Imaging system and imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11902681-B2
Application number	US-202017062481-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2020
Priority date	Feb 16, 2017
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

An imaging system according to the present disclosure includes: an imaging device that is mounted in a vehicle, and captures and generates an image of a peripheral region of the vehicle; and a processing device that is mounted in the vehicle, and executes processing related to a function of controlling the vehicle on the basis of the image. The imaging device includes: a first control line, a first voltage generator that applies a first voltage to the first control line, a first signal line, a plurality of pixels that applies a pixel voltage to the first signal line, a first dummy pixel that applies a voltage corresponding to the first voltage of the first control line to the first signal line in a first period, a converter including a first converter that performs AD conversion on the basis of a voltage of the first signal line in the first period to generate a first digital code, and a diagnosis section that performs diagnosis processing on the basis of the first digital code. The above-described processing device restricts the function of controlling the vehicle on the basis of a result of the diagnosis processing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A light detecting device comprising:
a first pixel including a first photodiode;
a first signal line coupled to the first pixel, the first signal line extending along a first direction;
a first analog-to-digital converter coupled to the first signal line;
a first control line extending along a second direction;
a signal generator coupled to the first control line;
a first transistor having a source or a drain coupled to the first signal line and a gate coupled to the first control line; and
diagnosis circuitry configured to detect an error based on output generated by the first analog-to-digital converter,
wherein the first analog-to-digital converter is configured to generate a first digital code based on a first signal output from the first pixel in a first period,
wherein the signal generator is configured to output a first control signal to the first control line in a second period,
wherein the first analog-to-digital converter is configured to generate a second digital code based on a second signal output from the first transistor corresponding the first control signal in the second period, and
wherein the diagnosis circuitry is configured to diagnose a first signal path including the first signal line based on the second digital code.

2. The light detecting device of claim 1 , further comprising a reference signal generation circuit configured to output a reference signal,
wherein the first analog-to-digital converter includes:
a first comparator configured to output a first comparison result based on a comparison of a voltage of the first signal and a voltage of the reference signal; and
a first counter configured to output the first digital code based on the comparison result.

3. The light detecting device of claim 1 , wherein the diagnosis circuitry is configured to diagnose the first signal path by confirming whether or not the second digital code is included in a predetermined specification.

4. The light detecting device of claim 1 , further comprising a first connection, wherein
the first pixel, the first signal line, the first control signal line and the first transistor are in a first substrate,
the first analog-to-digital converter and the diagnosis circuitry are in a second substrate, and
the first signal line and the first analog-to-digital converter are electrically coupled via the first connection.

5. The light detecting device of claim 4 , wherein the diagnosis circuitry is configured to diagnose the first signal path including the first connection based on the second digital code.

6. The light detecting device of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

7. The light detecting device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second pixel including a second photodiode;
a second signal line coupled to the second pixel, the second signal line extending along the first direction;
a second analog-to-digital converter coupled to the second signal line;
a second control line extending along the second direction and being coupled to the second control line; and
a second transistor having a source or a drain coupled to the second signal line and a gate coupled to the second control line,
wherein the second analog-to-digital converter is configured to generate a third digital code based on a third signal output from the second pixel in the first period,
wherein the signal generator is configured to output a second control signal to the second control line in the second period,
wherein the second analog-to-digital converter s configured to generate a fourth digital code based on a fourth signal outputted from the second transistor corresponding the second control signal in the second period, and
wherein the diagnosis circuitry is configured to diagnose a second signal path including the second signal line based on the fourth digital code.

8. The light detecting device of claim 7 , wherein the second signal line is adjacent to the first signal line, and wherein the diagnosis circuitry is configured to diagnose the first signal line or the second signal line based on a difference of the second digital code and the fourth digital code.

9. The light detecting device of claim 1 , wherein the first period is not in a blanking period and the second period is in the blanking period.

10. A light detecting device comprising:
a first pixel including a first photodiode;
a second pixel including a second photodiode;
a first signal line coupled to the first pixel, the first signal line extending along a first direction;
a second signal line coupled to the second pixel, the first second line extending along the first direction;
a first analog-to-digital converter coupled to the first signal line;
a second analog-to-digital converter coupled to the second signal line;
a first control line extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
a second control line extending along the second direction;
a signal generator coupled to the first control line and the second control line;
a first transistor having a source or a drain coupled to the first signal line and a gate coupled to the first control line;
a second transistor having a source or a drain coupled to the second signal line and a gate coupled to the second control line; and
diagnosis circuitry configured to detect an error based on a digital code generated from the first analog-to-digital converter or the second analog-to-digital converter,
wherein the first pixel and the second pixel are in a pixel column extending along the first direction.

11. The light detecting device of claim 10 , wherein the diagnosis circuitry is configured to detect the error by confirming whether or not the digital code is included in a predetermined specification.

12. The light detecting device of claim 10 , further comprising a first connection and a second connection, wherein
the first pixel, the first signal line, the first control signal line and the first transistor are in a first substrate,
the first analog-to-digital converter and the diagnosis circuitry are in a second substrate,
the first signal line and the first analog-to-digital converter are electrically coupled via the first connection, and
the second signal line and the second analog-to-digital converter are electrically coupled via the second connection.

13. The light detecting device of claim 12 , wherein the diagnosis circuitry is configured to diagnose a first signal path including the first connection or a second signal path including the second connection based on the digital code.

14. A light detecting device comprising:
a first pixel including a first photodiode;
a first signal line coupled to the first pixel, the first signal line extending along a first direction;
a first analog-to-digital converter coupled to the first signal line;
a first control line extending along a second direction;
a signal generator coupled to the first control line;
a first transistor having a source or a drain coupled to the first signal line and a gate coupled to the first control line;
diagnosis circuitry configured to receive a digital code output from the first digital-to-analog converter; and
a first connection,
wherein the first pixel, the first signal line, the first control signal line and the first transistor are in a first substrate and at least part of the first analog-to-digital converter is in a second substrate, and
wherein the first signal line and the first analog-to-digital converter are electrically coupled via the first connection.

15. The light detecting devi

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Kawazu Naoki
• Suzuki Atsushi
• Azami Junichiro
• Motohashi Yuichi

Classifications

• H04N25/772

  comprising A/D, V/T, V/F, I/T or I/F converters · CPC title

• H04N25/75 Primary

  Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array · CPC title

• H04N25/78

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

• H04N25/69

  SSIS comprising testing or correcting structures for circuits other than pixel cells · CPC title

• H10F39/8037

  the integrated elements comprising a transistor · CPC title