Image sensor and imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9532033-B2
Application number	US-201113305272-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2011
Priority date	Nov 29, 2010
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

An image capturing element comprising photoelectric converting elements that are arranged two-dimensionally and photoelectrically convert incident light into an electric signal; aperture masks that correspond one-to-one with the photoelectric converting elements; and color filters that correspond one-to-one with the photoelectric converting elements. Among n adjacent photoelectric converting elements, where n is an integer no less than three, apertures of the aperture masks corresponding to at least three of the photoelectric converting elements are included within each pattern of a color filter pattern formed from at least two types of the color filters that respectively pass different wavelength bands, and are positioned to respectively pass light from different partial regions within a cross-sectional region of the incident light, and photoelectric converting element groups that are each formed of the n photoelectric converting elements are arranged in series.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a photoelectric converting element that converts an incident light into an electric signal;
an aperture mask coupled with the photoelectric converting element, the aperture mask passing a partial region within a cross-sectional region of the incident light to the photoelectric converting element; and
an image capturing element including a plurality of photoelectric converting element groups disposed continuously and arranged two-dimensionally in series,
wherein each photoelectric converting element group includes a plurality of photoelectric converting elements, the aperture masks coupled to the plurality of photoelectric converting elements positioned to respectively pass at least three different partial regions in one dimension of the incident light.

2. The device according to claim 1 further comprising:
a color filter coupled with the photoelectric converting element, the color filter passing a wavelength band of the incident light to the photoelectric converting element;
wherein the plurality of photoelectric converting elements of the photoelectric converting element group are coupled with color filters that respectively pass at least two different wavelength bands.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric converting element group includes at least one photoelectric converting element coupled with an aperture mask that passes an entire region of the incident light.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the different partial regions of the aperture masks of the photoelectric converting element group are continuously shifted in a first dimension.

5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the different partial regions of the aperture masks of the photoelectric converting element group are continuously shifted in a second dimension that is perpendicular to the first dimension.

6. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the length of the different partial regions in the direction of the first dimension is less than the length of the different partial regions in a direction perpendicular to the first dimension.

7. The device according to claim 4 wherein the different partial regions of the aperture masks are arranged at uniform intervals in the first dimension.

8. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a waveguide that reduces scattering of the incident light passed through the aperture mask and guides the incident light to the photoelectric converting element.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein one microlens is provided for the photoelectric converting element group.

10. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a lens that guides light to the image capturing element.

11. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising an image processing section operable to generate a plurality of images from an image signal output from the image capturing element, wherein each image of the plurality of images includes a portion of the output corresponding to photoelectric converting elements having aperture masks that pass substantially similar partial regions of the incident light.

12. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the image capturing element includes an even distribution of photoelectric converting elements having apertures that pass partial regions of the incident light.

13. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the image capturing element includes, for every four photoelectric converting elements, at least one photoelectric converting element having an aperture that passes a partial region of the incident light.

14. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the photoelectric converting element group includes color filters that respectively pass a red wavelength band, a green wavelength band, and a blue wavelength band.

15. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the photoelectric converting element group includes a photoelectric converting element that is not coupled with a color filter.

16. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the photoelectric converting element group includes at least one photoelectric converting element coupled with an aperture mask that passes an entire region of the incident light and a color filter that passes one of a blue wavelength band and a red wavelength band, and the plurality of photoelectric converting elements are coupled with color filters that pass a green wavelength band.

17. The device according to claim 16 , wherein the photoelectric converting element group includes at least one photoelectric converting element coupled with a color filter that passes a green wavelength band and an aperture mask that passes an entire region of the incident light.

18. The device according to claim 8 , wherein the waveguide is inclined.

19. The device according to claim 18 , wherein the waveguides are inclined in a manner corresponding to displacement between centers of the apertures of the aperture masks and centers of the photoelectric converting elements.

20. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the photoelectric converting element group includes at least one photoelectric converting element including an aperture mask that passes an entire region of the incident light.

21. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the photoelectric converting element group includes a second plurality of photoelectric converting elements coupled with different combinations of aperture masks and color filters from a first plurality of photoelectric converting elements of the photoelectric converting element group.

22. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the photoelectric converting element group includes a photoelectric converting element that is not coupled with a color filter.

23. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the photoelectric converting element group includes a photoelectric converting element coupled with an aperture mask that passes the incident light from the partial regions correspond to photoelectric converting elements on which transparent filters are arranged.

24. The device according to claim 10 , further comprising an image processing section operable to generate a plurality of images from an image signal output from the image capturing element, each image of the plurality of images generated as a combination of the output corresponding to photoelectric converting elements having aperture masks that pass substantially similar partial regions of the incident light, while maintaining a positional relationship of the output with respect to the image capturing element.

25. A device comprising:
a plurality of photoelectric converting elements disposed continuously and arranged two-dimensionally in series on an image capturing element, each photoelectric converting element operable to convert an incident light into an electric signal and including an aperture mask, the aperture masks positioned to respectively pass at least three different partial regions in one dimension of the incident light.

26. The device of claim 25 , wherein each photoelectric converting element includes a color filter, each color filter respectively passes one of at least two different wavelength bands of the incident light to the photoelectric converting element.

27. The device of claim 25 , further comprising a lens that guides light to the image capturing element.

28. The device according to claim 25 , further comprising

Assignees

• Shibazaki Kiyoshige
• Hamashima Muneki
• Mori Susumu
• Suzuki Satoshi
• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Shibazaki Kiyoshige
• Hamashima Muneki
• Mori Susumu
• Suzuki Satoshi

Classifications

• H10F39/8053

  Colour filters · CPC title

• H10F39/8063

  Microlenses · CPC title

• H10F39/8067

  Reflectors · CPC title

• H10F39/8057

  Optical shielding · CPC title

• H04N13/0257

  Electricity · mapped topic