Solid-state imaging device and method of controlling solid-state imaging device, and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10917591-B2
Application number	US-201816490182-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2018
Priority date	Apr 14, 2017
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging device and a method of controlling a solid-state imaging device, and an electronic device for enabling appropriate expansion of a dynamic range with respect to an object moving at a high speed or an object having a large luminance difference between bright and dark to reduce motion distortion (motion artifact). Exposure of a plurality of pixels is individually controlled in units of pixels. The present disclosure can be applied to a solid-state imaging device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solid-state imaging device, comprising:
a pixel array unit including a plurality of pixels; and
a pixel drive control unit including a control timing table storage unit configured to store a plurality of control timing tables, wherein
each control timing table of the plurality of control timing tables includes control information for individual control of an exposure of the plurality of pixels in units of pixels, and
the pixel drive control unit is configured to:
individually control the exposure of the plurality of pixels in units of pixels based on the control information of a control timing table of the plurality of control timing tables; and
switch the control timing table of the plurality of control timing tables stored in the control timing table storage unit at specific time intervals.

2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein
the pixel drive control unit is further configured to individually control an exposure start timing and an exposure end timing in the exposure of the plurality of pixels in units of pixels.

3. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein
the pixel drive control unit is further configured to individually control a reset timing, a read timing, the exposure start timing, and the exposure end timing in the exposure of the plurality of pixels in units of pixels.

4. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein
the pixel drive control unit is further configured to individually control a plurality of exposure periods of an exposure unit time in the exposure of the plurality of pixels in units of pixels.

5. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein
the pixel drive control unit is further configured to control each exposure period of the plurality of exposure periods with temporally equal intervals in the exposure unit time based on the individual control of the plurality of exposure periods.

6. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein, based on the exposure unit time that includes the plurality of exposure periods in the exposure of each pixel of the plurality of pixels, an analog-to-digital converted pixel signal output from a pixel of the plurality of pixels is shift-added to an immediately preceding pixel signal each time the exposure is completed.

7. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein
the pixel drive control unit is further configured to control the exposure start timing and the exposure end timing in the exposure of the plurality of pixels in a specific number of units of pixels.

8. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein
the pixel drive control unit is further configured to switch the control timing table stored in the control timing table storage unit at specific number of frames.

9. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising
an operation unit configured to receive an operation of a user and output an operation signal, wherein
the pixel drive control unit is further configured to switch the control timing table stored in the control timing table storage unit based on the operation signal from the operation unit.

10. A method of controlling a solid-state imaging device, the method comprising:
individually controlling, in units of pixels, an exposure of a plurality of pixels of a pixel array unit based on control information of a control timing table of a plurality of control timing tables, wherein
the control information is information for individual control of the exposure of the plurality of pixels in units of pixels, and
the plurality of control timing tables is stored in a control timing table storage unit; and
switching the control timing table of the plurality of control timing tables stored in the control timing table storage unit at specific time intervals.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
a pixel array unit including a plurality of pixels; and
a pixel drive control unit including a control timing table storage unit configured to store a plurality of control timing tables, wherein
each control timing table of the plurality of control timing tables includes control information for individual control of an exposure of the plurality of pixels in units of pixels, and
the pixel drive control unit is configured to:
individually control the exposure of the plurality of pixels in units of pixels based on the control information of a control timing table of the plurality of control timing tables; and
switch the control timing table of the plurality of control timing tables stored in the control timing table storage unit at specific time intervals.

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Iida Satoko
• Sakakibara Masaki
• Sakano Yorito
• Asari Naosuke
• Takizawa Masaaki
• Asatsuma Tomohiko
• Furuya Shogo

Classifications

• H04N25/589 Primary

  with different integration times, e.g. short and long exposures · CPC title

• H04N25/583 Primary

  with different integration times · CPC title

• H04N25/78

  Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters · CPC title

• H04N25/57

  Control of the dynamic range · CPC title

• H04N5/35581 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic