresponding to a difference between the image signal count value and the reset count value,
wherein one's complement of the first count value is generated between the reset signal period and an image signal period.

7. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the reference signal generator controls the reference signal to decrease from the first level to the second level for the comparators to compare the reset signal with the reference signal during the reset signal period.

8. The image sensor of claim 7 , wherein the reference signal generator controls the reference signal to decrease from a third level to a fourth level for the comparators to compare the image signal with the reference signal during an image signal period which is after the reset signal period.

9. The image sensor of claim 8 , wherein the counter configured to generate a count value which is a combination of the first count value measured while the reference signal is changed with respect to the reset signal and a second count value measured while the reference signal is changed with respect to the image signal,
wherein one's complement of the first count value is generated between the reset signal period and the image signal period.

10. An image sensor comprising:
a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows;
a plurality of comparators each of which is configured to compare at least one reset signal and at least one image signal output from pixels in a same column or row with a reference signal;
a plurality of counters each of which is configured to generate a count value measured with respect to the reset signal and the image signal during one time period, comprising a reset signal period and an image signal period, in which a level of the reference signal is changed; and
a reference signal generator configured to generate the reference signal in response to a control signal during the one time period for converting pixel signals output from pixels in a same column or row from analog to digital,
wherein the reference signal generator includes a first signal generator configured to generate a first reference signal ramping up from a first level to a second level and a third level to a fourth level, and a second signal generator configured to generate a second reference signal ramping down from the second level to the first level and the third level to the fourth level,
wherein the count value is a combination of a first count value measured while the reference signal is changed with respect to the reset signal and a second count value measured while the reference signal is changed with respect to the image signal,
wherein the first level corresponds to a maximum reset count value of the counters, the second level corresponds to a minimum reset count value of the counters, the third level corresponds to a maximum image signal count value of the counters, and the fourth level corresponds to a minimum image signal count value of the counters.

11. The image sensor of claim 10 , wherein one's complement of the first count value is generated between the reset signal period and the image signal period.

12. The image sensor of claim 10 , wherein the reference signal generator controls the reference signal to decrease from the first level to the second level for the comparators to compare the reset signal with the reference signal during the reset signal period.

13. The image sensor of claim 12 , wherein the reference signal generator controls the reference signal to decrease from a third level to a fourth level for the comparators to compare the image signal with the reference signal during the image signal period which is after the reset signal period.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Koh Kyoung Min
• Jung Jae Jin
• Kim Moo Young
• Yun Jae Cheol
• Lee Seung Jin

Classifications

• H04N23/667 Primary

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• H04N5/3575

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/378 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/23245

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N25/616 Primary

  involving a correlated sampling function, e.g. correlated double sampling [CDS] or triple sampling · CPC title