Solid-state image sensor, electronic device, and auto focusing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9848116-B2
Application number	US-201414582614-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 24, 2014
Priority date	Feb 14, 2014
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

A solid-state image sensor of an electronic device includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form and having a plurality of phase difference pixel of the plurality of pixels. The plurality of phase difference pixels are arranged at locations of pixels that are commonly read out in a plurality of different skip readout modes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solid-state image sensor of an electronic device, comprising:
a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form; and
a plurality of phase difference pixels, of the plurality of pixels, arranged in the matrix form based on a plurality of different skip readout modes at locations of pixels that are commonly read out in each of the plurality of different skip readout modes;
wherein the plurality of skip readout modes comprises a first skip readout mode in which one pixel line is read out and two pixel lines are skipped and a second skip readout mode in which two pixel lines are read out and two pixel lines are skipped.

2. The solid-state image sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of pixels are classified into a first pixel region that is read out in the first skip readout mode and a second pixel region that is read out in the second skip readout mode and are processed; and
the plurality of phase difference pixels are arranged such that portions of the first and second pixel regions overlap each other.

3. The solid-state image sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of phase difference pixels is spaced apart from another adjacent phase difference pixel at an interval corresponding to at least two pixels.

4. The solid-state image sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels have a matrix pattern in which a sequence of adjacent pixels includes one first phase difference pixel, two first general pixels, one second phase difference pixel, and 8 second general pixels that are sequentially arranged in a vertical or horizontal direction.

5. The solid-state image sensor as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first phase difference pixel and the second phase difference pixel are different types of phase difference pixels of one pair of phase difference pixels.

6. An electronic device comprising:
a solid-state image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, the plurality of pixels having a plurality of phase difference pixels arranged in the matrix form based on a plurality of different skip readout modes at locations of pixels that are commonly read out in each of the plurality of different skip readout modes; and
a controller for reading out data of the phase difference pixel to detect a phase difference and performing lens focusing based on the detected phase difference;
wherein the plurality of skip readout modes comprises a first skip readout mode in which one pixel line is read out and two pixel lines are skipped and a second skip readout mode in which two pixel lines are read out and two pixel lines are skipped.

7. The electronic device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the pixel line is any one of a horizontal pixel line or a vertical pixel line of a plurality of pixels that are arranged in a matrix form.

8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein:
the controller reads out a first pixel region of the plurality of pixels in the first skip readout mode and reads out a second pixel region of the plurality of pixels in the second skip readout mode; and
the plurality of phase difference pixels are arranged such that portions of the first and second pixel regions overlap each other.

9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the controller generates a first resolution image in the first skip readout mode and generates a second resolution image in the second skip readout mode.

10. The electronic device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the controller reads out data of pixels except for the phase difference pixel from the plurality of pixels to generate an image.

11. The electronic device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the image is any one of a live view image, a still image, or a moving picture image.

12. The electronic device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of pixels have a matrix pattern in which a sequence of adjacent pixels includes one first phase difference pixel, two first general pixels, one second phase difference pixel, and 8 second general pixels that are sequentially arranged in a vertical or horizontal direction.

13. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the first phase difference pixel and the second phase difference pixel are different types of phase difference pixels of one pair of phase difference pixels.

14. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of phase difference pixels is spaced apart from another adjacent phase difference pixel at an interval corresponding to at least two pixels.

15. An auto focusing method of an electronic device, comprising:
detecting a phase difference by reading out data of a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, including data of a plurality of phase difference pixels of the plurality of pixels, the plurality of phase difference pixels arranged in the matrix form based on a plurality of different skip readout modes at locations of pixels that are commonly read out in each of the plurality of different skip readout modes; and
performing lens focusing based on the detected phase difference;
wherein:
the plurality of skip readout modes comprises a first skip readout mode and a second skip readout mode; and
the reading out of the data of the predetermined region comprises reading out one pixel line and skipping two pixel lines in the first skip readout mode, and reading out two pixels lines and skipping two pixel lines in the second skip readout mode.

16. The auto focusing method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising:
reading out data of a pixel of a predetermined region from the plurality of pixels in a predetermined skip readout mode; and
generating an image using readout data of pixels except for the phase difference pixel from the data of the readout pixel.

17. The auto focusing method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the pixel line is any one of a horizontal pixel line or a vertical pixel line of a plurality of pixels that are arranged in a matrix form.

18. The auto focusing method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein:
a first pixel region of the plurality of pixels is read out in the first skip readout mode and a second pixel region of the plurality of pixels is read out in the second skip readout mode; and
the plurality of phase difference pixels are arranged such that portions of the first and second pixel regions overlap each other.

19. The auto focusing method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the image is any one of a live view image, a still image, or a moving picture image.

20. The auto focusing method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the generating of the image comprises generating a first resolution image in the first skip readout mode and generating a second resolution image in the second skip readout mode.

21. The auto focusing method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the plurality of pixels have a matrix pattern in which a sequence of adjacent pixels includes one first phase difference pixel, two first general pixels, one second phase difference pixel, and 8 second general pixels that are sequentially arranged in a vertical or horizontal direction.

22. The auto focusing method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the first phase difference pixel and the second phase difference pixel are different types of phase difference pixels of one pair of phase difference pixels.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shimokawa Shuichi
• Kim Dong-Min
• Lee Sang-Min
• Yoo Kwi-Sung
• Lim Seung-Hyun
• Choi Woo-Seok
• Min Beoung-Ouk
• Usui Takafumi

Classifications

• H04N25/445

  by skipping some contiguous pixels within the read portion of the array · CPC title

• H04N23/672 Primary

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H04N25/704

  Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets · CPC title

• H04N25/616

  involving a correlated sampling function, e.g. correlated double sampling [CDS] or triple sampling · CPC title

• H04N5/378

  Electricity · mapped topic