Imaging device, operation method thereof, and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11937007-B2
Application number	US-202017628293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2020
Priority date	Jul 26, 2019
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

An imaging device having a motion detecting function and an image processing function is provided. The imaging device can detect a difference between a reference frame image and a comparative frame image, and can switch from a motion detecting mode to a normal image capturing mode when a significant difference is detected. A low-frame-rate operation in the motion detecting mode can reduce power consumption. Moreover, the imaging device has an image recognition function in combination with the motion detecting function, so that switching from the motion detecting mode to the normal image capturing mode can be performed when a particular image is recognized.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising:
a pixel, a first circuit, and a second circuit,
wherein the first circuit is configured to supply a first potential to the pixel,
wherein the pixel is configured to obtain first data and second data,
wherein the pixel is configured to generate third data that is a difference between the first data and the second data,
wherein the pixel is configured to generate fourth data by adding a potential based on the first potential to the third data, and
wherein the second circuit is configured to generate fifth data corresponding to a difference between the third data output from the pixel and the fourth data output from the pixel.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pixel comprises a photoelectric conversion device, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a fourth transistor, a fifth transistor, a sixth transistor, a first capacitor, and a second capacitor,
wherein one electrode of the photoelectric conversion device is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the first transistor,
wherein the other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the second transistor and one electrode of the first capacitor,
wherein the other electrode of the first capacitor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the third transistor, one electrode of the second capacitor, and a gate of the fourth transistor,
wherein one of a source and a drain of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the fifth transistor,
wherein the other electrode of the second capacitor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the sixth transistor,
wherein the other of the source and the drain of the fifth transistor is electrically connected to the second circuit, and
wherein the other of the source and the drain of the sixth transistor is electrically connected to the first circuit.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second circuit is a correlated double sampling circuit.

4. The imaging device according to claim 2 ,
wherein a channel formation region of each of the first transistor, the second transistor, the third transistor, the fourth transistor, the fifth transistor and the sixth transistor each comprises a metal oxide, and
wherein the metal oxide comprises indium, gallium, and zinc.

5. An imaging device comprising:
a plurality of pixels, a first circuit, and a second circuit,
wherein the first circuit is configured to supply a first potential to the plurality of pixels,
wherein the plurality of pixels are each configured to obtain first data and second data,
wherein the plurality of pixels are each configured to generate third data that is a difference between the first data and the second data,
wherein the plurality of pixels are each configured to generate fourth data by adding a potential based on the first potential to the third data, and
wherein the second circuit is configured to generate fifth data corresponding to a difference between a sum of the third data output from the plurality of pixels and a sum of the fourth data output from the plurality of pixels.

6. The imaging device according to claim 5 ,
wherein each of the plurality of pixels comprises a photoelectric conversion device, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a fourth transistor, a fifth transistor, a sixth transistor, a first capacitor, and a second capacitor,
wherein one electrode of the photoelectric conversion device is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the first transistor,
wherein the other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the second transistor and one electrode of the first capacitor,
wherein the other electrode of the first capacitor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the third transistor, one electrode of the second capacitor, and a gate of the fourth transistor,
wherein one of a source and a drain of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the fifth transistor,
wherein the other electrode of the second capacitor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the sixth transistor,
wherein the other of the source and the drain of the fifth transistor is electrically connected to the second circuit, and
wherein the other of the source and the drain of the sixth transistor is electrically connected to the first circuit.

7. The imaging device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the second circuit is a correlated double sampling circuit.

8. The imaging device according to claim 6 ,
wherein a channel formation region of each of the first transistor, the second transistor, the third transistor, the fourth transistor, the fifth transistor and the sixth transistor each comprises a metal oxide, and
wherein the metal oxide comprises indium, gallium, and zinc.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Inoue Hiroki
• Yoneda Seiichi
• Negoro Yusuke
• Ishizu Takahiko
• Kobayashi Hidetomo

Classifications

• H10W20/40

  Interconnections external to wafers or substrates, e.g. back-end-of-line [BEOL] metallisations or vias connecting to gate electrodes · CPC title

• H10W20/01

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• H10P14/40

  of conductive or resistive materials · CPC title

• H10F39/191

  Photoconductor image sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/803

  Pixels having integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements · CPC title