System and method for visible and infrared high dynamic range sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10638054-B2
Application number	US-201715415376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2017
Priority date	Jan 25, 2017
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

A high dynamic range sensing device is disclosed. The device includes an array of Bayer pattern units. Each of the Bayer pattern units comprises a plurality of pixels and each of the plurality of pixels comprises a plurality of photodiodes. At least one of the plurality of photodiodes in each pixel is configured to detect near infrared (NIR) light and at least one of the plurality of photodiodes in each of the plurality of pixels is configured to detect visible light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensing device, comprising
an array of Bayer pattern units, wherein
each of the Bayer pattern units comprises a plurality of pixels;
each of the plurality of pixels comprises a plurality of photodiodes;
at least one of the plurality of photodiodes in each pixel is configured to detect near infrared (NIR) light;
at least two of the plurality of photodiodes in each of the plurality of pixels is configured to detect visible light; and
in each of the plurality of pixels, a single red, green, or blue filter covers the at least two photodiodes configured to detect visible light.

2. The sensing device of claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of pixels in one Bayer pattern unit comprise four pixels in a two by two configuration; and
the plurality of photodiodes in one pixel comprise four photodiodes in the two by two configuration.

3. The sensing device of claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of photodiodes in one pixel is associated with an integration time; and
at least two photodiodes of the plurality of photodiodes in one pixel have different integration times.

4. The sensing device of claim 3 , wherein the integration time corresponds to time for the corresponding photodiode to collect charges caused by impinging photons.

5. A sensing device, comprising
an array of optical filter combinations, each of the optical filter combinations corresponding to a pixel of the sensing device and having at least two different filters, and each of the optical filter combinations associated with a plurality of photodiodes;
one of the filters is a single red, green, or blue filter covering a plurality of photodiodes configured to detect visible light; and
one of the filters is a near infrared (NIR) light filter covering a photodiode configured to detect NIR light.

6. The sensing device of claim 5 , wherein
the plurality of photodiodes comprise four photodiodes;
the NIR filter covers one of the four photodiodes; and
the single red, green, or blue filter covers three of the four photodiodes other than the photodiode covered by the NIR filter.

7. The sensing device of claim 5 , wherein
the pixel comprises four sub-pixels in a two by two array;
the NIR filter corresponds to one of the four sub-pixels; and
the single red, green, or blue filter corresponds to three of the four sub-pixels other than the sub-pixel corresponding to the NIR filter.

8. The sensing device of claim 7 , wherein the single red, green, or blue filter is a materially uniform filter.

9. The sensing device of claim 5 , further comprising four micro lenses respectively associated with four photodiodes in the pixel, wherein
the four photodiodes are disposed in a two by two configuration under the filter combination; and
the four micro lenses are disposed in the same two by two configuration above the optical filter combination and each configured to direct impinging light to pass through a part of the filter combination to reach the corresponding photodiode.

10. The sensing device of claim 5 , wherein
each of the plurality of photodiodes associated with one optical filter combination is associated with an integration time; and
at least two photodiodes of the plurality of photodiodes associated with the same optical filter combination have different integration times.

11. The sensing device of claim 10 , wherein the integration time corresponds to time for the corresponding photodiode to collect charges caused by impinging photons.

12. The sensing device of claim 10 , wherein
the plurality of photodiodes associated with one optical filter combination comprise four photodiodes; and
at least three of the four photodiodes are each associated with a different integration time.

13. The sensing device of claim 10 , wherein
each of the plurality of photodiodes is coupled to a switch; and
the length of the integration time is controlled by the switch.

14. The sensing device of claim 10 , wherein
signals of photodiodes having different integration times are read out separately; and
signals of photodiodes having the same integration time are combined and read out together.

15. A sensing device, comprising
a plurality of pixels, each comprising four photodiodes, at least two of the photodiodes in each pixel being configured to detect visible light, and at least one of the photodiodes in each pixel being configured to detect near infrared (NIR) light; and
in each pixel, a single red, green, or blue filter covers the plurality of photodiodes configured to detect visible light.

16. The sensing device of claim 15 , wherein each of the four photodiodes in one pixel is coupled to a transistor for controlling an integration time of the photodiode.

17. The sensing device of claim 15 , wherein
each of the four photodiodes in one pixel is associated with an integration time; and
at least two photodiodes in one pixel are associated with different integration times.

Assignees

• Cista Sys Corp

Inventors

• Komori Hirofumi
• Li Zhaojian

Classifications

• G01J3/0208

  using focussing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or mirrors; performing aberration correction · CPC title

• G01J2003/2806

  Array and filter array · CPC title

• G01J3/36

  Investigating two or more bands of a spectrum by separate detectors · CPC title

• H04N5/2355 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/332

  Electricity · mapped topic