Image sensor for zoom processing and electronic device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12366735-B2
Application number	US-202217720931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2022
Priority date	Apr 20, 2021
Publication date	Jul 22, 2025
Grant date	Jul 22, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device which includes a first image sensor that photographs in a first field of view to generate a first signal, and an image signal processor that generates first image data based on the first signal, the first image data being of a non-Bayer pattern. When a zoom factor is less than a first value, the image signal processor crops the first image data to generate second image data, executes remosaic on the second image data to generate third image data of a Bayer pattern, and executes down-scaling on the third image data to generate fourth image data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a first image sensor configured to photograph in a first field of view to generate a first signal; and
an image signal processor configured to generate first image data based on the first signal, wherein the first image data is of a non-Bayer pattern,
and wherein, when a zoom factor is smaller than a first value, the image signal processor is configured to:
crop the first image data to generate second image data;
execute remosaic on the second image data to generate third image data of a Bayer pattern; and
execute down-scaling on the third image data to generate fourth image data.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, when the zoom factor is between the first value and a second value that is greater than the first value, the image signal processor does not execute the down-scaling on the third image data.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , further comprising a main processor configured to control the zoom factor,
wherein the main processor is configured to:
when the zoom factor is smaller than the first value, receive the fourth image data from the image signal processor; and
when the zoom factor is greater than or equal to the first value and is smaller than the second value, receive the third image data from the image signal processor.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein, when the zoom factor is less than the first value, the image signal processor generates the second image data with a first number of valid pixels, generates the third image data with the first number of valid pixels, and generates the fourth image data with the first number of valid pixels.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein, when the zoom factor is between the first value and the second value, the image signal processor generates the second image data with a second number of valid pixels and generates the third image data with the second number of valid pixels, and
wherein the second number of valid pixels is fewer than the first number of valid pixels.

6. The electronic device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a second image sensor configured to photograph in a second field of view to generate a second signal,
wherein, when the zoom factor is greater than or equal to the second value, the image signal processor is configured to:
generate fifth image data of a non-Bayer pattern based on the second signal;
crop the fifth image data to generate sixth image data;
execute remosaic on the sixth image data to generate seventh image data of a Bayer pattern; and
execute down-scaling on the seventh image data to generate eighth image data.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein, when the zoom factor is between the second value and a third value greater than the second value, the image signal processor does not execute the down-scaling on the seventh image data.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the main processor is configured to:
when the zoom factor is between the second value and the third value, receive the eighth image data from the image signal processor; and
when the zoom factor is greater than or equal to the third value, receive the seventh image data from the image signal processor.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein, when the zoom factor is between the second value and the third value,
the image signal processor generates the sixth image data with a first number of valid pixels, generates the seventh image data with the first number of valid pixels, and generates the eighth image data with the first number of valid pixels.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein, when the zoom factor is greater than or equal to the third value,
the image signal processor generates the sixth image data with a third number of valid pixels and generates the seventh image data with the third number of valid pixels, and
wherein the third number of valid pixels is fewer than the first number of valid pixels.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first image sensor includes a pixel array including a first pixel group corresponding to a first color filter and a second pixel group corresponding to a second color filter, and
wherein pixels of a first unit pixel group of the first pixel group share a first floating diffusion region, and
wherein pixels of a second unit pixel group of the first pixel group share a second floating diffusion region, and
wherein pixels of a third unit pixel group of the first pixel group share a third floating diffusion region.

12. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the second image sensor includes a pixel array including a first pixel group corresponding to a first color filter and a second pixel group corresponding to a second color filter,
wherein pixels of the first pixel group share a first floating diffusion region, and pixels of the second pixel group share a second floating diffusion region.

13. An image processing method comprising:
photographing, through a first image sensor and in response to a zoom factor, a scene in a first field of view to generate a first signal, when the zoom factor is smaller than a first value;
generating, through an image signal processor, first image data based on the first signal, wherein the first image data is of a non-Bayer pattern;
cropping, through the image signal processor, the first image data to generate second image data;
executing, through the image signal processor, remosaic on the second image data to generate third image data of a Bayer pattern; and
executing, through the image signal processor, down-scaling on the third image data to generate fourth image data when the zoom factor is smaller than the first value.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
transmitting the fourth image data to a main processor when the zoom factor is smaller than the first value; and
transmitting the third image data to the main processor when the zoom factor is between the first value and a second value greater than the first value.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein, when the zoom factor is smaller than the first value, each of the second image data, the third image data, and the fourth image data has a first number of valid pixels, and
wherein, when the zoom factor is between the first value and the second value, each of the second image data and the third image data has a second number of valid pixels, and
wherein the second number of valid pixels is fewer than the first number of valid pixels.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
photographing, through a second image sensor, the scene in a second field of view to generate a second signal, when the zoom factor is greater than or equal to the second value;
generating, through the image signal processor, fifth image data based on the second signal, wherein the fifth image data is of the non-Bayer pattern;
cropping, through the image signal processor, the fifth image data to generate sixth image data;
executing, through the image signal processor, remosaic on the sixth image data to generate seventh image data of the Bayer pattern; and
executing, through the image signal processor, down-scaling on the seventh image data to generate eighth image data, when the zoom factor is greater than the second value.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
transmitting the eighth image data to the main processor, when the zoom factor is between the second value and a third value greater than the second value; and
transmitting the seventh image data to the main processor, when the zoom factor is g

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yi Eunjik
• Jung Younggyu
• Lee Jeongwook

Classifications

• G06T3/4015

  Image demosaicing, e.g. colour filter arrays [CFA] or Bayer patterns · CPC title

• G06T1/20

  Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining · CPC title

• G06T2207/20024

  Filtering details · CPC title

• G02B5/201

  in the form of arrays · CPC title

• G02B13/009 Primary

  having zoom function · CPC title