WO2024067511A1 - Photosensitive pixel structure, image sensor, and electronic device - Google Patents
Photosensitive pixel structure, image sensor, and electronic device Download PDFInfo
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- WO2024067511A1 WO2024067511A1 PCT/CN2023/121193 CN2023121193W WO2024067511A1 WO 2024067511 A1 WO2024067511 A1 WO 2024067511A1 CN 2023121193 W CN2023121193 W CN 2023121193W WO 2024067511 A1 WO2024067511 A1 WO 2024067511A1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/50—Control of the SSIS exposure
- H04N25/57—Control of the dynamic range
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/50—Control of the SSIS exposure
- H04N25/57—Control of the dynamic range
- H04N25/58—Control of the dynamic range involving two or more exposures
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/70—SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02D—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE
- Y02D10/00—Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
Definitions
- the present application belongs to the technical field of image sensors, and specifically relates to a photosensitive pixel structure, an image sensor and an electronic device.
- TCG-HDR Dual Conversion Gain-High Dynamic Range
- the relevant technology is to first expose each pixel structure in the pixel array in the high conversion gain (HCG) mode, and read the first image information under the high gain processing mode HCG; then expose each pixel structure in the middle conversion gain (MCG), and read the second image information under the middle gain processing mode MCG; then expose each pixel structure in the low conversion gain (LCG) mode, and read the third image information under the low gain processing mode LCG; finally, the first image information, the second image information and the third image information are selected/cropped/optimized/synthesized by the back-end image signal processor (ISP), and the final high dynamic range (HDR) image is output.
- HCG high conversion gain
- MCG middle conversion gain
- MCG middle conversion gain
- LCG low conversion gain
- the second idea is to use a complex system composed of a complex image sensor chip and an off-chip optical encoding device for step-by-step exposure.
- the off-chip optical encoding device includes multiple components, such as an eyepiece, a conductive head group, a polarizing beam splitter, an encoder, etc., which are installed through a complex connection structure.
- the HDR image synthesized by the first image information and the second image information may have brightness or/color stratification and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) drop, that is, in some scenes with complex changes in brightness and darkness, the synthesized HDR image may have the problem of partial overexposure of some pixels or partial underexposure of some pixels, and it is impossible to At the same time, some pixels that are overexposed or underexposed are compensated.
- SNR signal-to-noise ratio
- the current pixel-by-pixel exposure time control technology can achieve pixel-level dynamic range modulation to avoid overexposure or underexposure problems
- the implementation of the pixel-by-pixel exposure time control technology is too complicated and requires precise calibration between different devices. That is, the pixel-by-pixel exposure time control technology has problems such as size, power consumption, and difficulty in adjustment, which limits its application scope.
- the purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a photosensitive pixel structure, an image sensor and an electronic device that can achieve dynamic range modulation at the pixel level to avoid overexposure or underexposure, and can also solve the problems of high energy consumption, complex structure and narrow application range.
- an embodiment of the present application provides a photosensitive pixel structure, including a photosensitive unit, a photosensitive signal processing circuit, and a gain mode selection circuit;
- the photosensitive unit includes a photosensitive element for generating an initial photosensitive signal, and the photosensitive unit is connected to the photosensitive signal processing circuit;
- the gain mode selection circuit outputs a gain mode selection signal, and the gain mode selection circuit is connected to the photosensitive signal processing circuit;
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit includes a photosensitive signal reading unit and a gain processing unit, wherein the photosensitive signal reading unit is connected to the photosensitive unit to receive the initial photosensitive signal, the gain processing unit is connected to the gain mode selection circuit to receive the gain mode selection signal, and the gain processing unit is connected to the photosensitive signal reading unit;
- the gain mode selection circuit comprises a first selection subcircuit and a second selection subcircuit, the gain mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit is a first mode selection signal, and the gain mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit is a second mode selection signal;
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit determines a gain processing mode for the initial photosensitive signal according to the gain mode selection signal.
- an embodiment of the present application provides an image sensor, which includes the photosensitive pixel structure of the first aspect.
- an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device comprising the image sensor of the second aspect.
- the gain mode selection circuit can output a gain mode selection signal to the gain processing unit of the photosensitive signal processing circuit, so that the photosensitive signal processing circuit can determine the gain processing mode of the initial photosensitive signal according to the gain mode selection signal. Then, for each photosensitive pixel structure, its gain processing mode can be controlled by the gain mode selection circuit, so that the photosensitive pixel structure and the usage scenario can select the working mode corresponding to the usage scenario, realize pixel-level dynamic range modulation, and reduce overexposure or underexposure.
- the gain mode selection circuit includes a first selection subcircuit and The second selection subcircuit can realize the selection of more working modes through the first mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit and the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit.
- the gain processing mode of the initial light-sensitive signal can be adaptively adjusted, and there is no need to obtain two images for processing, which reduces energy consumption. It can also effectively reduce the problem of partial overexposure or partial underexposure of some pixels in some scenes with complex changes in brightness and darkness, and can also compensate for partial overexposure or partial underexposure at the same time.
- FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a gain mode selection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another gain mode selection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG7 is a circuit diagram of a photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG8 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG9 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG10 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG11 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG12 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG13 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG14 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG15 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG16 is a schematic diagram of another photosensitive pixel processing circuit in the photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of another photosensitive pixel processing circuit in the photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
- ground terminal may refer to the same ground terminal connected to the ground level in an actual circuit.
- the photosensitive pixel structure includes: a photosensitive unit 10 , a photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 and a gain mode selection circuit 12 ;
- the photosensitive unit 11 includes a photosensitive element 101 for generating an initial photosensitive signal, and the photosensitive unit 10 is connected to the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11;
- the gain mode selection circuit 12 outputs a gain mode selection signal, and the gain mode selection circuit 12 is connected to the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11;
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 includes a photosensitive signal reading unit 112 and a gain processing unit 111, wherein the photosensitive signal reading unit 112 is connected to the photosensitive unit 10 to receive the initial photosensitive signal, and the gain processing unit 111 is connected to the gain mode selection circuit 11 to receive the gain mode selection signal, and the gain processing unit 111 is connected to the photosensitive signal reading unit 112;
- the gain mode selection circuit 12 includes a first selection subcircuit 120 and a second selection subcircuit 121 .
- the gain mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit 120 is a first mode selection signal
- the gain mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit 121 is a second mode selection signal.
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 determines a gain processing mode for the initial photosensitive signal according to the gain mode selection signal.
- the output end of the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 is the output end of the light-sensing pixel structure.
- the first selection sub-circuit 120 receives a first initial selection signal at its input terminal and then outputs a first mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 .
- the second selection sub-circuit 121 receives a second initial selection signal at its input terminal and then outputs a second mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 .
- the gain processing unit 111 selects the corresponding gain processing mode according to the first initial selection signal outputting the corresponding first gain mode selection signal and the second initial selection signal and the second gain mode selection signal.
- the specific circuit structure of the photosensitive unit 10, the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 and the gain mode selection circuit 12 of the photosensitive unit 10 is not limited. As long as the response function is met, it is within the scope of protection of the photosensitive pixel structure provided in the embodiment of the present application.
- the gain processing mode may include three operating modes: a high gain processing mode HCG, a medium gain processing mode MCG, and a low gain processing mode LCG.
- Different combinations of the first mode selection signal and the second mode selection signal correspond to different operating modes.
- the first mode selection signal is When the signal is a high level signal and the second mode selection signal is a high level signal, it corresponds to the high gain processing mode HCG; for example, when the first mode selection signal is a low level signal and the second mode selection signal is a high level signal, it corresponds to the medium gain processing mode MCG; for example, when the first mode selection signal is a low level signal and the second mode selection signal is a low level signal, it corresponds to the high gain processing mode HCG.
- the photoelectron accumulation rate represented by the output signal of the photosensitive pixel structure is different.
- the photoelectron accumulation rate represented by the output signal of the photosensitive pixel structure is the highest (rapidly increasing), indicating that the light sensitivity of the photosensitive pixel in the high-gain processing mode HCG is the highest;
- the low-gain processing mode LCG the photoelectron accumulation rate represented by the output signal of the photosensitive pixel structure is the lowest, indicating that the light sensitivity of the photosensitive pixel in the low-gain processing mode LCG is the lowest;
- the photoelectron accumulation rate represented by the output signal of the photosensitive pixel structure is between the corresponding rates of the high-gain processing mode HCG and the low-gain processing mode LCG, indicating that the light sensitivity of the photosensitive pixel in the medium-gain processing mode MCG is between the corresponding light sensitivity of the high-gain processing mode HCG and the low-gain processing mode LCG
- the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL connected to the first mode selection signal input terminal of the first selection subcircuit 120 or the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL connected to the second mode selection signal input terminal of the second selection subcircuit 121 can be different level signals in the configuration phase and the reading phase within one frame time, or can be the same level signal, which determines the working mode of each photosensitive pixel structure according to the current usage scenario.
- the first mode selection signal and the second mode selection signal can both be a first level or a second level, for example, both can be a high level signal or a high level signal.
- the first mode selection signal input to the first mode selection signal input terminal can be different level signals in the configuration phase and the reading phase within a frame time, or can be the same level signal.
- the working mode of each pixel structure needs to be determined according to the application scenario.
- the usage scenario can be determined by the electronic device identifying the preview image of the camera, such as identifying the content of the preview image to determine whether it is highly overexposed, moderately overexposed, or underexposed. If it is highly overexposed, it is necessary to enter the low gain processing mode LCG, if it is moderately overexposed, it is necessary to enter the medium gain processing mode LCG, if it is underexposed, it is necessary to enter the high gain processing mode HCG, or identify according to the scene mode selected by the user to determine whether the low gain processing mode LCG, the medium gain processing mode LCG, or the high gain processing mode HCG is required.
- the gain mode selection circuit 12 can output a gain mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11, so that the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 can determine the gain processing mode for the initial photosensitive signal according to the gain mode selection signal. Then, for each photosensitive pixel structure, its gain processing mode can be controlled by the gain mode selection circuit 12, so that the photosensitive pixel structure and the usage scenario can select the working mode corresponding to the usage scenario, realize pixel-level dynamic range modulation, and reduce overexposure or underexposure.
- the gain mode selection circuit 12 includes a first selection subcircuit 120 and a second selection subcircuit 121, the gain mode selection signal is output through the first selection subcircuit 120. The first mode selection signal output by the second selection sub-circuit 121 and the second mode selection signal output by the second selection sub-circuit 121 can realize the selection of more working modes.
- the gain processing mode of the initial light-sensitive signal can be adaptively adjusted, and there is no need to obtain two images for processing, which reduces energy consumption. It can also effectively reduce the problem of partial overexposure or partial underexposure of some pixels in some scenes with complex changes in brightness and darkness, and can also compensate for partial overexposure or partial underexposure at the same time.
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 further includes a reset unit 113 , which is connected to the gain processing unit 111 , and is used to reset the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 .
- the reset unit 113 includes a reset transistor T3 , a reset signal input terminal, a power signal input terminal and a reset signal output terminal.
- the gate of the reset transistor T3 is used as a reset signal input terminal, and the reset signal RST is connected; the source of the reset transistor 3 is used as a power signal input terminal, and the power signal VDD is connected; the drain of the reset transistor T3 is used as a reset signal output terminal, and the transistor T1 is connected.
- the reset signal input terminal inputs the reset signal RST. For example, when the reset signal RST is at a low level, the reset transistor T3 is turned on, and the photosensitive pixel structure is reset. When the reset signal RST is at a high level, the reset transistor T3 is turned off.
- the gate of the reset transistor T3 is connected to the reset signal terminal RST, and the drain of the reset transistor T3 is used as the power signal input terminal and connected to the power signal VDD; the source of the reset transistor T3 is used as the reset signal output terminal and is connected to the transistor T1.
- the reset signal input terminal inputs the reset signal RST, such as a high level, and the reset transistor T3 is turned on to reset the photosensitive pixel structure. When the reset signal RST is at a low level, the reset transistor T3 is turned off.
- the reset signal RST controls the reset transistor T3 to be turned off.
- transistors at various positions in the embodiments of the present application can be N-type or P-type, and then electrically connected according to the N-type or P-type principles and provide corresponding on or off signals.
- the first selection subcircuit 120 has a first selection signal input terminal, a first selection signal output terminal and a first selection control signal input terminal, and the first selection signal output terminal is electrically connected to the gain processing unit 111; the first selection signal input terminal is used to access the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL, the first selection control signal input terminal is used to access the first selection control signal SEL_CLK, and the first selection signal output terminal is used to output the first mode selection signal according to the first initial selection signal under the control of the first selection control signal;
- the second selection subcircuit 121 has a second selection signal input terminal, a second selection signal output terminal and a second selection control signal input terminal, and the second selection signal output terminal is electrically connected to the gain processing unit 111; the second selection signal input terminal is used to access the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL, the second selection control signal input terminal is used to access the second selection control signal SEL_CLK, and the second selection signal output terminal is used to access the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL.
- the second mode selection signal is output according to the second initial selection signal under the control of the second selection control signal.
- the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL connected to the first selection control signal input terminal can be a constant first level signal or a square wave signal within one frame time.
- the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL is a constant first level signal
- the second mode selection signal output from the first selection signal output terminal is directly output to the input terminal of the gain processing unit 111 of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11;
- the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL is a square wave signal, and the square wave signal includes a first level signal and a second level signal, and the voltage of the first level signal is greater than the voltage of the second level signal
- the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL input to the first selection signal input terminal or the first mode selection signal obtained based on the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL can be first cached in the first mode selection circuit 11, and then the first mode selection signal is output to the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 when needed.
- the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL connected to the second selection control signal input terminal can be a constant second level signal or a square wave signal within one frame time.
- the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL is a constant second level signal
- the second mode selection signal output from the second selection signal output terminal is directly output to the input terminal of the gain processing unit 111 of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11;
- the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL is a square wave signal, and the square wave signal includes a first level signal and a second level signal, and the voltage of the first level signal is greater than the voltage of the second level signal
- the initial selection signal MCG_SEL input to the second selection signal input terminal or the second mode selection signal obtained based on the first initial selection signal MCG_SEL can be first cached in the second mode selection circuit 11, and then the gain mode selection signal is output to the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 when needed.
- the second selection sub-circuit 121 its principle is similar to that of the first selection sub-circuit 120 .
- the first selection signal input terminal of the first selection subcircuit 120 may be a gate, the first selection control signal input terminal may be a source, the first selection signal output terminal may be a drain, and the first selection signal output terminal is connected to the gate of the transistor T1.
- the first selection control signal input terminal is used to receive the first selection control signal SEL_CLK; the first selection signal input terminal is connected to the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL, and then the first selection control signal input terminal may be a first mode selection signal outputted by the first control selection signal output terminal as a high level or a low level, thereby turning on or off the transistor T1.
- the second selection signal input terminal of the second selection subcircuit 121 may be a gate, the second selection control signal input terminal may be a source, the second selection signal output terminal may be a drain, and the second selection signal output terminal is connected to the gate of the transistor T2.
- the second selection control signal input terminal is used to receive the second selection control signal SEL_CLK; the second selection signal input terminal is connected to the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL, and then the second selection control signal input terminal can control the second mode selection signal outputted from the second control selection signal output terminal to be high level or low level, thereby turning on or off the transistor T2.
- the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 is in the low gain processing mode LCG; when the transistor T1 is turned off and the transistor T2 is turned on, the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 is in the medium gain processing mode LCG. gain processing mode MCG; when the transistor T1 is disconnected and the transistor T2 is disconnected, the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 is in the high gain processing mode HCG.
- the first selection subcircuit 120 includes the aforementioned first cache element 125 with a cache function, and the first cache element 125 may be a cache capacitor C4.
- the output end of the first cache element 125 is a first selection signal output end.
- a first selection switch element 127 is added on the basis of FIG. 7 , and the first selection switch element 127 may be the transistor M1 in FIG. 8 , and then the output end of the transistor M1 is the first selection signal output end.
- the second selection subcircuit 121 includes the aforementioned second cache element 126 with a cache function, and the second cache element 126 may be a cache capacitor C3.
- the output end of the second cache element 126 is a second selection signal output end.
- a second selection switch element 128 is added on the basis of FIG. 7 , and the second selection switch element 128 may be the transistor M2 in FIG. 8 , and then the output end of the transistor M2 is the second selection signal output end.
- the first selection subcircuit 120 further includes a first cache element 125 and a first selection switch element 127 .
- the first cache element 125 is electrically connected to the first selection signal input terminal, the first cache element is electrically connected to the first selection signal output terminal, and the first cache element 126 is used to store the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL or the first mode selection signal;
- the first end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the first selection signal output end to receive the first mode selection signal, the second end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the gain processing unit 111, and the control end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the first enable control signal to output the first mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 when it is necessary to switch the gain processing mode of the initial photosensitive signal.
- the first selection switch element 127 is a transistor M1.
- a transistor M1 controlled by an enable control signal EN is provided between the output end of the cache capacitor C4 and the gain processing unit 111.
- the enable control signal EN can be kept at a low level or "0" to disconnect the transistor M1.
- the photosensitive pixel structure updates the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL or the first mode selection signal cached in the corresponding cache capacitor C4
- the required photosensitive pixel structure is determined according to the shooting requirements, and the corresponding enable control signal EN can be pulled high to output the gain mode selection signal cached in the cache capacitor C4 of the photosensitive pixel structure to the gain processing unit 111.
- the second selection switch element 128 is a transistor M2.
- a transistor M2 controlled by an enable control signal EN is set between the output end of the cache capacitor C3 and the gain processing unit 111.
- the enable control signal EN can be kept at a low level or "0" to disconnect the transistor M2.
- the photosensitive pixel structure updates the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL or the second mode selection signal cached in the corresponding cache capacitor C3
- the required photosensitive pixel structure is determined according to the shooting requirements, and the corresponding enable control signal EN can be pulled high to allow the cache capacitor cached in the photosensitive pixel structure to be fully active.
- the second mode selection signal in C3 is output to the gain processing unit 111 .
- the above process is beneficial for the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 in each photosensitive pixel structure to obtain the above two mode selection signals, and then enter the corresponding gain processing mode according to the above two mode selection signals, and then in the corresponding gain processing mode, amplify the electrical signal of the photosensitive unit 10 to read the image information.
- the enable control signal EN can be kept at a low level or "0" so that the transistor M1 and the transistor M2 are disconnected.
- the enable control signals EN corresponding to all the photosensitive pixel structures in the pixel array can be pulled high at the same time, so that the first mode selection signal cached in the cache capacitor C4 of the photosensitive pixel structure and the second mode selection signal cached in the cache capacitor C3 are output to the gain processing unit at the same time, so as to control the photosensitive signal reading unit 112 to operate in one of the high gain processing mode HCG, the medium gain processing mode MCG or the low gain processing mode LCG, which is beneficial for the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 in each pixel structure to obtain the second mode selection signal and the first mode selection signal at the same time, amplify
- the corresponding gain mode selection signal can be temporarily stored by the above two buffer elements, and then the gain mode selection signal temporarily stored by the buffer element can be outputted through the above two selection switch elements when the gain mode needs to be changed.
- the initial selection signal can be temporarily stored by the above two buffer elements, and then the initial selection signal temporarily stored by the buffer element can be adjusted to the required gain mode selection signal for output when the gain mode needs to be changed through the above two selection switch elements.
- the first selection subcircuit 120 includes a first switch element M4 and a first cache capacitor C4;
- the control end of the first switch element M4 is the first selection control signal input end, the first end of the first switch element M4 is the first selection signal input end, the second end of the first switch element M4 is electrically connected to the first end of the first cache capacitor C4, the first end of the first cache capacitor C4 is electrically connected to the first selection signal output end, and the second end of the first cache capacitor C4 is grounded.
- the first cache element 125 is a first cache capacitor C4.
- the first switch element M4 is a transistor M4, and the first cache capacitor is C4.
- the control end of the transistor M4 is the selection control signal input end SEL_CTR; the first end of the transistor M4 is the selection signal input end, receiving the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL; the second end of the transistor M4 is connected to the first end of the first cache capacitor C4, and the second end of the first cache capacitor C4 is grounded GND.
- the first mode selection signal can be stored more simply.
- the second selection sub-circuit 121 includes a second switch element M3 and a second cache circuit. Capacity C3;
- the control end of the second switch element M3 is the second selection control signal input end, the second end of the second switch element M3 is the second selection signal input end, the second end of the second switch element M3 is electrically connected to the second end of the second cache capacitor, the second end of the second cache capacitor is electrically connected to the second selection signal output end, and the second end of the second cache capacitor C3 is grounded.
- the second cache element 128 is a second cache capacitor C3 .
- the second switch element M3 is a transistor M3, and the second cache capacitor is C3.
- the control end of the transistor M3 is the selection control signal input end SEL_CTR; the second end of the transistor M3 is the selection signal input end, which receives the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL; the second end of the transistor M3 is connected to the first end of the second cache capacitor C3, and the second end of the second cache capacitor C3 is grounded GND.
- the second mode selection signal can be stored more simply.
- control signal SEL_CLK of transistor M3 and the control signal SEL_CLK of transistor M4 are pulled low, transistor M3 and transistor M4 are disconnected, and no matter how the external MCG_SEL signal and LCG_SEL signal change, the MCG_SEL signal in cache capacitor C3 and the LCG_SEL signal in cache capacitor C4 remain unchanged.
- the first selection subcircuit 120 includes a first trigger 123, and the first trigger 123 has the first selection signal input terminal D, the first selection signal output terminal Q and the first selection control signal input terminal.
- the first selection signal input terminal D is used to access the initial selection signal LCG_SEL
- the first selection control signal input terminal is used to access the first selection control signal SEL_CTR
- the first selection signal output terminal Q is used to output the first mode selection signal according to the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL under the control of the first selection control signal SEL_CTR.
- a first selection switch element 127 may be added after the first trigger 123, the first selection signal output terminal of the first trigger 123 is connected to the first terminal of the first selection switch element 127, and the second terminal of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the gain processing unit 111. Referring to FIG.
- the first trigger 123 includes the selection signal input terminal D for receiving the initial selection signal LCG_SEL, the first trigger 123 has the first selection signal output terminal Q, and the first trigger 123 has the selection control signal input terminal for receiving the selection control signal SEL_CTR.
- the first selection signal output terminal Q is connected to the input terminal of the transistor M1, and the output terminal of the transistor M1 is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- the first mode selection signal can be temporarily stored by the first trigger 123, and then the first mode selection signal temporarily stored by the first trigger 123 is output when the gain mode needs to be changed through the first selection switch element 127.
- the first initial selection signal can be temporarily stored by the first trigger 123, and then the first mode selection signal temporarily stored by the first trigger 123 is output when the gain mode needs to be changed through the first selection switch element 127.
- a first initial selection signal temporarily stored in a flip-flop 123 is adjusted to a required first mode selection signal for output operation.
- the first trigger 123 can be retained, and the first selection switch element 127 can be removed.
- the first selection signal output terminal of the first trigger 123 is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- the first trigger G1 has the selection signal input terminal D for receiving the initial selection signal DCG_SEL.
- the first trigger G1 has the first selection signal output terminal Q.
- the first trigger G1 has the first selection control signal input terminal for receiving the selection control signal SEL_CTR.
- the first selection signal output terminal Q is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- the second selection subcircuit 121 includes a second flip-flop 124 , and the second flip-flop 124 has the second selection signal input terminal D, the second selection signal output terminal Q, and the second selection control signal input terminal.
- the second selection signal input terminal D is used to access the initial selection signal LCG_SEL
- the second selection control signal input terminal is used to access the second selection control signal SEL_CTR
- the second selection signal output terminal Q is used to output the second mode selection signal according to the second initial selection signal LCG_SEL under the control of the second selection control signal SEL_CTR.
- a second selection switch element 128 may be added after the second trigger 124, and the second selection signal output terminal of the second trigger 124 is connected to the second terminal of the second selection switch element 127, and the second terminal of the second selection switch element 128 is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- the second trigger 124 includes the selection signal input terminal D for receiving the initial selection signal MCG_SEL.
- the second selection signal output terminal Q and the selection control signal input terminal are used to receive the selection control signal SEL_CTR.
- the second selection signal output terminal Q is connected to the input terminal of the transistor M2, and the output terminal of the transistor M2 is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- the second mode selection signal can be temporarily stored by the second trigger 124, and then the second mode selection signal temporarily stored by the second trigger 124 is outputted only when the gain mode needs to be changed by the second selection switch element 128.
- the second initial selection signal can be temporarily stored by the second trigger 124, and then the second initial selection signal temporarily stored by the second trigger 124 is adjusted to the required second mode selection signal for output only when the gain mode needs to be changed by the second selection switch element.
- the second trigger 124 can be retained, and the second selection switch element 128 can be removed.
- the second selection signal output terminal of the second trigger 124 is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- the second trigger G1 has the selection signal input terminal D for receiving the initial selection signal DCG_SEL.
- the second trigger G1 has the second selection signal output terminal Q.
- the second trigger G1 has the second selection control signal input terminal for receiving the selection control signal SEL_CTR.
- the second selection signal output terminal Q is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- the first trigger 123 and the second trigger 124 are used to output the gain mode selection signal, thereby realizing the selection of the gain mode.
- the first trigger 123 may be an implementation of the first cache element 125
- the second trigger 124 may be an implementation of the second cache element 126 .
- the first trigger 123 is a digital signal trigger G1, and the first trigger 123 also has a setting signal terminal S and a reset signal terminal R; when the setting signal terminal is loaded with a first level, the first mode selection signal output by the first selection signal output terminal Q makes the photosensitive signal processing circuit work in a first gain processing mode; when the reset signal terminal is loaded with a second level, the first mode selection signal output by the first selection signal output terminal Q and the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit make the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 work in a second gain processing mode.
- the first gain processing mode may be set to a low gain processing mode LCG, or may be set to a medium gain processing mode MCG or a high gain processing mode HCG.
- the image sensor containing all photosensitive pixel units can be operated in the traditional low-gain processing mode LCG, medium-gain processing mode MCG or high-gain processing mode HCG, thereby canceling the pixel-level adaptive gain mode selection function in the image sensor and fixing all photosensitive pixel structures in the image sensor in a certain gain mode, so as to cope with special shooting scenes.
- the digital signal trigger G1 may be a digital signal trigger (Data Flip-Flop, DFlip-Flop), i.e., a D signal trigger G1; the first selection signal input terminal D of the D signal trigger G1 receives the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL; the first selection control signal input terminal of the D signal trigger G1 receives the first receiving control signal SEL_CTR; the first selection signal output terminal Q of the D signal trigger G1 outputs the first mode selection signal.
- the first selection control signal input terminal may be an input terminal of a clock signal.
- the control signal SEL_CTR needs a rising edge signal (the rising edge of the clock signal, that is, the process of the signal changing from “0” to “1”).
- the external initial selection signal LCG_SEL will be cached in this D-signal flip-flop G1.
- the selection signal output terminal Q of the D-signal flip-flop G1 outputs the cached first mode selection signal LCG_SEL.
- the initial selection signal LCG_SEL outside the D-signal flip-flop G1 needs to cooperate with the control signal SEL_CTR to complete the caching of the initial selection signal LCG_SEL signal and the output of the first mode selection signal.
- the control signal SEL_CTR signal remains at "0"
- no matter how the initial selection signal LCG_SEL signal outside the D-signal flip-flop G1 changes the LCG_SEL signal cached in the D-signal flip-flop G1 remains unchanged.
- the principle of the digital signal trigger G2 is similar to that of the digital signal trigger G1, except that its initial selection signal is the aforementioned MCG_SEL.
- LCG_SEL and MCG_SEL are both high or low levels, but the two triggers may receive the same level or different levels at the same time.
- the device using the D signal trigger as the cache mode selection signal does not need to be fixed frequency. Therefore, this cache can provide a stable and power-saving mode selection signal cache function.
- the TCG selection signal cache step can be flexibly skipped by setting the signal end and resetting the signal end, which can be applied to rolling shutter or global shutter.
- the first selection sub-circuit includes a first digital signal buffer 129, the first digital signal buffer 129 has the first selection signal input terminal, the first selection signal output terminal and the first selection control signal input terminal, and a digital signal cache unit 1291 for storing the first initial selection signal or the first mode selection signal.
- the first selection signal input terminal is used for receiving an initial selection signal LCG_SEL.
- the first selection signal output terminal is used to output the gain mode selection signal LCG_SEL’.
- the first selection control signal input terminal is used to receive the selection control signal SEL_CLK, and the digital signal buffer unit 1291 is used to store the first mode selection signal.
- the initial selection signal LCG_SEL can be converted into a gain mode selection signal LCG_SEL’ through the digital signal buffer 129 for output to select the working mode.
- the second selection sub-circuit includes a second digital signal buffer, and its principle is similar to that of the first digital signal buffer 129, except that the received first initial selection signal is MCG_SEL, and the output second mode selection signal is MCG_SEL’, which will not be described in detail here.
- the first selection subcircuit 120 includes a first switch element M4 and a first cache element 125 , and the first cache element 125 is a digital signal cache unit 1291 ;
- the digital signal buffer unit 1291 includes a first switch tube M1, a second switch tube M12, a third switch tube M13, and a fourth switch tube M14;
- the control end of the first switch element M4 is the selection control signal input end SEL_CLK, the first end of the first switch element M4 is the selection signal input end LCG_SEL, the second end of the first switch element M4 is electrically connected to the first end of the first switch tube M11, and the second end of the first switch element M4 is also electrically connected to the second end of the second switch tube M12;
- the first switch tube M11 is of N type, a control end of the first switch tube M11 is electrically connected to a control end of the second switch tube M12, and a second end of the first switch tube M11 is grounded;
- the second switch tube M12 is of P type, the control end of the second switch tube M12 is electrically connected to the first end of the third switch tube M13, the first end of the second switch tube M12 is connected to the power signal, and the second end of the second switch tube M12 is electrically connected to the control end of the third switch tube M13;
- the third switch tube M13 is of N type, a first end of the third switch tube M13 is electrically connected to a second end of the fourth switch tube M14, and a second end of the third switch tube M13 is grounded;
- the fourth switch tube M14 is of P type, a control end of the fourth switch tube M14 is electrically connected to a control end of the third switch tube M14, a first end of the fourth switch tube M14 is connected to the power signal, and a second end of the fourth switch tube M14 is electrically connected to the selection control signal output end.
- the embodiment of the present application uses four transistors to realize the aforementioned cache function with a simple circuit structure. And gain mode selection signal output function.
- the first switching element M4 is a transistor M4.
- the digital signal buffer 129 includes: a transistor M4 and a digital signal buffer unit 1291; the control end (source) of the second transistor M4 is electrically connected to the first control signal input end; the first electrode of the transistor M2 is electrically connected to the first selection signal input end; the second electrode of the transistor M4 is electrically connected to the input end of the digital signal buffer unit 1291; and the output end of the digital signal buffer unit 1291 is connected to the first switching element M1 or to the gain processing unit 111.
- the initial selection signal LCG_SEL is turned on by the transistor M4 controlled by the control signal SEL_CLK, and then LCG_SEL enters the digital signal buffer unit 1291.
- the cached initial selection signal LCG_SEL is inverted to LCG_SEL' by the digital signal buffer unit 1291 and then output. Among them, if the signal of the initial selection signal LCG_SEL is "1", the signal of LCG_SEL' is "0", and vice versa.
- a first selection switch element M8 is added, the first end of the first selection switch element M8 is the first selection signal input end LCG_SEL, and the second end is connected to the first end of the first switch element M4.
- the control end of the first selection switch element M8 is the enable signal input end EN.
- a first selection switch element M8 may be further provided before the first switch element M4, and the selection switch element M8 is used to receive an enable signal to start or stop the digital signal buffer 129 from working.
- the second selection subcircuit 121 includes a second switch element M3 and a first cache element 126, and the first cache element is a digital signal cache unit.
- the second switch element M3 is similar to the first switch element M1
- the digital signal cache unit in the second selection subcircuit 121 is similar to the digital signal cache unit in the first selection subcircuit 120, which will not be described in detail.
- the first selection subcircuit 120 also includes a first selection switch element 127, a first end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the first selection signal output end to receive the first mode selection signal, a second end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the gain processing unit 112, and a control end of the first selection switch element 127 is used to access a first enable control signal to output the first mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 when it is necessary to switch the gain processing mode of the initial photosensitive signal.
- the second selection subcircuit 121 also includes a second selection switch element 128, a first end of the second selection switch element 128 is connected to the second selection signal output end to receive the second mode selection signal, a second end of the second selection switch element 128 is connected to the gain processing unit 112, and a control end of the second selection switch element 128 is used to access a second enable control signal to output the second mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 when it is necessary to switch the gain processing mode of the initial photosensitive signal.
- the first selection subcircuit 120 may only have the first cache element 125, which may be, for example, the aforementioned first cache capacitor C4, or the trigger 123, or the digital signal buffer G1, or the digital signal buffer unit 1281.
- the output end of the first cache element 125 may be directly connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- a first selection switch element 127 may be added to the above components, and the output end of the first cache element 125 may be connected to the first end of the first selection switch element 127.
- a second end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the gain processing unit 111 .
- the second selection subcircuit 121 may also have only the second cache element 126, which may be, for example, the aforementioned first cache capacitor C3, or the trigger 124, or the digital signal buffer G2, or the digital signal buffer unit 1291.
- the output end of the second cache element 126 may be directly connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- a second selection switch element 128 may be added to the above components, the output end of the cache element 121 may be connected to the first end of the second selection switch element 128, and the second end of the second selection switch element 128 may be connected to the gain processing unit 111.
- the light-sensing signal reading unit 11 includes a first storage capacitor FD, a signal amplifying element SF, and a reading switch element T5;
- the first end of the first storage capacitor FD is electrically connected to the photosensitive unit 10 to receive the initial photosensitive signal, the first end of the first storage capacitor FD is also connected to the gain processing unit 111, and the second end of the first storage capacitor FD is grounded;
- the input end of the signal amplifying element SF is connected to the first end of the first storage capacitor FD, and the output end of the signal amplifying element SF is connected to the first end of the reading switch element T5 to output the amplified light-sensing signal;
- the control end of the read switch element T5 is used to access the output control signal SEL, and the second end of the read switch element T5 is the photosensitive signal output end PIX_OUT of the photosensitive pixel structure.
- the signal amplification element SF can be a transistor or an amplifier composed of multiple transistors, such as a capacitive feedback transimpedance amplifier (CTIA) amplifier, or other amplifiers, which are not limited here.
- CTIA capacitive feedback transimpedance amplifier
- the signal amplifying element SF is an amplifying switch element
- the control end of the amplifying switch element is connected to the first end of the first storage capacitor FD
- the first end of the amplifying switch element is connected to the power supply signal VDD
- the second end of the amplifying switch element is electrically connected to the first end of the read switch element T5.
- the gate of the amplifying switch element SF is connected to the first end of the first storage capacitor FD.
- the drain of the amplifying switch element SF is connected to the power supply signal VDD, and the source of the amplifying switch element SF is electrically connected to the source of the second reading switch element M6.
- the reading switch element T5 can be a transistor T5.
- the photosensitive unit 10 further includes a second switch element T4 connected to the photosensitive element PD.
- the control end of the second switch element T4 is used to access the reading control signal TX, the first end of the second switch element T4 is electrically connected to the photosensitive element PD to receive the initial photosensitivity signal, and the second end of the second switch element T4 is connected to the photosensitivity signal reading unit 112.
- the second switch element T4 may be a sixth transistor T4 , and the second end of the sixth transistor T4 is further connected to the control end (gate) of the signal amplifying element SF.
- the photosensitive pixel structure includes a plurality of photosensitive pixel units, each of the photosensitive pixel units includes at least one photosensitive unit, and the plurality of photosensitive pixel units are connected to the same photosensitive signal reading unit.
- the photosensitive pixel structure may include N photosensitive pixel units, where N is an integer greater than 0.
- Each of the photosensitive pixel units may include 1, 4, 9, 16 photosensitive units 10, etc.
- the present application does not impose any limitation thereto.
- a synthetic pixel for a synthetic pixel, it includes a plurality of photosensitive pixel units 21, and the photosensitive pixel unit 21 includes a plurality of photosensitive units 10, so that a single color filter (Color Filter, CF) is changed from a single PD to a multi-PD combination.
- CF Color Filter
- each color is composed of four sub-pixels of the same color.
- the photosensitive pixel unit 21 includes four photosensitive units 10 , and the four photosensitive units 10 use the same set of gain mode selection circuits 12 .
- the entire 4 ⁇ 4 pixel group is a unit, that is, there are 4 photosensitive pixel units 21, each photosensitive pixel unit 21 includes 4 photosensitive units 10, and each photosensitive pixel unit 21 is connected to a photosensitive signal processing circuit. Therefore, the pixels in this 4-in-1 Bayer array all use the MCG_SEL signal and LCG_SEL signal provided by the same set of gain mode selection circuits 12. Therefore, in this 4 ⁇ 4 pixel group, only one gain mode selection circuit 11 is required.
- the gain processing unit 111 includes a first gain processing subunit 1111 and a second gain processing subunit 1112 ; the first gain processing subunit 1111 includes a second storage capacitor C2 , and the second gain processing subunit 1112 includes a third storage capacitor C1 ;
- the first gain processing subunit 1111 is connected to the first selection subcircuit 120 to receive the first mode selection signal
- the second gain processing subunit 1112 is connected to the second selection subcircuit 121 to receive the second mode selection signal.
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 selects the second storage capacitor C2 and the third storage capacitor C1 to be connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD in the photosensitive signal reading unit or selects the third storage capacitor C1 to be connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD in the photosensitive signal reading unit according to the first mode selection signal and the second mode selection signal, thereby adjusting the gain processing mode of the photosensitive signal processing circuit for the initial photosensitive signal.
- the gate of the transistor T1 included in the first gain processing subunit 1111 is connected to the drain of the transistor M1.
- the gate of the transistor T2 included in the second gain processing subunit 1112 is connected to the drain of the transistor M2.
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit selects the second storage capacitor and the third storage capacitor to be connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor in the photosensitive signal reading unit, or selects the third storage capacitor to be connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor in the photosensitive signal reading unit.
- the second storage capacitor C2 and the third storage capacitor C1 are connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD.
- the second storage capacitor C2 and the third storage capacitor C1 are connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD, it is a low gain processing mode LCG.
- the third storage capacitor C1 is connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD, it is a medium gain processing mode MCG.
- the second storage capacitor C2 and the third storage capacitor C1 are not connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD, that is, when the second storage capacitor C2, the third storage capacitor C1 and the first storage capacitor FD are all disconnected, it is a high gain processing mode HCG.
- the light-sensing signal processing circuit When the first mode selection signal is at the first level and the second mode selection signal is at the first level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the low-gain processing mode;
- the first mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit is a high level 1
- the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit is a high level 1
- T1 and T2 are turned on
- C1 and C2 are connected in parallel with FD
- the photosensitive signal is dispersed to C1 and C2
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit operates in the low gain processing mode LCG.
- the light-sensing signal processing circuit When the first mode selection signal is at the second level and the second mode selection signal is at the first level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the medium gain processing mode.
- the first mode selection signal output by the first selection sub-circuit is a low level
- the second mode selection signal output by the second selection sub-circuit is a high level 1
- T1 is disconnected
- T2 is turned on
- C1 is connected in parallel with FD
- C2 is disconnected
- the photosensitive signal is dispersed to C1
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit operates in the medium gain processing mode MCG.
- the light-sensing signal processing circuit When the second mode selection signal is at the second level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the high-gain processing mode.
- the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit in FIG. 7 is low level 0, T2 is disconnected, C1 and C2 are disconnected from the first storage capacitor FD, all photosensitive signals are amplified and output, and the photosensitive signal processing circuit operates in the high gain processing mode HCG.
- the first mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit when the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit is low level 0, the first mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit can be low level 0 or high level 0, which does not affect the disconnection of C1 and C2 from the first storage capacitor FD.
- the first mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit can be set to low level 0, so that energy consumption can be reduced.
- the first gain processing subunit 1111 further includes a first mode switching switch element T1; a control end of the first mode switching switch element T1 is connected to the first selection subcircuit 120 for accessing the first mode selection signal, a first end of the first mode switching switch element T1 is connected to a first end of the second storage capacitor C2; a second end of the first mode switching switch element is connected to the second gain processing subunit 1112;
- the second gain processing subunit 1112 also includes a second mode switching switch element T2; the control end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is connected to the second selection subcircuit 121 for accessing the second mode selection signal, the first end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is connected to the first end of the third storage capacitor C1, and the first end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is also connected to the second end of the first mode switching switch element T1; the second end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is connected to the first storage capacitor FD A first end is connected;
- a second end of the second storage capacitor C2 is grounded, a second end of the first storage capacitor FD is grounded, and a second end of the third storage capacitor C1 is grounded.
- the control end of the first mode switching switch element T1 is also connected to the first end of the cache capacitor C4. As shown in FIG8 , the control end of the first mode switching switch element T1 can be connected to the output end of the transistor M1.
- the control end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is also connected to the first end of the cache capacitor C3. The control end of the second mode switching switch element T2 can be connected to the output end of the transistor M2.
- the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 further includes a reset unit 113 , the reset unit 113 is connected to the gain processing unit 111 , and the reset unit 113 is used to reset the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 ;
- the reset unit includes a reset switch element T3, a control end of the reset switch element T3 is used to access a reset control signal RST, a first end of the reset switch element T3 is connected to a power signal, and a second end of the reset switch element T3 is connected to a first end of the first mode switching switch element T1.
- the control end of the reset switch element T3 when the control end of the reset switch element T3 is loaded with a first level (high level), the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 is reset.
- the control end of the reset switch element T3 is loaded with a second level (low level)
- the two mode selection signals output by the two selection signal output ends enable the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 to select a certain working mode.
- the reset switch element T3 is a transistor T3.
- a first transistor M1 is provided between the first node and the first selection signal output terminal.
- the first node is a connection point between the second end of M4 and the first end of C4, and a first transistor M2 is provided between the second node and the second selection signal output terminal.
- the second node is a connection point between the second end of M3 and the first end of C3.
- FIG. 9 corresponds to the pixel structure of each pixel unit in the 4-in-1 pixel array.
- the gain mode selection circuit 12 is the same, except that the photosensitive pixel unit 21 includes four photosensitive units 10 with the same structure; wherein the first photosensitive unit includes a first photodiode PD1 and a transistor M4a; the second photosensitive unit includes a second photodiode PD2 and a transistor M4b; the third photosensitive unit includes a third photodiode PD3 and a transistor M4c; the fourth photosensitive unit includes a fourth photodiode PD4 and a transistor M4d; the positive electrode of PD1 is connected to G ND; the negative electrode of PD1 is connected to the first electrode of M4a; the control electrode of PD1 is connected to the control signal TX1; the positive electrode of PD2 is connected to GND; the negative electrode of PD2 is connected to the first electrode
- a first transistor M1 is provided between the first node and the first selection signal output terminal.
- the first node is the second terminal of M4 and the first terminal of C4.
- the second node is a connection point between the second end of M3 and the first end of C3, and a first transistor M2 is provided between the second node and the second selection signal output terminal.
- the second node is a connection point between the second end of M3 and the first end of C3.
- the only difference is that the first selection subcircuit 120 in FIG. 7 is replaced with a cache element 123 including a D signal trigger G1, and the second selection subcircuit 121 is replaced with a cache element 124 including a D signal trigger G2.
- the only difference is that the first switch element M4 and the first cache capacitor C4 in the first selection subcircuit 120 in FIG. 9 are replaced with a D signal trigger G1, and the first switch element M4 and the first cache capacitor C4 in the second selection subcircuit 121 are replaced with a D signal trigger G2.
- a transistor M1 is provided between the Q output terminal of the trigger G1 and the first mode selection signal output terminal
- a transistor M2 is provided between the Q output terminal of the trigger G2 and the second mode selection signal output terminal.
- a transistor M1 is provided between the Q output terminal of the trigger G1 and the first mode selection signal output terminal
- a transistor M2 is provided between the Q output terminal of the trigger G2 and the second mode selection signal output terminal.
- the light-sensing signal processing circuit 112 can adopt the structures shown in FIGS. 7 to 14 as well as the structures shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 . As shown in FIG. 16 ,
- the positive electrode of PD is connected to the ground terminal; the negative electrode of PD is connected to the first electrode of T4; the control electrode of T4 is connected to the charge output control signal input terminal TX; the second electrode of T4 is connected to the control electrode of SF to form a first connection point; C2 and T1 are connected in series to form a first series branch; C1 and T2 are connected in series to form a second series branch; the first series branch, the second series branch and FD are connected in parallel to form a first parallel branch; the first parallel branch is connected between the first connection point and the ground terminal.
- the control electrode of T1 is connected to the second mode selection signal, and the control electrode of T2 is connected to the first mode selection signal, so that the photosensitive signal processing circuit switches the processing mode;
- the first electrode of SF is connected to the power signal input terminal VDD;
- the second electrode of SF is connected to the first electrode of T5;
- the second electrode of T5 is connected to the pixel signal output terminal PIX_OUT;
- the control electrode of T5 is connected to the pixel readout control signal input terminal SEL;
- the control terminal of T3 is connected to the reset signal input terminal RST;
- the first electrode of T3 is connected to VDD;
- the second electrode of T3 is connected to the first connection point.
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit switches between a high gain processing mode, a medium gain processing mode, and a low gain processing mode according to the first mode selection signal and the second mode selection signal output by the gain mode selection circuit.
- the photosensitive signal processing circuit when the first mode selection signal is at the first level and the second mode selection signal is at the first level, the photosensitive signal processing circuit operates in the low gain processing mode
- the light-sensing signal processing circuit When the first mode selection signal is at the second level and the second mode selection signal is at the first level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the medium gain processing mode;
- the light-sensing signal processing circuit When the first mode selection signal is at the second level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the high-gain processing mode.
- the first mode selection signal when the first mode selection signal is at the second level, no matter the first mode selection signal is at a high level or a low level, T1 and T2 are disconnected, and the light-sensing signal will not be dispersed into C1 and C2.
- the photodiode PD in the photosensitive circuit 10 senses light and performs photoelectric conversion in each frame time to generate a charge e-, which is buffered in the first storage capacitor FD (here, FD can be a floating diffusion capacitor) after passing through T4 (usually an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistor.
- T4 usually an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistor.
- the charge e- in the first storage capacitor FD will be converted into a corresponding voltage by the amplifying switch element SF (here, SF can be a source follower, that is, a common drain amplifier), and after passing through the T5 switch, it is output to the outside of the pixel structure through PIX_OUT.
- the amplifying switch element SF here, SF can be a source follower, that is, a common drain amplifier
- T3 is used to reset the first storage capacitor FD to VDD under the action of the reset control signal input by RST.
- the amplifying switch element SF is used to change the size of the first storage capacitor FD to meet the needs of different modes. Because in the high gain processing mode HCG, the voltage of the first storage capacitor FD needs to be as small as possible; and in the low gain processing mode LCG, the voltage of the first storage capacitor FD needs to be as large as possible. Therefore, by adding T1, T2 and C1, C2 in the pixel structure, by controlling the opening and closing of T1 and T2, the pixel structure is switched between the three modes of HCG, MCG and LCG.
- T1 and T2 are both in the disconnected state, and FD is responsible for taking over the charge e- transferred from PD.
- T2 is closed, and FD is connected in parallel with C1 to achieve expansion.
- T3 must remain disconnected to prevent resetting. Therefore, the charge e- transferred from PD is FD+C1.
- T1 and T2 are disconnected at the same time, and FD is connected in parallel with C1 and C2 to achieve further expansion.
- T3 must remain disconnected to prevent resetting. Therefore, the charge e- transferred from PD is FD+C1+C2.
- the essential method to realize the TCG function is to change the size of the FD capacitor as needed.
- the first level is a high level 1
- the second level is a low level 0.
- RST is a low level 0
- T3 is disconnected.
- the first mode selection signal is 1 and the second mode selection signal is 1
- T1 and T2 are turned on, C1 and C2 are connected in parallel with FD, and both disperse the charge generated by the photosensitive unit, and enter the low gain processing mode LCG.
- T1 When the first mode selection signal is 0 and the second mode selection signal is 1, T1 is disconnected, T2 is turned on, C1 is connected in parallel with FD to disperse the charge generated by the photosensitive unit, C2 is not connected in parallel with FD, and C2 does not disperse the charge generated by the photosensitive unit, and enters the medium gain processing mode MCG.
- T2 When the second mode selection signal is 0, T2 is disconnected, C1 and C2 are not connected in parallel with FD, and C1 and C2 do not disperse the charge generated by the photosensitive unit. All photosensitive signals are amplified and enter the high gain processing mode HCG. In this case, T1 is disconnected to save energy.
- the first mode selection signal when the second mode selection signal is 0, the first mode selection signal may be 0 or 1. In this case, when the first mode selection signal is 0, power consumption may be saved.
- the photosensitive pixel structure provided in the embodiment of the present application is not only applicable to a 4-in-1 pixel array, but can also be extended to a 9-in-1 and 16-in-1 pixel array, which have similar structures.
- the photosensitive pixel structure provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a CIS with four primary colors (Red, Green, Blue, White, RGBW), rather than just a CIS with a three primary color array (Red, Green, Blue, RGBW).
- the implementation methods of the photosensitive processing circuit 11 and the gain mode selection circuit 12 remain unchanged for different pixel array requirements, and only the component structure in the photosensitive circuit 10 is different.
- M1 ⁇ M14 and T1-T4 can all be Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) transistors, which can be N-type or P-type.
- MOS Metal Oxide Semiconductor
- the connection relationship between the gate, source and drain can be adjusted according to the principle of the transistor and the requirements of the circuit of the present application.
- DCG_SEL, CLK_CTL, and RST are all high level “1" (ensuring that M3, M4, T3, T1, and T2 are all turned on), and the first refresh is performed to empty the storage capacitors FD, C1, and C2; the end of the reset phase is marked by RST becoming "0", that is, T3 is disconnected.
- the PD in the photosensitive unit 10 works, senses the light signal to generate charges, and stores the charges in the inherent capacitance of the PD.
- M6 can be in an off state or in an on state.
- CLK_CTL is at a high level to refresh the actual LCG_SEL into C4, refresh the actual MCG_SEL into C3 (second refresh), and input LCG_SEL into M4 to control the on or off of M4, and input MCG_SEL into M3 to control the on or off of M3, so that the pixel structure works in the mode corresponding to the signals output by C3 and C4; when the signals output by C3 and C4 correspond to HCG, T1 and T2 are turned off, and C1 and C2 are disconnected from FD respectively; TX and SEL are both at high levels, T4 and T5 are turned on, and the charge generated by the photosensitive unit 10 is stored in the FD, and is amplified by SF and output through the output end of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11.
- T1 When the signal output by C3 and C4 corresponds to MCG, T1 is turned off, T2 is turned on, C1 is connected in parallel with FD, and C2 is disconnected from FD; TX and SEL are both high level, T4 and T5 are turned on, and the charge generated for the photosensitive unit 10 is stored in FD, amplified by SF and output through the output end of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11.
- T1 and T2 When the signal output by C3 and C4 corresponds to LCG, T1 and T2 are turned on, C1 and C2 are connected in parallel with FD respectively; TX and SEL are both high level, T4 and T5 are turned on, and the charge generated for the photosensitive unit 10 is stored in FD, amplified by SF and output through the output end of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11.
- the cache of the cache capacitors C3 and C4 has a time limit. Therefore, it must be refreshed after a certain time.
- the refresh frequency The time required for updating all pixels in the pixel array is not less than the time required for updating once.
- the time in the reset phase or the exposure phase exceeds the preset time, it is necessary to refresh as needed (re-flush the mode control signal into the control electrodes of T1 and T2); at the same time, in the reading phase, if T4 and T5 are turned on with a delay, they also need to be refreshed as needed.
- an embodiment of the present application provides an image sensor, which includes the above-mentioned pixel structure.
- an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes the above image sensor.
- the electronic devices include but are not limited to mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, vehicle-mounted terminals, wearable devices, and pedometers, etc.
- the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways.
- the device embodiments described above are only schematic.
- the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed.
- Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.
- the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.
- each functional unit in each embodiment of the present disclosure may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.
- the above embodiment method can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, or by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method.
- the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the relevant technology can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (ROM, RAM, disk, CD), including a number of instructions for enabling a terminal
- the terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) executes the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.
- modules, units, and sub-units can be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), digital signal processors (DSP), digital signal processing devices (DSPD), programmable logic devices (PLD), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units for performing the functions described in the present disclosure or a combination thereof.
- ASIC application specific integrated circuits
- DSP digital signal processors
- DSPD digital signal processing devices
- PLD programmable logic devices
- FPGA field programmable gate arrays
- the technology described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by a module (such as a process, function, etc.) that performs the functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.
- the software code can be stored in a memory and executed by a processor.
- the memory can be implemented in the processor or outside the processor.
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Abstract
Description
相关申请的交叉引用CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
本申请要求在2022年09月30日提交中国专利局、申请号为202211220462.5、申请名称为“感光像素结构、图像传感器和电子设备”,以及2023年01月18日提交中国专利局、申请号为202310077565.9、申请名称为“感光像素结构、图像传感器和电子设备”的中国专利申请的优先权,其全部内容通过引用结合在本申请中。This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on September 30, 2022, with application number 202211220462.5 and application name “Photosensitive pixel structure, image sensor and electronic device”, and the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on January 18, 2023, with application number 202310077565.9 and application name “Photosensitive pixel structure, image sensor and electronic device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application.
本申请属于图像传感器技术领域,具体涉及一种感光像素结构、图像传感器和电子设备。The present application belongs to the technical field of image sensors, and specifically relates to a photosensitive pixel structure, an image sensor and an electronic device.
随着拍摄技术的发展,图像传感器中的双增益-高动态范围(Dual Conversion Gain-High Dynamic Range,DCG-HDR)技术,也越来越受到重视。在DCG-HDR技术之后,为了进一步增加动态范围,三增益-高动态范围(Triple Conversion Gain-High Dynamic Range,TCG-HDR)技术应运而生。目前,TCG-HDR技术有如下两种思路:With the development of shooting technology, the Dual Conversion Gain-High Dynamic Range (DCG-HDR) technology in image sensors has also received more and more attention. After the DCG-HDR technology, in order to further increase the dynamic range, the Triple Conversion Gain-High Dynamic Range (TCG-HDR) technology came into being. At present, there are two ideas for TCG-HDR technology:
第一种思路:由于对于移动终端而言,受布线空间等限制,无法实现逐像素调制。因此相关技术是先对像素阵列中的每一像素结构在高转换增益(High Conversion Gain,HCG)模式下进行曝光,读取高增益处理模式HCG下的第一图像信息;再对每一像素结构在中转换增益(Middle Conversion Gain,MCG),读取中增益处理模式MCG下的第二图像信息;再对每一像素结构在低转换增益(Low Conversion Gain,LCG)模式下进行曝光,读取低增益处理模式LCG下的第三图像信息;最后通过后端的图像信号处理器(Image Signal Processor,ISP)对第一图像信息、第二图像信息和第三图像信息进行选择/裁剪/优化/合成后,输出最终的高动态范围(High Dynamic Range,HDR)图像。The first idea: Due to the limitation of wiring space and other factors, pixel-by-pixel modulation cannot be achieved for mobile terminals. Therefore, the relevant technology is to first expose each pixel structure in the pixel array in the high conversion gain (HCG) mode, and read the first image information under the high gain processing mode HCG; then expose each pixel structure in the middle conversion gain (MCG), and read the second image information under the middle gain processing mode MCG; then expose each pixel structure in the low conversion gain (LCG) mode, and read the third image information under the low gain processing mode LCG; finally, the first image information, the second image information and the third image information are selected/cropped/optimized/synthesized by the back-end image signal processor (ISP), and the final high dynamic range (HDR) image is output.
第二种思路:采用复杂的图像传感器芯片和片外光学编码器件组成复杂系统,进行逐级曝光。该片外光学编码器件包括多种组件,比如目镜、传导头像组、偏分光器、编码器等组件,通过复杂的连接结构进行安装。The second idea is to use a complex system composed of a complex image sensor chip and an off-chip optical encoding device for step-by-step exposure. The off-chip optical encoding device includes multiple components, such as an eyepiece, a conductive head group, a polarizing beam splitter, an encoder, etc., which are installed through a complex connection structure.
发明人在研究过程中发现:The inventor discovered during the research process that:
对于第一种思路,由于同时需要高增益处理模式HCG下的第一图像信息和低增益处理模式LCG下的第二图像信息(即,需要两帧图像),比较耗时,同时,需要ISP的强大的图像信号处理能力,因此也比较耗能;再者,由于ISP存在图像信号的取舍的处理缺陷,因此,通过第一图像信息和第二图形信息合成的HDR图像可能存在亮度或/色彩分层以及信噪比(Signal to Noise Ratio,SNR)落差,即,在一些亮暗变化复杂的场景中,合成的HDR图像可能存在部分像素局部过曝或部分像素局部欠曝的问题,且无法同 时对过曝的部分像素或欠曝的部分像素同时进行补偿。For the first approach, since both the first image information under the high-gain processing mode HCG and the second image information under the low-gain processing mode LCG are required (i.e., two frames of images), it is time-consuming and requires the powerful image signal processing capability of the ISP, so it is also energy-consuming. Furthermore, since the ISP has a processing defect of selecting and rejecting image signals, the HDR image synthesized by the first image information and the second image information may have brightness or/color stratification and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) drop, that is, in some scenes with complex changes in brightness and darkness, the synthesized HDR image may have the problem of partial overexposure of some pixels or partial underexposure of some pixels, and it is impossible to At the same time, some pixels that are overexposed or underexposed are compensated.
对于第二种思路,目前的逐像素曝光时间控制技术虽然实现像素级的动态范围调制,避免过曝或欠曝问题。但是由于逐像素曝光时间控制技术的实现方式过于复杂,而且,需要不同器件间的精密校准,即,逐像素曝光时间控制技术存在体积、功耗,以及调教困难等问题,导致其应用范围受限。As for the second idea, although the current pixel-by-pixel exposure time control technology can achieve pixel-level dynamic range modulation to avoid overexposure or underexposure problems, the implementation of the pixel-by-pixel exposure time control technology is too complicated and requires precise calibration between different devices. That is, the pixel-by-pixel exposure time control technology has problems such as size, power consumption, and difficulty in adjustment, which limits its application scope.
发明内容Summary of the invention
本申请实施例的目的是提供一种感光像素结构、图像传感器和电子设备,能够在实现像素级的动态范围调制,避免过曝或者欠曝,还能解决耗能高、结构复杂、应用范围窄的问题。The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a photosensitive pixel structure, an image sensor and an electronic device that can achieve dynamic range modulation at the pixel level to avoid overexposure or underexposure, and can also solve the problems of high energy consumption, complex structure and narrow application range.
第一方面,本申请实施例提供了感光像素结构,包括感光单元、感光信号处理电路和增益模式选择电路;In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a photosensitive pixel structure, including a photosensitive unit, a photosensitive signal processing circuit, and a gain mode selection circuit;
所述感光单元包括用于产生初始感光信号的感光元件,所述感光单元与所述感光信号处理电路连接;The photosensitive unit includes a photosensitive element for generating an initial photosensitive signal, and the photosensitive unit is connected to the photosensitive signal processing circuit;
所述增益模式选择电路输出增益模式选择信号,所述增益模式选择电路与所述感光信号处理电路连接;The gain mode selection circuit outputs a gain mode selection signal, and the gain mode selection circuit is connected to the photosensitive signal processing circuit;
所述感光信号处理电路包括感光信号读取单元和增益处理单元,所述感光信号读取单元与所述感光单元连接以接收所述初始感光信号,所述增益处理单元与所述增益模式选择电路连接以接收所述增益模式选择信号,所述增益处理单元和所述感光信号读取单元连接;The photosensitive signal processing circuit includes a photosensitive signal reading unit and a gain processing unit, wherein the photosensitive signal reading unit is connected to the photosensitive unit to receive the initial photosensitive signal, the gain processing unit is connected to the gain mode selection circuit to receive the gain mode selection signal, and the gain processing unit is connected to the photosensitive signal reading unit;
所述增益模式选择电路包括第一选择子电路和第二选择子电路,所述第一选择子电路输出的增益模式选择信号为第一模式选择信号,所述第二选择子电路输出的增益模式选择信号为第二模式选择信号;The gain mode selection circuit comprises a first selection subcircuit and a second selection subcircuit, the gain mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit is a first mode selection signal, and the gain mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit is a second mode selection signal;
所述感光信号处理电路根据所述增益模式选择信号确定对所述初始感光信号的增益处理模式。The photosensitive signal processing circuit determines a gain processing mode for the initial photosensitive signal according to the gain mode selection signal.
第二方面,本申请实施例提供了一种图像传感器,图像传感器包括第一方面的感光像素结构。In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an image sensor, which includes the photosensitive pixel structure of the first aspect.
第三方面,本申请实施例提供了一种电子设备,包括第二方面的图像传感器。In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device comprising the image sensor of the second aspect.
在本申请实施例中,在本申请实施例中由于设置了增益模式选择电路,所述增益模式选择电路可以输出增益模式选择信号至感光信号处理电路的增益处理单元,从而可以使所述感光信号处理电路根据所述增益模式选择信号确定对初始感光信号的增益处理模式,那么对于每个感光像素结构都可以通过增益模式选择电路控制其增益处理模式,能够使感光像素结构与使用场景,选择与使用场景对于的工作模式,实现像素级的动态范围调制,降低过曝或欠曝的情况。并且,由于增益模式选择电路包括第一选择子电路和 第二选择子电路,通过第一选择子电路输出的第一模式选择信号和第二选择子电路输出的第二模式选择信号,能够实现更多工作模式的选择。In the embodiment of the present application, since a gain mode selection circuit is provided in the embodiment of the present application, the gain mode selection circuit can output a gain mode selection signal to the gain processing unit of the photosensitive signal processing circuit, so that the photosensitive signal processing circuit can determine the gain processing mode of the initial photosensitive signal according to the gain mode selection signal. Then, for each photosensitive pixel structure, its gain processing mode can be controlled by the gain mode selection circuit, so that the photosensitive pixel structure and the usage scenario can select the working mode corresponding to the usage scenario, realize pixel-level dynamic range modulation, and reduce overexposure or underexposure. In addition, since the gain mode selection circuit includes a first selection subcircuit and The second selection subcircuit can realize the selection of more working modes through the first mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit and the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit.
并且,由于电路结构简单,能够自适应调整对初始感光信号的增益处理模式,不用获取两张图像进行处理,降低了耗能。还能够在一些亮暗变化复杂的场景中,也能降低对部分像素局部过曝或部分像素局部欠曝的问题也能有效,还能同时对过曝的部分像素或欠曝的部分像素同时进行补偿。In addition, due to the simple circuit structure, the gain processing mode of the initial light-sensitive signal can be adaptively adjusted, and there is no need to obtain two images for processing, which reduces energy consumption. It can also effectively reduce the problem of partial overexposure or partial underexposure of some pixels in some scenes with complex changes in brightness and darkness, and can also compensate for partial overexposure or partial underexposure at the same time.
图1为本申请实施例提供的一种感光像素结构的结构示意图;FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图2为本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的结构示意图;FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图3为本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的结构示意图;FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图4为本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的结构示意图;FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图5为本申请实施例提供的一种增益模式选择电路的结构示意图;FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a gain mode selection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图6为本申请实施例提供的又一种增益模式选择电路的结构示意图;FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another gain mode selection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图7为本申请实施例提供的一种感光像素结构的电路示意图;FIG7 is a circuit diagram of a photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图8为本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的电路示意图;FIG8 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图9是本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的电路示意图;FIG9 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图10为本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的电路示意图;FIG10 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图11为本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的电路示意图;FIG11 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图12为本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的电路示意图;FIG12 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图13为本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的电路示意图;FIG13 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图14为本申请实施例提供的另一种感光像素结构的电路示意图;FIG14 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图15为本申请实施例提供的又一种感光像素结构的电路示意图;FIG15 is a circuit diagram of another photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图16为本申请实施例提供的感光像素结构中又一种感光像素处理电路的示意图;FIG16 is a schematic diagram of another photosensitive pixel processing circuit in the photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;
图17为本申请实施例提供的感光像素结构中又一种感光像素处理电路的示意图。FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of another photosensitive pixel processing circuit in the photosensitive pixel structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.
下面将结合本申请实施例中的附图,对本申请实施例中的技术方案进行清楚地描述,显然,所描述的实施例是本申请一部分实施例,而不是全部的实施例。基于本申请中的实施例,本领域普通技术人员获得的所有其他实施例,都属于本申请保护的范围。The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments in the present application belong to the scope of protection of this application.
本申请中的“接地端”、“第一接地端”、“第二接地端”、“第三接地端”在实际电路中可以表示连接地电平的同一接地端子。The “ground terminal”, “first ground terminal”, “second ground terminal” and “third ground terminal” in the present application may refer to the same ground terminal connected to the ground level in an actual circuit.
本申请的说明书和权利要求书中的术语“第一”、“第二”等是用于区别类似的对象,而不用于描述特定的顺序或先后次序。应该理解这样使用的数据在适当情况下 可以互换,以便本申请的实施例能够以除了在这里图示或描述的那些以外的顺序实施,且“第一”、“第二”等所区分的对象通常为一类,并不限定对象的个数,例如第一对象可以是一个,也可以是至少两个。此外,说明书以及权利要求中“和/或”表示所连接对象的至少其中之一,字符“/”,一般表示前后关联对象是一种“或”的关系。The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way are appropriate. The terms "and/or" and "the" in the specification and claims generally refer to at least one of the connected objects, and the character "/" generally refers to an "or" relationship between the connected objects.
下面结合附图,通过具体地实施例及其应用场景对本申请实施例提供的像素结构进行详细地说明。The pixel structure provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below through specific embodiments and their application scenarios in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
本申请实施例提供了一种感光像素结构,如图1所示,该感光像素结构包括:感光单元10、感光信号处理电路11和增益模式选择电路12;The embodiment of the present application provides a photosensitive pixel structure, as shown in FIG1 , the photosensitive pixel structure includes: a photosensitive unit 10 , a photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 and a gain mode selection circuit 12 ;
所述感光单元11包括用于产生初始感光信号的感光元件101,所述感光单元10与所述感光信号处理电路11连接;The photosensitive unit 11 includes a photosensitive element 101 for generating an initial photosensitive signal, and the photosensitive unit 10 is connected to the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11;
所述增益模式选择电路12输出增益模式选择信号,所述增益模式选择电路12与所述感光信号处理电路11连接;The gain mode selection circuit 12 outputs a gain mode selection signal, and the gain mode selection circuit 12 is connected to the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11;
所述感光信号处理电路11包括感光信号读取单元112和增益处理单元111,所述感光信号读取单元112与所述感光单元10连接以接收所述初始感光信号,所述增益处理单元111与所述增益模式选择电路11连接以接收所述增益模式选择信号,所述增益处理单元111和所述感光信号读取单元112连接;The photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 includes a photosensitive signal reading unit 112 and a gain processing unit 111, wherein the photosensitive signal reading unit 112 is connected to the photosensitive unit 10 to receive the initial photosensitive signal, and the gain processing unit 111 is connected to the gain mode selection circuit 11 to receive the gain mode selection signal, and the gain processing unit 111 is connected to the photosensitive signal reading unit 112;
所述增益模式选择电路12包括第一选择子电路120和第二选择子电路121,所述第一选择子电路120输出的增益模式选择信号为第一模式选择信号,所述第二选择子电路121输出的增益模式选择信号为第二模式选择信号。The gain mode selection circuit 12 includes a first selection subcircuit 120 and a second selection subcircuit 121 . The gain mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit 120 is a first mode selection signal, and the gain mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit 121 is a second mode selection signal.
所述感光信号处理电路11根据所述增益模式选择信号确定对所述初始感光信号的增益处理模式。The photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 determines a gain processing mode for the initial photosensitive signal according to the gain mode selection signal.
感光信号处理电路11的输出端为感光像素结构的输出端。The output end of the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 is the output end of the light-sensing pixel structure.
第一选择子电路120的输入端输入第一初始选择信号,然后输出第一模式选择信号至增益处理单元111。The first selection sub-circuit 120 receives a first initial selection signal at its input terminal and then outputs a first mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 .
第二选择子电路121的输入端输入第二初始选择信号,然后输出第二模式选择信号至增益处理单元111。The second selection sub-circuit 121 receives a second initial selection signal at its input terminal and then outputs a second mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 .
然后增益处理单元111则根据第一初始选择信号输出对应的第一增益模式选择信号和所述第二初始选择信号第二增益模式选择信号选择对应的增益处理模式。Then, the gain processing unit 111 selects the corresponding gain processing mode according to the first initial selection signal outputting the corresponding first gain mode selection signal and the second initial selection signal and the second gain mode selection signal.
本申请实施例中,不对感光单元10、感光信号处理电路11和增益模式选择电路12感光单元10的具体电路结构进行限定,只要满足响应功能均在本申请的实施例提供的感光像素结构保护的范围内。In the embodiment of the present application, the specific circuit structure of the photosensitive unit 10, the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 and the gain mode selection circuit 12 of the photosensitive unit 10 is not limited. As long as the response function is met, it is within the scope of protection of the photosensitive pixel structure provided in the embodiment of the present application.
在一种可能的实施方式中,增益处理模式可以包括高增益处理模式HCG、中增益处理模式MCG、低增益处理模式LCG三种工作模式。不同的第一模式选择信号和所述第二模式选择信号的组合对应不同的工作模式。比如,第一模式选择信号为 高电平信号、第二模式选择信号为高电平信号时,对应高增益处理模式HCG;比如第一模式选择信号为低电平信号、第二模式选择信号为高电平信号时,对应中增益处理模式MCG;比如第一模式选择信号为低电平信号、第二模式选择信号为低电平信号时,对应高增益处理模式HCG。In a possible implementation, the gain processing mode may include three operating modes: a high gain processing mode HCG, a medium gain processing mode MCG, and a low gain processing mode LCG. Different combinations of the first mode selection signal and the second mode selection signal correspond to different operating modes. For example, the first mode selection signal is When the signal is a high level signal and the second mode selection signal is a high level signal, it corresponds to the high gain processing mode HCG; for example, when the first mode selection signal is a low level signal and the second mode selection signal is a high level signal, it corresponds to the medium gain processing mode MCG; for example, when the first mode selection signal is a low level signal and the second mode selection signal is a low level signal, it corresponds to the high gain processing mode HCG.
在不同的增益模式下,感光像素结构的输出信号代表的光电子数累积速率不同。例如,在高增益处理模式HCG下,感光像素结构的输出信号代表的光电子数累积速率最高(快速增加),表示在高增益处理模式HCG下的感光像素的光敏感度最高;在低增益处理模式LCG下,感光像素结构的输出信号代表的光电子累积速率最低,表示在低增益处理模式LCG下的感光像素的光敏感度最低;在中增益处理模式MCG下,感光像素结构的输出信号代表的光电子累积速率介于高增益处理模式HCG和低增益处理模式LCG对应速率之间,表示在中增益处理模式MCG下的感光像素的光敏感度介于高增益处理模式HCG和低增益处理模式LCG对应光敏感度之间。In different gain modes, the photoelectron accumulation rate represented by the output signal of the photosensitive pixel structure is different. For example, in the high-gain processing mode HCG, the photoelectron accumulation rate represented by the output signal of the photosensitive pixel structure is the highest (rapidly increasing), indicating that the light sensitivity of the photosensitive pixel in the high-gain processing mode HCG is the highest; in the low-gain processing mode LCG, the photoelectron accumulation rate represented by the output signal of the photosensitive pixel structure is the lowest, indicating that the light sensitivity of the photosensitive pixel in the low-gain processing mode LCG is the lowest; in the medium-gain processing mode MCG, the photoelectron accumulation rate represented by the output signal of the photosensitive pixel structure is between the corresponding rates of the high-gain processing mode HCG and the low-gain processing mode LCG, indicating that the light sensitivity of the photosensitive pixel in the medium-gain processing mode MCG is between the corresponding light sensitivity of the high-gain processing mode HCG and the low-gain processing mode LCG.
在一些可能的实施方式中,第一选择子电路120的第一模式选择信号输入端接入的第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL或第二选择子电路121的第二模式选择信号输入端接入的第二初始选择信号MCG_SEL均可以在一帧时间内的配置阶段和读取阶段分别为不同的电平信号,也可以为相同的电平信号,其根据当前使用场景确定每一感光像素结构的工作模式。In some possible embodiments, the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL connected to the first mode selection signal input terminal of the first selection subcircuit 120 or the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL connected to the second mode selection signal input terminal of the second selection subcircuit 121 can be different level signals in the configuration phase and the reading phase within one frame time, or can be the same level signal, which determines the working mode of each photosensitive pixel structure according to the current usage scenario.
在一些可能的实施方式中,第一模式选择信号和所述第二模式选择信号均可以为第一电平或第二电平,比如均可以为高电平信号或高电平信号。第一模式选择信号输入端输入的第一模式选择信号可以在一帧时间内的配置阶段和读取阶段分别为不同的电平信号,也可以为相同的电平信号,需要根据应用场景确定每一像素结构的工作模式。低增益处理模式LCG低增益处理模式LCG中增益处理模式LCG中增益处理模式LCG低增益处理模式LCG中增益处理模式LCGIn some possible implementations, the first mode selection signal and the second mode selection signal can both be a first level or a second level, for example, both can be a high level signal or a high level signal. The first mode selection signal input to the first mode selection signal input terminal can be different level signals in the configuration phase and the reading phase within a frame time, or can be the same level signal. The working mode of each pixel structure needs to be determined according to the application scenario. Low gain processing mode LCG Low gain processing mode LCG Medium gain processing mode LCG Medium gain processing mode LCG Low gain processing mode LCG Medium gain processing mode LCG
其中,使用场景可以由电子设备对摄像头的预览图像进行识别确定,比如对预览图像的内容进行识别,确定是其高过曝、中度过曝、欠曝,如果是高过曝则需要进入低增益处理模式LCG,如果是中度过曝则需要进入中增益处理模式LCG,如果是欠曝则需要进入高增益处理模式HCG,或者根据用户选择的场景模式进行识别,确定需要低增益处理模式LCG或者中增益处理模式LCG或者高增益处理模式HCG。Among them, the usage scenario can be determined by the electronic device identifying the preview image of the camera, such as identifying the content of the preview image to determine whether it is highly overexposed, moderately overexposed, or underexposed. If it is highly overexposed, it is necessary to enter the low gain processing mode LCG, if it is moderately overexposed, it is necessary to enter the medium gain processing mode LCG, if it is underexposed, it is necessary to enter the high gain processing mode HCG, or identify according to the scene mode selected by the user to determine whether the low gain processing mode LCG, the medium gain processing mode LCG, or the high gain processing mode HCG is required.
在本申请实施例中,由于设置了增益模式选择电路12,所述增益模式选择电路12可以输出增益模式选择信号至感光信号处理电路11的增益处理单元111,从而可以使所述感光信号处理电路11根据所述增益模式选择信号确定对初始感光信号的增益处理模式,那么对于每个感光像素结构都可以通过增益模式选择电路12控制其增益处理模式,能够使感光像素结构与使用场景,选择与使用场景对于的工作模式,实现像素级的动态范围调制,降低过曝或欠曝的情况。并且,由于增益模式选择电路12包括第一选择子电路120和第二选择子电路121,通过第一选择子电路120输 出的第一模式选择信号和第二选择子电路121输出的第二模式选择信号,能够实现更多工作模式的选择。In the embodiment of the present application, since a gain mode selection circuit 12 is provided, the gain mode selection circuit 12 can output a gain mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11, so that the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 can determine the gain processing mode for the initial photosensitive signal according to the gain mode selection signal. Then, for each photosensitive pixel structure, its gain processing mode can be controlled by the gain mode selection circuit 12, so that the photosensitive pixel structure and the usage scenario can select the working mode corresponding to the usage scenario, realize pixel-level dynamic range modulation, and reduce overexposure or underexposure. In addition, since the gain mode selection circuit 12 includes a first selection subcircuit 120 and a second selection subcircuit 121, the gain mode selection signal is output through the first selection subcircuit 120. The first mode selection signal output by the second selection sub-circuit 121 and the second mode selection signal output by the second selection sub-circuit 121 can realize the selection of more working modes.
并且,由于电路结构简单,能够自适应调整对初始感光信号的增益处理模式,不用获取两张图像进行处理,降低了耗能。还能够在一些亮暗变化复杂的场景中,也能降低对部分像素局部过曝或部分像素局部欠曝的问题也能有效,还能同时对过曝的部分像素或欠曝的部分像素同时进行补偿。In addition, due to the simple circuit structure, the gain processing mode of the initial light-sensitive signal can be adaptively adjusted, and there is no need to obtain two images for processing, which reduces energy consumption. It can also effectively reduce the problem of partial overexposure or partial underexposure of some pixels in some scenes with complex changes in brightness and darkness, and can also compensate for partial overexposure or partial underexposure at the same time.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参考图2所示,所述感光信号处理电路11还包括重置单元113,所述重置单元113与所述增益处理单元111连接,所述重置单元113用于重置所述感光信号处理电路11。In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 2 , the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 further includes a reset unit 113 , which is connected to the gain processing unit 111 , and is used to reset the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 .
参照图7,该重置单元113包括复位晶体管T3、重置信号输入端,电源信号输入端和重置信号输出端。7 , the reset unit 113 includes a reset transistor T3 , a reset signal input terminal, a power signal input terminal and a reset signal output terminal.
在第四晶体管为P型晶体管时,复位晶体管T3的栅极作为重置信号输入端,接入重置信号RST;复位晶体管3源极作为电源信号输入端,接入电源信号VDD,复位晶体管T3的漏极作为重置信号输出端,接入晶体管T1。重置信号输入端输入重置信号RST,比如重置信号RST为低电平,复位晶体管T3导通,对感光像素结构进行重置。重置信号RST为高电平时,复位晶体管T3关断。When the fourth transistor is a P-type transistor, the gate of the reset transistor T3 is used as a reset signal input terminal, and the reset signal RST is connected; the source of the reset transistor 3 is used as a power signal input terminal, and the power signal VDD is connected; the drain of the reset transistor T3 is used as a reset signal output terminal, and the transistor T1 is connected. The reset signal input terminal inputs the reset signal RST. For example, when the reset signal RST is at a low level, the reset transistor T3 is turned on, and the photosensitive pixel structure is reset. When the reset signal RST is at a high level, the reset transistor T3 is turned off.
在第四晶体管为N型晶体管时,复位晶体管T3的栅级接入重置信号端RST,复位晶体管T3漏极作为电源信号输入端,接入电源信号VDD;复位晶体管T3的源极作为重置信号输出端,与晶体管T1连接。重置信号输入端输入重置信号RST,比如高电平,复位晶体管T3导通,对感光像素结构进行重置。重置信号RST为低电平时,复位晶体管T3关断。When the fourth transistor is an N-type transistor, the gate of the reset transistor T3 is connected to the reset signal terminal RST, and the drain of the reset transistor T3 is used as the power signal input terminal and connected to the power signal VDD; the source of the reset transistor T3 is used as the reset signal output terminal and is connected to the transistor T1. The reset signal input terminal inputs the reset signal RST, such as a high level, and the reset transistor T3 is turned on to reset the photosensitive pixel structure. When the reset signal RST is at a low level, the reset transistor T3 is turned off.
后续选择感光信号处理电路11的工作模式去读取感光单元10的初始感光信号并输出的阶段中,重置信号RST控制复位晶体管T3关断。In the subsequent stage of selecting the working mode of the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 to read and output the initial light-sensing signal of the light-sensing unit 10 , the reset signal RST controls the reset transistor T3 to be turned off.
需要说明的是,本申请实施例的各个位置的晶体管都可以为N型或者P型,然后按照N型或者P型的原理进行电连接以及提供相应的导通或者关断信号。It should be noted that the transistors at various positions in the embodiments of the present application can be N-type or P-type, and then electrically connected according to the N-type or P-type principles and provide corresponding on or off signals.
在本申请的一些实施例中,所述第一选择子电路120具有第一选择信号输入端、第一选择信号输出端和第一选择控制信号输入端,且所述第一选择信号输出端与所述增益处理单元111电连接;所述第一选择信号输入端用于接入第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL,所述第一选择控制信号输入端用于接入第一选择控制信号SEL_CLK,所述第一选择信号输出端用于在所述第一选择控制信号的控制下根据所述第一初始选择信号输出所述第一模式选择信号;In some embodiments of the present application, the first selection subcircuit 120 has a first selection signal input terminal, a first selection signal output terminal and a first selection control signal input terminal, and the first selection signal output terminal is electrically connected to the gain processing unit 111; the first selection signal input terminal is used to access the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL, the first selection control signal input terminal is used to access the first selection control signal SEL_CLK, and the first selection signal output terminal is used to output the first mode selection signal according to the first initial selection signal under the control of the first selection control signal;
所述第二选择子电路121具有第二选择信号输入端、第二选择信号输出端和第二选择控制信号输入端,且所述第二选择信号输出端与所述增益处理单元电111连接;所述第二选择信号输入端用于接入第二初始选择信号MCG_SEL,所述第二选择控制信号输入端用于接入第二选择控制信号SEL_CLK,所述第二选择信号输出端用 于在所述第二选择控制信号的控制下根据所述第二初始选择信号输出所述第二模式选择信号。The second selection subcircuit 121 has a second selection signal input terminal, a second selection signal output terminal and a second selection control signal input terminal, and the second selection signal output terminal is electrically connected to the gain processing unit 111; the second selection signal input terminal is used to access the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL, the second selection control signal input terminal is used to access the second selection control signal SEL_CLK, and the second selection signal output terminal is used to access the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL. The second mode selection signal is output according to the second initial selection signal under the control of the second selection control signal.
可以理解的是,对于第一选择子电路120,第一选择控制信号输入端的接入的第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL在一帧时间内可以是恒定的第一电平信号,也可以是方形波信号。在第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL恒定为第一电平信号的情况下,第一选择信号输出端输出的第二模式选择信号直接输出到感光信号处理电路11的增益处理单元111的输入端;在第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL为方形波信号,且方形波信号包括第一电平信号和第二电平信号,第一电平信号的电压大于第二电平信号的电压的情况下,第一选择信号输入端输入的第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL或者基于第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL获得的第一模式选择信号,可以先在第一模式选择电路11中进行缓存,然后在需要的时候第一模式选择信号输出至感光信号处理电路11。It can be understood that, for the first selection subcircuit 120, the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL connected to the first selection control signal input terminal can be a constant first level signal or a square wave signal within one frame time. In the case where the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL is a constant first level signal, the second mode selection signal output from the first selection signal output terminal is directly output to the input terminal of the gain processing unit 111 of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11; in the case where the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL is a square wave signal, and the square wave signal includes a first level signal and a second level signal, and the voltage of the first level signal is greater than the voltage of the second level signal, the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL input to the first selection signal input terminal or the first mode selection signal obtained based on the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL can be first cached in the first mode selection circuit 11, and then the first mode selection signal is output to the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 when needed.
可以理解的是,对于第二选择子电路121,第二选择控制信号输入端的接入的第二初始选择信号MCG_SEL在一帧时间内可以是恒定的第二电平信号,也可以是方形波信号。在第二初始选择信号MCG_SEL恒定为第二电平信号的情况下,第二选择信号输出端输出的第二模式选择信号直接输出到感光信号处理电路11的增益处理单元111的输入端;在第二初始选择信号MCG_SEL为方形波信号,且方形波信号包括第一电平信号和第二电平信号,第一电平信号的电压大于第二电平信号的电压的情况下,第二选择信号输入端输入的初始选择信号MCG_SEL或者基于第一初始选择信号MCG_SEL获得的第二模式选择信号,可以先在第二模式选择电路11中进行缓存,然后在需要的时候增益模式选择信号输出至感光信号处理电路11。It can be understood that, for the second selection subcircuit 121, the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL connected to the second selection control signal input terminal can be a constant second level signal or a square wave signal within one frame time. In the case where the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL is a constant second level signal, the second mode selection signal output from the second selection signal output terminal is directly output to the input terminal of the gain processing unit 111 of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11; in the case where the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL is a square wave signal, and the square wave signal includes a first level signal and a second level signal, and the voltage of the first level signal is greater than the voltage of the second level signal, the initial selection signal MCG_SEL input to the second selection signal input terminal or the second mode selection signal obtained based on the first initial selection signal MCG_SEL can be first cached in the second mode selection circuit 11, and then the gain mode selection signal is output to the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 when needed.
需要说明的是,对于第二选择子电路121,其原理与第一选择子电路120类似。It should be noted that, for the second selection sub-circuit 121 , its principle is similar to that of the first selection sub-circuit 120 .
参考图7所示,第一选择子电路120的第一选择信号输入端可以为栅极,第一选择控制信号输入端可以为源极、第一选择信号输出端可以为漏极,第一选择信号输出端连接晶体管T1的栅极。第一选择控制信号输入端用于接收第一选择控制信号SEL_CLK;第一选择信号输入端接入第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL,然后第一选择控制信号输入端可以第一控制选择信号输出端输出的第一模式选择信号为高电平或者低电平,从而对晶体管T1进行导通或者关断。As shown in FIG7 , the first selection signal input terminal of the first selection subcircuit 120 may be a gate, the first selection control signal input terminal may be a source, the first selection signal output terminal may be a drain, and the first selection signal output terminal is connected to the gate of the transistor T1. The first selection control signal input terminal is used to receive the first selection control signal SEL_CLK; the first selection signal input terminal is connected to the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL, and then the first selection control signal input terminal may be a first mode selection signal outputted by the first control selection signal output terminal as a high level or a low level, thereby turning on or off the transistor T1.
第二选择子电路121的第二选择信号输入端可以为栅极,第二选择控制信号输入端可以为源极、第二选择信号输出端可以为漏极,第二选择信号输出端连接晶体管T2的栅极。第二选择控制信号输入端用于接收第二选择控制信号SEL_CLK;第二选择信号输入端接入第二初始选择信号MCG_SEL,然后第二选择控制信号输入端可以第二控制选择信号输出端的输出的第二模式选择信号为高电平或者低电平,从而对晶体管T2进行导通或者关断。The second selection signal input terminal of the second selection subcircuit 121 may be a gate, the second selection control signal input terminal may be a source, the second selection signal output terminal may be a drain, and the second selection signal output terminal is connected to the gate of the transistor T2. The second selection control signal input terminal is used to receive the second selection control signal SEL_CLK; the second selection signal input terminal is connected to the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL, and then the second selection control signal input terminal can control the second mode selection signal outputted from the second control selection signal output terminal to be high level or low level, thereby turning on or off the transistor T2.
然后,在晶体管T1和晶体管T2导通时,感光信号处理电路11处于低增益处理模式LCG;在晶体管T1断开和晶体管T2导通时,感光信号处理电路11处于中增 益处理模式MCG;在晶体管T1断开和晶体管T2断开时,感光信号处理电路11处于高增益处理模式HCG。Then, when the transistor T1 and the transistor T2 are turned on, the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 is in the low gain processing mode LCG; when the transistor T1 is turned off and the transistor T2 is turned on, the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 is in the medium gain processing mode LCG. gain processing mode MCG; when the transistor T1 is disconnected and the transistor T2 is disconnected, the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 is in the high gain processing mode HCG.
需要说明的是,参照图3和图7,第一选择子电路120包括前述具有缓存功能的第一缓存元件125,该第一缓存元件125可以是缓存电容C4。第一缓存元件125的输出端为第一选择信号输出端。参照图8所示,相对于图7,其在图7的基础上添加了第一选择开关元件127,第一选择开关元件127可以为图8中的晶体管M1,然后晶体管M1的输出端为第一选择信号输出端。It should be noted that, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 , the first selection subcircuit 120 includes the aforementioned first cache element 125 with a cache function, and the first cache element 125 may be a cache capacitor C4. The output end of the first cache element 125 is a first selection signal output end. Referring to FIG. 8 , relative to FIG. 7 , a first selection switch element 127 is added on the basis of FIG. 7 , and the first selection switch element 127 may be the transistor M1 in FIG. 8 , and then the output end of the transistor M1 is the first selection signal output end.
需要说明的是,参照图3和图7,第二选择子电路121包括前述具有缓存功能的第二缓存元件126,该第二缓存元件126可以是缓存电容C3。第二缓存元件126的输出端为第二选择信号输出端。参照图8所示,相对于图7,其在图7的基础上添加了第二选择开关元件128,第二选择开关元件128可以为图8中的晶体管M2,然后晶体管M2的输出端为第二选择信号输出端。It should be noted that, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 , the second selection subcircuit 121 includes the aforementioned second cache element 126 with a cache function, and the second cache element 126 may be a cache capacitor C3. The output end of the second cache element 126 is a second selection signal output end. Referring to FIG. 8 , relative to FIG. 7 , a second selection switch element 128 is added on the basis of FIG. 7 , and the second selection switch element 128 may be the transistor M2 in FIG. 8 , and then the output end of the transistor M2 is the second selection signal output end.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图3、所述第一选择子电路120还包括第一缓存元件125和第一选择开关元件127,In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 3 , the first selection subcircuit 120 further includes a first cache element 125 and a first selection switch element 127 .
所述第一缓存元件125与所述第一选择信号输入端电连接,所述第一缓存元件与所述第一选择信号输出端电连接,所述第一缓存元126件用于存储所述第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL或所述第一模式选择信号;The first cache element 125 is electrically connected to the first selection signal input terminal, the first cache element is electrically connected to the first selection signal output terminal, and the first cache element 126 is used to store the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL or the first mode selection signal;
所述第一选择开关元件127的第一端与所述第一选择信号输出端连接以接收所述第一模式选择信号,所述第一选择开关元件127的第二端与所述增益处理单元111连接,所述第一选择开关元件127的控制端接入第一使能控制信号,以在需要切换所述初始感光信号的增益处理模式时向所述增益处理单元111输出所述第一模式选择信号。The first end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the first selection signal output end to receive the first mode selection signal, the second end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the gain processing unit 111, and the control end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the first enable control signal to output the first mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 when it is necessary to switch the gain processing mode of the initial photosensitive signal.
可以理解的是,如图8第一选择开关元件127为晶体管M1。在缓存电容C4的输出端与增益处理单元111之间设置由使能控制信号EN控制的晶体管M1,当感光像素结构在读取阶段正在进行增益模式选择信号的更新时,可以将使能控制信号EN保持低电平或“0”使得晶体管M1断开。当感光像素结构更新完对应缓存电容C4中缓存的第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL或所述第一模式选择信号后,根据拍摄需求确定需要的感光像素结构,可以将对应的使能控制信号EN拉高,让缓存在该感光像素结构的缓存电容C4中的增益模式选择信号输出至增益处理单元111。It can be understood that, as shown in FIG8 , the first selection switch element 127 is a transistor M1. A transistor M1 controlled by an enable control signal EN is provided between the output end of the cache capacitor C4 and the gain processing unit 111. When the photosensitive pixel structure is updating the gain mode selection signal in the reading phase, the enable control signal EN can be kept at a low level or "0" to disconnect the transistor M1. After the photosensitive pixel structure updates the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL or the first mode selection signal cached in the corresponding cache capacitor C4, the required photosensitive pixel structure is determined according to the shooting requirements, and the corresponding enable control signal EN can be pulled high to output the gain mode selection signal cached in the cache capacitor C4 of the photosensitive pixel structure to the gain processing unit 111.
如图8第二选择开关元件128为晶体管M2。在缓存电容C3的输出端与增益处理单元111之间设置由使能控制信号EN控制的晶体管M2,当感光像素结构在读取阶段正在进行增益模式选择信号的更新时,可以将使能控制信号EN保持低电平或“0”使得晶体管M2断开。当感光像素结构更新完对应缓存电容C3中缓存的第二初始选择信号MCG_SEL或所述第二模式选择信号后,根据拍摄需求确定需要的感光像素结构,可以将对应的使能控制信号EN拉高,让缓存在该感光像素结构的缓存电容 C3中的第二模式选择信号输出至增益处理单元111。As shown in Figure 8, the second selection switch element 128 is a transistor M2. A transistor M2 controlled by an enable control signal EN is set between the output end of the cache capacitor C3 and the gain processing unit 111. When the photosensitive pixel structure is updating the gain mode selection signal in the reading phase, the enable control signal EN can be kept at a low level or "0" to disconnect the transistor M2. After the photosensitive pixel structure updates the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL or the second mode selection signal cached in the corresponding cache capacitor C3, the required photosensitive pixel structure is determined according to the shooting requirements, and the corresponding enable control signal EN can be pulled high to allow the cache capacitor cached in the photosensitive pixel structure to be fully active. The second mode selection signal in C3 is output to the gain processing unit 111 .
上述过程有利于每一感光像素结构中的感光信号处理电路11获得上述两个模式选择信号,然后根据上述两个模式选择信号进入相应的增益处理模式,然后在相应增益处理模式下,对感光单元10的电信号进行放大处理,进行图像信息读取。The above process is beneficial for the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 in each photosensitive pixel structure to obtain the above two mode selection signals, and then enter the corresponding gain processing mode according to the above two mode selection signals, and then in the corresponding gain processing mode, amplify the electrical signal of the photosensitive unit 10 to read the image information.
当然,可以在像素阵列中的每一感光像素结构在读取阶段正在进行增益模式选择信号的更新时,可以将使能控制信号EN保持低电平或“0”使得晶体管M1和晶体管M2断开。当像素阵列中的像素结构均更新完对应缓存电容C4中缓存的第一模式选择信号和缓存电容C3中缓存的第二模式选择信号,可以将像素阵列的所有感光像素结构对应的使能控制信号EN同时拉高,让缓存在该感光像素结构的缓存电容C4中缓存的第一模式选择信号和缓存电容C3中缓存的第二模式选择信号同时输出至增益处理单元,以控制感光信号读取单元112工作于高增益处理模式HCG、中增益处理模式MCG或低增益处理模式LCG中的一种,有利于每一像素结构中的感光信号处理电路11同时获得第二模式选择信号和第一模式选择信号,同时对感光单元的电信号进行放大处理,同时进行图像信息读取,实现互补金属氧化物半导体(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor,CMOS)图像传感器(CMOS Image Sensor,CIS)的全局快门。Of course, when each photosensitive pixel structure in the pixel array is updating the gain mode selection signal in the reading phase, the enable control signal EN can be kept at a low level or "0" so that the transistor M1 and the transistor M2 are disconnected. When the pixel structures in the pixel array have updated the first mode selection signal cached in the corresponding cache capacitor C4 and the second mode selection signal cached in the cache capacitor C3, the enable control signals EN corresponding to all the photosensitive pixel structures in the pixel array can be pulled high at the same time, so that the first mode selection signal cached in the cache capacitor C4 of the photosensitive pixel structure and the second mode selection signal cached in the cache capacitor C3 are output to the gain processing unit at the same time, so as to control the photosensitive signal reading unit 112 to operate in one of the high gain processing mode HCG, the medium gain processing mode MCG or the low gain processing mode LCG, which is beneficial for the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 in each pixel structure to obtain the second mode selection signal and the first mode selection signal at the same time, amplify the electrical signal of the photosensitive unit, and read the image information at the same time, so as to realize the global shutter of the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor (CIS).
需要说明的是,通过上述方式,可以通过上述两个缓存元件暂存相应的增益模式选择信号,然后通过上述两个选择开关元件在需要更改增益模式的时候才将缓存元件暂存的益模式选择信号进行输出操作。或者通过上述方式,可以通过上述两个缓存元件暂存初始选择信号,然后通过上述两个选择开关元件在需要更改增益模式的时候才将缓存元件暂存的初始选择信号调整为需要的增益模式选择信号进行输出操作。It should be noted that, through the above method, the corresponding gain mode selection signal can be temporarily stored by the above two buffer elements, and then the gain mode selection signal temporarily stored by the buffer element can be outputted through the above two selection switch elements when the gain mode needs to be changed. Alternatively, through the above method, the initial selection signal can be temporarily stored by the above two buffer elements, and then the initial selection signal temporarily stored by the buffer element can be adjusted to the required gain mode selection signal for output when the gain mode needs to be changed through the above two selection switch elements.
在本申请的一些实施例中,所述第一选择子电路120包括第一开关元件M4和第一缓存电容C4;In some embodiments of the present application, the first selection subcircuit 120 includes a first switch element M4 and a first cache capacitor C4;
所述第一开关元件M4的控制端为所述第一选择控制信号输入端,所述第一开关元件M4的第一端为所述第一选择信号输入端,所述第一开关元件M4的第二端电连接所述第一缓存电容C4的第一端,所述第一缓存电容C4的第一端电连接所述第一选择信号输出端,所述第一缓存电容C4的第二端接地。The control end of the first switch element M4 is the first selection control signal input end, the first end of the first switch element M4 is the first selection signal input end, the second end of the first switch element M4 is electrically connected to the first end of the first cache capacitor C4, the first end of the first cache capacitor C4 is electrically connected to the first selection signal output end, and the second end of the first cache capacitor C4 is grounded.
需要说明的是,在本实施例中,第一缓存元件125为第一缓存电容C4。It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the first cache element 125 is a first cache capacitor C4.
如图7,第一开关元件M4为晶体管M4,第一缓存电容为C4。晶体管M4的控制端为选择控制信号输入端SEL_CTR;晶体管M4的第一端为选择信号输入端,接收第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL;晶体管M4的第二端与第一缓存电容C4的第一端连接,第一缓存电容C4的第二端接地GND。通过缓存电容的方式,可以更简单的暂存第一模式选择信号。As shown in FIG7 , the first switch element M4 is a transistor M4, and the first cache capacitor is C4. The control end of the transistor M4 is the selection control signal input end SEL_CTR; the first end of the transistor M4 is the selection signal input end, receiving the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL; the second end of the transistor M4 is connected to the first end of the first cache capacitor C4, and the second end of the first cache capacitor C4 is grounded GND. By means of the cache capacitor, the first mode selection signal can be stored more simply.
需要说明的是,所述第二选择子电路121包括第二开关元件M3和第二缓存电 容C3;It should be noted that the second selection sub-circuit 121 includes a second switch element M3 and a second cache circuit. Capacity C3;
所述第二开关元件M3的控制端为所述第二选择控制信号输入端,所述第二开关元件M3的第二端为所述第二选择信号输入端,所述第二开关元件M3的第二端电连接所述第二缓存电容的第二端,所述第二缓存电容的第二端电连接所述第二选择信号输出端,所述第二缓存电容C3的第二端接地。The control end of the second switch element M3 is the second selection control signal input end, the second end of the second switch element M3 is the second selection signal input end, the second end of the second switch element M3 is electrically connected to the second end of the second cache capacitor, the second end of the second cache capacitor is electrically connected to the second selection signal output end, and the second end of the second cache capacitor C3 is grounded.
需要说明的是,第二缓存元件128为第二缓存电容C3。It should be noted that the second cache element 128 is a second cache capacitor C3 .
如图7,第二开关元件M3为晶体管M3,第二缓存电容为C3。晶体管M3的控制端为选择控制信号输入端SEL_CTR;晶体管M3的第二端为选择信号输入端,接收第二初始选择信号MCG_SEL;晶体管M3的第二端与第二缓存电容C3的第一端连接,第二缓存电容C3的第二端接地GND。通过缓存电容的方式,可以更简单的暂存第二模式选择信号。图7中,如果要改变或更新缓存电容C3中缓存的MCG_SEL信号,则需要拉高晶体管M3的控制信号SEL_CLK,使得M3闭合,更新的MCG_SEL信号进入缓存电容C3;如果要改变或更新缓存电容C4中缓存的LCG_SEL信号,则需要拉高晶体管M4的控制信号SEL_CLK,使得M4闭合,更新的LCG_SEL信号进入缓存电容C4。如果拉低晶体管M3的控制信号SEL_CLK、晶体管M4的控制信号SEL_CLK,则晶体管M3和晶体管M4断开,不论外部的MCG_SEL信号和LCG_SEL信号如何变换,缓存电容C3中的MCG_SEL信号和缓存电容C4中的LCG_SEL信号保持不变。As shown in Figure 7, the second switch element M3 is a transistor M3, and the second cache capacitor is C3. The control end of the transistor M3 is the selection control signal input end SEL_CTR; the second end of the transistor M3 is the selection signal input end, which receives the second initial selection signal MCG_SEL; the second end of the transistor M3 is connected to the first end of the second cache capacitor C3, and the second end of the second cache capacitor C3 is grounded GND. By means of a cache capacitor, the second mode selection signal can be stored more simply. In Figure 7, if the MCG_SEL signal cached in the cache capacitor C3 is to be changed or updated, the control signal SEL_CLK of the transistor M3 needs to be pulled high, so that M3 is closed, and the updated MCG_SEL signal enters the cache capacitor C3; if the LCG_SEL signal cached in the cache capacitor C4 is to be changed or updated, the control signal SEL_CLK of the transistor M4 needs to be pulled high, so that M4 is closed, and the updated LCG_SEL signal enters the cache capacitor C4. If the control signal SEL_CLK of transistor M3 and the control signal SEL_CLK of transistor M4 are pulled low, transistor M3 and transistor M4 are disconnected, and no matter how the external MCG_SEL signal and LCG_SEL signal change, the MCG_SEL signal in cache capacitor C3 and the LCG_SEL signal in cache capacitor C4 remain unchanged.
在本申请的一些实施例中,所述第一选择子电路120包括第一触发器123,所述第一触发器123具有所述第一选择信号输入端D、所述第一选择信号输出端Q和所述第一选择控制信号输入端。In some embodiments of the present application, the first selection subcircuit 120 includes a first trigger 123, and the first trigger 123 has the first selection signal input terminal D, the first selection signal output terminal Q and the first selection control signal input terminal.
所述第一选择信号输入端D用于接入初始选择信号LCG_SEL,第一选择控制信号输入端用于接入第一选择控制信号SEL_CTR,所述第一选择信号输出端Q用于在所述第一选择控制信号SEL_CTR的控制下根据所述第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL输出所述第一模式选择信号。可选的,参照图5,在第一触发器123之后也可以增加第一选择开关元件127,第一触发器123的第一选择信号输出端与第一选择开关元件127的第一端连接,第一选择开关元件127的第二端连接增益处理单元111。参照图13,该第一触发器123包括了具有所述选择信号输入端D,用于接收初始选择信号LCG_SEL,第一触发器123具有所述第一选择信号输出端Q,第一触发器123具有所述选择控制信号输入端,用于接收选择控制信号SEL_CTR。第一选择信号输出端Q与晶体管M1的输入端连接,晶体管M1的输出端连接增益处理单元111。The first selection signal input terminal D is used to access the initial selection signal LCG_SEL, the first selection control signal input terminal is used to access the first selection control signal SEL_CTR, and the first selection signal output terminal Q is used to output the first mode selection signal according to the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL under the control of the first selection control signal SEL_CTR. Optionally, referring to FIG. 5, a first selection switch element 127 may be added after the first trigger 123, the first selection signal output terminal of the first trigger 123 is connected to the first terminal of the first selection switch element 127, and the second terminal of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the gain processing unit 111. Referring to FIG. 13, the first trigger 123 includes the selection signal input terminal D for receiving the initial selection signal LCG_SEL, the first trigger 123 has the first selection signal output terminal Q, and the first trigger 123 has the selection control signal input terminal for receiving the selection control signal SEL_CTR. The first selection signal output terminal Q is connected to the input terminal of the transistor M1, and the output terminal of the transistor M1 is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
在本申请实施例中,可以通过第一触发器123暂存第一模式选择信号,然后通过第一选择开关元件127在需要更改增益模式的时候才将第一触发器123暂存的第一模式选择信号进行输出操作。或者通过上述方式,可以通过第一触发器123暂存第一初始选择信号,然后通过第一选择开关元件在需要更改增益模式的时候才将第 一触发器123暂存的第一始选择信号调整为需要的第一模式选择信号进行输出操作。In the embodiment of the present application, the first mode selection signal can be temporarily stored by the first trigger 123, and then the first mode selection signal temporarily stored by the first trigger 123 is output when the gain mode needs to be changed through the first selection switch element 127. Alternatively, the first initial selection signal can be temporarily stored by the first trigger 123, and then the first mode selection signal temporarily stored by the first trigger 123 is output when the gain mode needs to be changed through the first selection switch element 127. A first initial selection signal temporarily stored in a flip-flop 123 is adjusted to a required first mode selection signal for output operation.
在本申请一种实施例中,可以保留第一触发器123,去掉第一选择开关元件127,第一触发器123的第一选择信号输出端连接增益处理单元111。参照图11,该第一触发器G1具有所述选择信号输入端D,用于接收初始选择信号DCG_SEL。该第一触发器G1具有所述第一选择信号输出端Q。该第一触发器G1具有所述第一选择控制信号输入端,用于接收选择控制信号SEL_CTR。第一选择信号输出端Q与增益处理单元111连接。In one embodiment of the present application, the first trigger 123 can be retained, and the first selection switch element 127 can be removed. The first selection signal output terminal of the first trigger 123 is connected to the gain processing unit 111. Referring to FIG. 11, the first trigger G1 has the selection signal input terminal D for receiving the initial selection signal DCG_SEL. The first trigger G1 has the first selection signal output terminal Q. The first trigger G1 has the first selection control signal input terminal for receiving the selection control signal SEL_CTR. The first selection signal output terminal Q is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
在一些实施例中,所述第二选择子电路121包括第二触发器124,所述第二触发器124具有所述第二选择信号输入端D、所述第二选择信号输出端Q和所述第二选择控制信号输入端。In some embodiments, the second selection subcircuit 121 includes a second flip-flop 124 , and the second flip-flop 124 has the second selection signal input terminal D, the second selection signal output terminal Q, and the second selection control signal input terminal.
所述第二选择信号输入端D用于接入初始选择信号LCG_SEL,第二选择控制信号输入端用于接入第二选择控制信号SEL_CTR,所述第二选择信号输出端Q用于在所述第二选择控制信号SEL_CTR的控制下根据所述第二初始选择信号LCG_SEL输出所述第二模式选择信号。The second selection signal input terminal D is used to access the initial selection signal LCG_SEL, the second selection control signal input terminal is used to access the second selection control signal SEL_CTR, and the second selection signal output terminal Q is used to output the second mode selection signal according to the second initial selection signal LCG_SEL under the control of the second selection control signal SEL_CTR.
可选的,参照图5,在第二触发器124之后也可以增加第二选择开关元件128,第二触发器124的第二选择信号输出端与第二选择开关元件127的第二端连接,第二选择开关元件128的第二端连接增益处理单元111。参照图13,该第二触发器124包括了具有所述选择信号输入端D,用于接收初始选择信号MCG_SEL。所述第二选择信号输出端Q和所述选择控制信号输入端,用于接收选择控制信号SEL_CTR。第二选择信号输出端Q与晶体管M2的输入端连接,晶体管M2的输出端连接增益处理单元111。Optionally, referring to FIG5 , a second selection switch element 128 may be added after the second trigger 124, and the second selection signal output terminal of the second trigger 124 is connected to the second terminal of the second selection switch element 127, and the second terminal of the second selection switch element 128 is connected to the gain processing unit 111. Referring to FIG13 , the second trigger 124 includes the selection signal input terminal D for receiving the initial selection signal MCG_SEL. The second selection signal output terminal Q and the selection control signal input terminal are used to receive the selection control signal SEL_CTR. The second selection signal output terminal Q is connected to the input terminal of the transistor M2, and the output terminal of the transistor M2 is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
在本申请实施例中,可以通过第二触发器124暂存第二模式选择信号,然后通过第二选择开关元件128在需要更改增益模式的时候才将第二触发器124暂存的第二模式选择信号进行输出操作。或者通过上述方式,可以通过第二触发器124暂存第二初始选择信号,然后通过第二选择开关元件在需要更改增益模式的时候才将第二触发器124暂存的第二始选择信号调整为需要的第二模式选择信号进行输出操作。In the embodiment of the present application, the second mode selection signal can be temporarily stored by the second trigger 124, and then the second mode selection signal temporarily stored by the second trigger 124 is outputted only when the gain mode needs to be changed by the second selection switch element 128. Alternatively, in the above manner, the second initial selection signal can be temporarily stored by the second trigger 124, and then the second initial selection signal temporarily stored by the second trigger 124 is adjusted to the required second mode selection signal for output only when the gain mode needs to be changed by the second selection switch element.
在本申请一种实施例中,可以保留第二触发器124,去掉第二选择开关元件128,第二触发器124的第二选择信号输出端连接增益处理单元111。参照图11,该第二触发器G1具有所述选择信号输入端D,用于接收初始选择信号DCG_SEL。该第二触发器G1具有所述第二选择信号输出端Q。该第二触发器G1具有所述第二选择控制信号输入端,用于接收选择控制信号SEL_CTR。第二选择信号输出端Q与增益处理单元111连接。In one embodiment of the present application, the second trigger 124 can be retained, and the second selection switch element 128 can be removed. The second selection signal output terminal of the second trigger 124 is connected to the gain processing unit 111. Referring to FIG. 11, the second trigger G1 has the selection signal input terminal D for receiving the initial selection signal DCG_SEL. The second trigger G1 has the second selection signal output terminal Q. The second trigger G1 has the second selection control signal input terminal for receiving the selection control signal SEL_CTR. The second selection signal output terminal Q is connected to the gain processing unit 111.
在本申请实施例中,采用第一触发器123和第二触发器124的方式,也能够实现增益模式选择信号的输出,从而实现增益模式的选择。In the embodiment of the present application, the first trigger 123 and the second trigger 124 are used to output the gain mode selection signal, thereby realizing the selection of the gain mode.
在本申请实施例中,第一触发器123可以为前述第一缓存元件125的一种实现 方式。第二触发器124可以为前述第二缓存元件126的一种实现方式。In the embodiment of the present application, the first trigger 123 may be an implementation of the first cache element 125 The second trigger 124 may be an implementation of the second cache element 126 .
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图11,所述第一触发器123为数字信号触发器G1,所述第一触发器123还具有设置信号端S和重置信号端R;所述设置信号端加载第一电平的情况下,所述第一选择信号输出端Q输出的所述第一模式选择信号使所述感光信号处理电路工作于第一增益处理模式;所述重置信号端加载第二电平的情况下,所述第一选择信号输出端Q输出的所述第一模式选择信号和所述第二选择子电路输出的第二模式选择信号使所述感光信号处理电路11工作于第二增益处理模式。In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 11, the first trigger 123 is a digital signal trigger G1, and the first trigger 123 also has a setting signal terminal S and a reset signal terminal R; when the setting signal terminal is loaded with a first level, the first mode selection signal output by the first selection signal output terminal Q makes the photosensitive signal processing circuit work in a first gain processing mode; when the reset signal terminal is loaded with a second level, the first mode selection signal output by the first selection signal output terminal Q and the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit make the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 work in a second gain processing mode.
其中,第一增益处理模式可以设置为低增益处理模式LCG,也可以设置为中增益处理模式MCG或高增益处理模式HCG。The first gain processing mode may be set to a low gain processing mode LCG, or may be set to a medium gain processing mode MCG or a high gain processing mode HCG.
通过对所有感光像素单元内触发器的设置信号端S加载相同控制信号并对所有感光像素单元内触发器的重置信号端R加载相同控制信号,可以使包含所有感光像素单元的图像传感器工作于传统的低增益处理模式LCG、中增益处理模式MCG或高增益处理模式HCG,从而取消图像传感器中像素级的自适应增益模式选择功能,使图像传感器内得所有感光像素结构固定于某个增益模式下,从而可以应对特殊的拍摄场景。By loading the same control signal to the setting signal terminal S of the trigger in all photosensitive pixel units and loading the same control signal to the reset signal terminal R of the trigger in all photosensitive pixel units, the image sensor containing all photosensitive pixel units can be operated in the traditional low-gain processing mode LCG, medium-gain processing mode MCG or high-gain processing mode HCG, thereby canceling the pixel-level adaptive gain mode selection function in the image sensor and fixing all photosensitive pixel structures in the image sensor in a certain gain mode, so as to cope with special shooting scenes.
在本申请的一些实施例中,该数字信号触发器G1可以为数字信号触发器(Data Flip-Flop,DFlip-Flop)即D信号触发器G1;D信号触发器G1的第一选择信号输入端D接收第一初始选择信号LCG_SEL;D信号触发器G1的第一选择控制信号输入端接第一收控制信号SEL_CTR;D信号触发器G1的第一选择信号输出端Q输出第一模式选择信号。其中,第一选择控制信号输入端可以为时钟信号的输入端。In some embodiments of the present application, the digital signal trigger G1 may be a digital signal trigger (Data Flip-Flop, DFlip-Flop), i.e., a D signal trigger G1; the first selection signal input terminal D of the D signal trigger G1 receives the first initial selection signal LCG_SEL; the first selection control signal input terminal of the D signal trigger G1 receives the first receiving control signal SEL_CTR; the first selection signal output terminal Q of the D signal trigger G1 outputs the first mode selection signal. Among them, the first selection control signal input terminal may be an input terminal of a clock signal.
基于D信号触发器G1的工作原理可知,如果需要缓存LCG_SEL信号,则控制信号SEL_CTR需要一个上升沿信号(时钟信号的上升沿,即信号由“0”变成“1”的过程)。此时,外部的初始选择信号LCG_SEL将被缓存进此D信号触发器G1中。当第一控制信号SEL_CTR信号提供一个下降沿信号时(时钟信号的下降沿,即信号由“1”变成“0”的过程),则D信号触发器G1的选择信号输出端Q输出缓存的第一模式选择信号LCG_SEL。D信号触发器G1外部的初始选择信号LCG_SEL与控制信号SEL_CTR需要配合,完成初始选择信号LCG_SEL信号的缓存与第一模式选择信号输出。当控制信号SEL_CTR信号保持为“0”时,不论D信号触发器G1外部的初始选择信号LCG_SEL信号如何改变,缓存在D信号触发器G1中的LCG_SEL信号保持不变。Based on the working principle of the D-signal flip-flop G1, it can be known that if the LCG_SEL signal needs to be cached, the control signal SEL_CTR needs a rising edge signal (the rising edge of the clock signal, that is, the process of the signal changing from "0" to "1"). At this time, the external initial selection signal LCG_SEL will be cached in this D-signal flip-flop G1. When the first control signal SEL_CTR signal provides a falling edge signal (the falling edge of the clock signal, that is, the process of the signal changing from "1" to "0"), the selection signal output terminal Q of the D-signal flip-flop G1 outputs the cached first mode selection signal LCG_SEL. The initial selection signal LCG_SEL outside the D-signal flip-flop G1 needs to cooperate with the control signal SEL_CTR to complete the caching of the initial selection signal LCG_SEL signal and the output of the first mode selection signal. When the control signal SEL_CTR signal remains at "0", no matter how the initial selection signal LCG_SEL signal outside the D-signal flip-flop G1 changes, the LCG_SEL signal cached in the D-signal flip-flop G1 remains unchanged.
需要说明的是数字信号触发器G2的原理与数字信号触发器G1类似,不同之处在于,其初始选择信号为前述MCG_SEL。而LCG_SEL和MCG_SEL都是高电平或低电平,只是两个触发器同一时刻收到的可能都是相同的电平,也可能是不同的电平。此外,使用D信号触发器作为缓存模式选择信号的器件,不需要进行固定频率 的刷新。因此此种缓存可以提供稳定且省电的模式选择信号缓存功能。再者,对于无自适应TCG-HDR需求的应用,可以通过设置信号端和重置信号端灵活的跳过TCG选择信号缓存步骤,可以适用于卷帘快门或全局快门。It should be noted that the principle of the digital signal trigger G2 is similar to that of the digital signal trigger G1, except that its initial selection signal is the aforementioned MCG_SEL. LCG_SEL and MCG_SEL are both high or low levels, but the two triggers may receive the same level or different levels at the same time. In addition, the device using the D signal trigger as the cache mode selection signal does not need to be fixed frequency. Therefore, this cache can provide a stable and power-saving mode selection signal cache function. Furthermore, for applications without adaptive TCG-HDR requirements, the TCG selection signal cache step can be flexibly skipped by setting the signal end and resetting the signal end, which can be applied to rolling shutter or global shutter.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图5,所述第一选择子电路包括第一数字信号缓存器129,所述第一数字信号缓存器129具有所述第一选择信号输入端、所述第一选择信号输出端和所述第一选择控制信号输入端以及用于存储所述第一初始选择信号或所述第一模式选择信号的数字信号缓存单元1291。In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 5, the first selection sub-circuit includes a first digital signal buffer 129, the first digital signal buffer 129 has the first selection signal input terminal, the first selection signal output terminal and the first selection control signal input terminal, and a digital signal cache unit 1291 for storing the first initial selection signal or the first mode selection signal.
第一选择信号输入端用于接收初始选择信号LCG_SEL。The first selection signal input terminal is used for receiving an initial selection signal LCG_SEL.
第一选择信号输出端用于输出增益模式选择信号LCG_SEL’。The first selection signal output terminal is used to output the gain mode selection signal LCG_SEL’.
所述第一选择控制信号输入端,用于接收选择控制信号SEL_CLK,以及用于存储所述第一模式选择信号的数字信号缓存单元1291。The first selection control signal input terminal is used to receive the selection control signal SEL_CLK, and the digital signal buffer unit 1291 is used to store the first mode selection signal.
通过上述方式,可以通过数字信号缓存器129将初始选择信号LCG_SEL转换成增益模式选择信号LCG_SEL’进行输出,以选择工作模式。In the above manner, the initial selection signal LCG_SEL can be converted into a gain mode selection signal LCG_SEL’ through the digital signal buffer 129 for output to select the working mode.
需要说明的是,所述第二选择子电路包括第二数字信号缓存器,其原理与第一数字信号缓存器129类似,区别在于,接收的第一初始选择信号为MCG_SEL,输出的第二模式选择信号为MCG_SEL’,在此不再详述。It should be noted that the second selection sub-circuit includes a second digital signal buffer, and its principle is similar to that of the first digital signal buffer 129, except that the received first initial selection signal is MCG_SEL, and the output second mode selection signal is MCG_SEL’, which will not be described in detail here.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图5,所述第一选择子电路120包括第一开关元件M4和第一缓存元件125,所述第一缓存元件125为数字信号缓存单元1291;In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 5 , the first selection subcircuit 120 includes a first switch element M4 and a first cache element 125 , and the first cache element 125 is a digital signal cache unit 1291 ;
所述数字信号缓存单元1291包括第一开关管M1、第二开关管M12、第三开关管M13、第四开关管M14;The digital signal buffer unit 1291 includes a first switch tube M1, a second switch tube M12, a third switch tube M13, and a fourth switch tube M14;
所述第一开关元件M4的控制端为所述选择控制信号输入端SEL_CLK,所述第一开关元件M4的第一端为所述选择信号输入端LCG_SEL,所述第一开关元件M4的第二端电连接所述第一开关管M11的第一端,所述第一开关元件M4的第二端还电连接所述第二开关管M12的第二端;The control end of the first switch element M4 is the selection control signal input end SEL_CLK, the first end of the first switch element M4 is the selection signal input end LCG_SEL, the second end of the first switch element M4 is electrically connected to the first end of the first switch tube M11, and the second end of the first switch element M4 is also electrically connected to the second end of the second switch tube M12;
所述第一开关管M11为N型,所述第一开关管M11的控制端与所述第二开关管M12的控制端电连接,所述第一开关管M11的第二端接地;The first switch tube M11 is of N type, a control end of the first switch tube M11 is electrically connected to a control end of the second switch tube M12, and a second end of the first switch tube M11 is grounded;
所述第二开关管M12为P型,所述第二开关管M12的控制端与所述第三开关管M13的第一端电连接,所述第二开关管M12的第一端接入电源信号,所述第二开关管M12的第二端与所述第三开关管M13的控制端电连接;The second switch tube M12 is of P type, the control end of the second switch tube M12 is electrically connected to the first end of the third switch tube M13, the first end of the second switch tube M12 is connected to the power signal, and the second end of the second switch tube M12 is electrically connected to the control end of the third switch tube M13;
所述第三开关管M13为N型,所述第三开关管M13的第一端与所述第四开关管M14的第二端电连接,所述第三开关管M13的第二端接地;The third switch tube M13 is of N type, a first end of the third switch tube M13 is electrically connected to a second end of the fourth switch tube M14, and a second end of the third switch tube M13 is grounded;
所述第四开关管M14为P型,所述第四开关管M14的控制端与所述第三开关管M14的控制端电连接,所述第四开关管M14的第一端接入所述电源信号,所述第四开关管M14的第二端与所述选择控制信号输出端电连接。The fourth switch tube M14 is of P type, a control end of the fourth switch tube M14 is electrically connected to a control end of the third switch tube M14, a first end of the fourth switch tube M14 is connected to the power signal, and a second end of the fourth switch tube M14 is electrically connected to the selection control signal output end.
本申请实施例采用四个晶体管,能够以简单的电路结构的实现前述缓存功能, 以及增益模式选择信号输出功能。The embodiment of the present application uses four transistors to realize the aforementioned cache function with a simple circuit structure. And gain mode selection signal output function.
在本申请的一些实施例中,第一开关元件M4为晶体管M4,参考图5所示,数字信号缓存器129包括:晶体管M4和数字信号缓存单元1291;第二晶体管M4的控制端(源极)与第一控制信号输入端电连接;晶体管M2的第一极与第一选择信号输入端电连接;晶体管M4的第二极与数字信号缓存单元1291的输入端电连接;数字信号缓存单元1291的输出端与第一开关元件M1或与增益处理单元111连接。In some embodiments of the present application, the first switching element M4 is a transistor M4. Referring to FIG5 , the digital signal buffer 129 includes: a transistor M4 and a digital signal buffer unit 1291; the control end (source) of the second transistor M4 is electrically connected to the first control signal input end; the first electrode of the transistor M2 is electrically connected to the first selection signal input end; the second electrode of the transistor M4 is electrically connected to the input end of the digital signal buffer unit 1291; and the output end of the digital signal buffer unit 1291 is connected to the first switching element M1 or to the gain processing unit 111.
可以理解的是,初始选择信号LCG_SEL通过控制信号SEL_CLK控制的晶体管M4打开,然后LCG_SEL进入至数字信号缓存单元1291中。缓存的初始选择信号LCG_SEL被数字信号缓存单元1291反向成LCG_SEL’后输出。其中,初始选择信号LCG_SEL的信号若是“1”,则LCG_SEL’的信号为“0”,反之亦然。It can be understood that the initial selection signal LCG_SEL is turned on by the transistor M4 controlled by the control signal SEL_CLK, and then LCG_SEL enters the digital signal buffer unit 1291. The cached initial selection signal LCG_SEL is inverted to LCG_SEL' by the digital signal buffer unit 1291 and then output. Among them, if the signal of the initial selection signal LCG_SEL is "1", the signal of LCG_SEL' is "0", and vice versa.
参照图6,在图5的基础上,添加了第一选择开关元件M8,第一选择开关元件M8的第一端为第一选择信号输入端LCG_SEL,第二端连接第一开关元件M4的第一端。第一选择开关元件M8的控制端为使能信号输入端EN。本申请实施例,在第一开关元件M4之前,还可以设置一个第一选择开关元件M8,该选择开关元件M8用于接收使能信号,以使数字信号缓存器129开始或者停止工作。Referring to FIG. 6 , on the basis of FIG. 5 , a first selection switch element M8 is added, the first end of the first selection switch element M8 is the first selection signal input end LCG_SEL, and the second end is connected to the first end of the first switch element M4. The control end of the first selection switch element M8 is the enable signal input end EN. In the embodiment of the present application, a first selection switch element M8 may be further provided before the first switch element M4, and the selection switch element M8 is used to receive an enable signal to start or stop the digital signal buffer 129 from working.
需要说明的是,第二选择子电路121包括第二开关元件M3和第一缓存元件126,所述第一缓存元件为数字信号缓存单元。第二开关元件M3与前述的第一开关元件M1原理类似,第二选择子电路121中的数字信号缓存单元与前述第一选择子电路120中的数字信号缓存单元类似,在此不再详述。It should be noted that the second selection subcircuit 121 includes a second switch element M3 and a first cache element 126, and the first cache element is a digital signal cache unit. The second switch element M3 is similar to the first switch element M1, and the digital signal cache unit in the second selection subcircuit 121 is similar to the digital signal cache unit in the first selection subcircuit 120, which will not be described in detail.
在本申请的一些实施例中,所述第一选择子电路120还包括第一选择开关元件127,所述第一选择开关元件127的第一端与所述第一选择信号输出端连接以接收所述第一模式选择信号,所述第一选择开关元件127的第二端与所述增益处理单元112连接,所述第一选择开关元件127的控制端用于接入第一使能控制信号,以在需要切换所述初始感光信号的增益处理模式时向所述增益处理单元111输出所述第一模式选择信号。In some embodiments of the present application, the first selection subcircuit 120 also includes a first selection switch element 127, a first end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the first selection signal output end to receive the first mode selection signal, a second end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the gain processing unit 112, and a control end of the first selection switch element 127 is used to access a first enable control signal to output the first mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 when it is necessary to switch the gain processing mode of the initial photosensitive signal.
所述第二选择子电路121还包括第二选择开关元件128,所述第二选择开关元件128的第一端与所述第二选择信号输出端连接以接收所述第二模式选择信号,所述第二选择开关元件128的第二端与所述增益处理单元112连接,所述第二选择开关元件128的控制端用于接入第二使能控制信号,以在需要切换所述初始感光信号的增益处理模式时向所述增益处理单元111输出所述第二模式选择信号。The second selection subcircuit 121 also includes a second selection switch element 128, a first end of the second selection switch element 128 is connected to the second selection signal output end to receive the second mode selection signal, a second end of the second selection switch element 128 is connected to the gain processing unit 112, and a control end of the second selection switch element 128 is used to access a second enable control signal to output the second mode selection signal to the gain processing unit 111 when it is necessary to switch the gain processing mode of the initial photosensitive signal.
在本申请实施例中,所述第一选择子电路120可以只有第一缓存元件125,该第一缓存元件125比如为前述的第一缓存电容C4,或触发器123,或数字信号缓存器G1或数字信号缓存单元1281。第一缓存元件125的输出端可以直接连接增益处理单元111。在此基础上,如图3和图4,可以在上述部件的基础上添加第一选择开关元件127,第一缓存元件125的输出端可以与第一选择开关元件127的第一端连接, 所述第一选择开关元件127的第二端与所述增益处理单元111连接。In the embodiment of the present application, the first selection subcircuit 120 may only have the first cache element 125, which may be, for example, the aforementioned first cache capacitor C4, or the trigger 123, or the digital signal buffer G1, or the digital signal buffer unit 1281. The output end of the first cache element 125 may be directly connected to the gain processing unit 111. On this basis, as shown in FIG3 and FIG4, a first selection switch element 127 may be added to the above components, and the output end of the first cache element 125 may be connected to the first end of the first selection switch element 127. A second end of the first selection switch element 127 is connected to the gain processing unit 111 .
所述第二选择子电路121也可以只有第二缓存元件126,该第二缓存元件126比如为前述的第一缓存电容C3,或触发器124,或数字信号缓存器G2、或数字信号缓存单元1291。第二缓存元件126的输出端可以直接连接增益处理单元111。在此基础上,如图3和图4,可以在上述部件的基础上添加第二选择开关元件128,缓存元件121的输出端可以与第二选择开关元件128的第一端连接,所述第二选择开关元件128的第二端与所述增益处理单元111连接。The second selection subcircuit 121 may also have only the second cache element 126, which may be, for example, the aforementioned first cache capacitor C3, or the trigger 124, or the digital signal buffer G2, or the digital signal buffer unit 1291. The output end of the second cache element 126 may be directly connected to the gain processing unit 111. On this basis, as shown in FIG3 and FIG4, a second selection switch element 128 may be added to the above components, the output end of the cache element 121 may be connected to the first end of the second selection switch element 128, and the second end of the second selection switch element 128 may be connected to the gain processing unit 111.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图7,所述感光信号读取单元11包括第一存储电容FD、信号放大元件SF和读取开关元件T5;In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 7 , the light-sensing signal reading unit 11 includes a first storage capacitor FD, a signal amplifying element SF, and a reading switch element T5;
所述第一存储电容FD的第一端与所述感光单元10电连接以接收所述初始感光信号,所述第一存储电容FD的第一端还与所述增益处理单元111连接,所述第一存储电容FD的第二端接地;The first end of the first storage capacitor FD is electrically connected to the photosensitive unit 10 to receive the initial photosensitive signal, the first end of the first storage capacitor FD is also connected to the gain processing unit 111, and the second end of the first storage capacitor FD is grounded;
所述信号放大元件SF的输入端与所述第一存储电容FD的第一端连接,所述信号放大单元SF的输出端与所述读取开关元件T5的第一端连接以用于输出放大后的感光信号;The input end of the signal amplifying element SF is connected to the first end of the first storage capacitor FD, and the output end of the signal amplifying element SF is connected to the first end of the reading switch element T5 to output the amplified light-sensing signal;
所述读取开关元件T5的控制端用于接入输出控制信号SEL,所述读取开关元件T5的第二端为所述感光像素结构的感光信号输出端PIX_OUT。The control end of the read switch element T5 is used to access the output control signal SEL, and the second end of the read switch element T5 is the photosensitive signal output end PIX_OUT of the photosensitive pixel structure.
在本申请实施例中,信号放大元件SF可以为一个晶体管,也可以为多个晶体管组成的放大器,比如电容反馈跨阻放大器(Capacitive Transimpe dance Amplifie,CTIA)放大器,也可以为其他放大器,在此不做限制。In the embodiment of the present application, the signal amplification element SF can be a transistor or an amplifier composed of multiple transistors, such as a capacitive feedback transimpedance amplifier (CTIA) amplifier, or other amplifiers, which are not limited here.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图7,所述信号放大元件SF为放大开关元件,所述放大开关元件的控制端连接所述第一存储电容FD的第一端,所述放大开关元件的第一端接入电源信号VDD,所述放大开关元件的第二端电连接所述读取开关元件T5的第一端。In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 7, the signal amplifying element SF is an amplifying switch element, the control end of the amplifying switch element is connected to the first end of the first storage capacitor FD, the first end of the amplifying switch element is connected to the power supply signal VDD, and the second end of the amplifying switch element is electrically connected to the first end of the read switch element T5.
在本申请实施例中,所述放大开关元件SF的栅极连接所述第一存储电容FD的第一端。所述放大开关元件SF的漏极接入电源信号VDD,所述放大开关元件SF的源极电连接所述第二读取开关元件M6的源极。其中读取开关元件T5可以为晶体管T5。In the embodiment of the present application, the gate of the amplifying switch element SF is connected to the first end of the first storage capacitor FD. The drain of the amplifying switch element SF is connected to the power supply signal VDD, and the source of the amplifying switch element SF is electrically connected to the source of the second reading switch element M6. The reading switch element T5 can be a transistor T5.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图7,所述感光单元10还包括与所述感光元件PD连接的第二开关元件T4,In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 7 , the photosensitive unit 10 further includes a second switch element T4 connected to the photosensitive element PD.
所述第二开关元件T4的控制端用于接入读取控制信号TX,所述第二开关元件T4的第一端与所述感光元件PD电连接以接收所述初始感光信号,所述第二开关元件T4的第二端与所述感光信号读取单元112连接。The control end of the second switch element T4 is used to access the reading control signal TX, the first end of the second switch element T4 is electrically connected to the photosensitive element PD to receive the initial photosensitivity signal, and the second end of the second switch element T4 is connected to the photosensitivity signal reading unit 112.
图7中第二开关元件T4可以为第六晶体管T4,第六晶体管T4的第二端还与信号放大元件SF的控制端(栅极)连接。 In FIG. 7 , the second switch element T4 may be a sixth transistor T4 , and the second end of the sixth transistor T4 is further connected to the control end (gate) of the signal amplifying element SF.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图7,所述感光像素结构包括多个感光像素单元,每一所述感光像素单元包括至少一个所述感光单元,所述多个感光像素单元与同一所述感光信号读取单元连接。In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 7 , the photosensitive pixel structure includes a plurality of photosensitive pixel units, each of the photosensitive pixel units includes at least one photosensitive unit, and the plurality of photosensitive pixel units are connected to the same photosensitive signal reading unit.
在本申请实施例中,感光像素结构包括的感光像素单元可以为N个,N为大于0的整数。每一所述感光像素单元包括的感光单元10可以为1个、4个、9个、16个等。本申请对其不加以限制。In the embodiment of the present application, the photosensitive pixel structure may include N photosensitive pixel units, where N is an integer greater than 0. Each of the photosensitive pixel units may include 1, 4, 9, 16 photosensitive units 10, etc. The present application does not impose any limitation thereto.
在本申请实施例中,参照图15,对于合成像素,其包括多个感光像素单元21,感光像素单元21包括多个感光单元10,使得某单一彩色滤光片(Color Filter,CF)由单PD变成多PD组合。对此,存在以下两种应用场景:场景1,对像素阵列中一种颜色的像素结构进行逐像素TCG-HDR;场景2,对拜耳阵列(Red Green Green Blue,RGGB)进行TCG-HDR。In the embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG. 15 , for a synthetic pixel, it includes a plurality of photosensitive pixel units 21, and the photosensitive pixel unit 21 includes a plurality of photosensitive units 10, so that a single color filter (Color Filter, CF) is changed from a single PD to a multi-PD combination. In this regard, there are the following two application scenarios: Scenario 1, performing pixel-by-pixel TCG-HDR on a pixel structure of a color in a pixel array; Scenario 2, performing TCG-HDR on a Bayer array (Red Green Green Blue, RGGB).
针对场景1,每一种颜色均由4个同色子像素组成,参考图9和图10所示,感光像素单元21包括4个感光单元10,4个感光单元10采用同一套增益模式选择电路12。For scene 1, each color is composed of four sub-pixels of the same color. Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 , the photosensitive pixel unit 21 includes four photosensitive units 10 , and the four photosensitive units 10 use the same set of gain mode selection circuits 12 .
针对场景2,参考图15所示,以整个4×4的像素团为一个单元,即有4个感光像素单元21,每个感光像素单元21包括4个感光单元10,每个感光像素单元21连接一个感光信号处理电路。所以此4合1拜尔阵列内的像素均采用同一套增益模式选择电路12提供的MCG_SEL信号和LCG_SEL信号。因此,在这个4×4的像素团中,只需包含有1个增益模式选择电路11即可。For scenario 2, as shown in FIG15, the entire 4×4 pixel group is a unit, that is, there are 4 photosensitive pixel units 21, each photosensitive pixel unit 21 includes 4 photosensitive units 10, and each photosensitive pixel unit 21 is connected to a photosensitive signal processing circuit. Therefore, the pixels in this 4-in-1 Bayer array all use the MCG_SEL signal and LCG_SEL signal provided by the same set of gain mode selection circuits 12. Therefore, in this 4×4 pixel group, only one gain mode selection circuit 11 is required.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图4和7,所述增益处理单元111包括第一增益处理子单元1111和第二增益处理子单元1112;所述第一增益处理子单元1111包括第二存储电容C2,所述第二增益处理子单元1112包括第三存储电容C1;In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIGS. 4 and 7 , the gain processing unit 111 includes a first gain processing subunit 1111 and a second gain processing subunit 1112 ; the first gain processing subunit 1111 includes a second storage capacitor C2 , and the second gain processing subunit 1112 includes a third storage capacitor C1 ;
所述第一增益处理子单元1111与所述第一选择子电路120连接以接收所述第一模式选择信号,所述第二增益处理子单元1112与所述第二选择子电路连接121以接收所述第二模式选择信号,所述感光信号处理电路11根据所述第一模式选择信号和所述第二模式选择信号选择所述第二存储电容C2和所述第三存储电容C1与所述感光信号读取单元中的第一存储电容FD并联或选择所述第三存储电容C1与所述感光信号读取单元中的第一存储电容FD并联,从而调整所述感光信号处理电路对所述初始感光信号的增益处理模式。The first gain processing subunit 1111 is connected to the first selection subcircuit 120 to receive the first mode selection signal, and the second gain processing subunit 1112 is connected to the second selection subcircuit 121 to receive the second mode selection signal. The photosensitive signal processing circuit 11 selects the second storage capacitor C2 and the third storage capacitor C1 to be connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD in the photosensitive signal reading unit or selects the third storage capacitor C1 to be connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD in the photosensitive signal reading unit according to the first mode selection signal and the second mode selection signal, thereby adjusting the gain processing mode of the photosensitive signal processing circuit for the initial photosensitive signal.
其中,第一增益处理子单元1111包括的晶体管T1的栅极连接晶体管M1的漏极。第二增益处理子单元1112包括的晶体管T2的栅极连接晶体管M2的漏极。The gate of the transistor T1 included in the first gain processing subunit 1111 is connected to the drain of the transistor M1. The gate of the transistor T2 included in the second gain processing subunit 1112 is connected to the drain of the transistor M2.
可以理解,所述感光信号处理电路选择所述第二存储电容和所述第三存储电容与所述感光信号读取单元中的第一存储电容并联或选择所述第三存储电容与所述感光信号读取单元中的第一存储电容并联。It can be understood that the photosensitive signal processing circuit selects the second storage capacitor and the third storage capacitor to be connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor in the photosensitive signal reading unit, or selects the third storage capacitor to be connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor in the photosensitive signal reading unit.
参照图7,第二存储电容C2和所述第三存储电容C1均与第一存储电容FD并 联时,为低增益处理模式LCG。所述第三存储电容C1与第一存储电容FD并联时,为中增益处理模式MCG。第二存储电容C2和所述第三存储电容C1均不第一存储电容FD并联时,即第二存储电容C2、第三存储电容C1和第一存储电容FD均断开时,为高增益处理模式HCG。7, the second storage capacitor C2 and the third storage capacitor C1 are connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD. When the second storage capacitor C2 and the third storage capacitor C1 are connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD, it is a low gain processing mode LCG. When the third storage capacitor C1 is connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD, it is a medium gain processing mode MCG. When the second storage capacitor C2 and the third storage capacitor C1 are not connected in parallel with the first storage capacitor FD, that is, when the second storage capacitor C2, the third storage capacitor C1 and the first storage capacitor FD are all disconnected, it is a high gain processing mode HCG.
在所述第一模式选择信号为第一电平,且所述第二模式选择信号为第一电平的情况下,所述感光信号处理电路工作于所述低增益处理模式;When the first mode selection signal is at the first level and the second mode selection signal is at the first level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the low-gain processing mode;
比如,图7中,第一选择子电路输出的第一模式选择信号为高电平1,且第二选择子电路输出的第二模式选择信号为高电平1,T1和T2导通,C1和C2与FD并联,感光信号被分散到C1和C2,所述感光信号处理电路工作于所述低增益处理模式LCG。For example, in Figure 7, the first mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit is a high level 1, and the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit is a high level 1, T1 and T2 are turned on, C1 and C2 are connected in parallel with FD, the photosensitive signal is dispersed to C1 and C2, and the photosensitive signal processing circuit operates in the low gain processing mode LCG.
在所述第一模式选择信号为第二电平,且所述第二模式选择信号为第一电平的情况下,所述感光信号处理电路工作于所述中增益处理模式。When the first mode selection signal is at the second level and the second mode selection signal is at the first level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the medium gain processing mode.
比如,图7中,第一选择子电路输出的第一模式选择信号为低电平0,且第二选择子电路输出的第二模式选择信号为高电平1,T1断开,T2导通,C1与FD并联,C2断开,感光信号被分散到C1,所述感光信号处理电路工作于所述中增益处理模式MCG。For example, in Figure 7, the first mode selection signal output by the first selection sub-circuit is a low level 0, and the second mode selection signal output by the second selection sub-circuit is a high level 1, T1 is disconnected, T2 is turned on, C1 is connected in parallel with FD, C2 is disconnected, the photosensitive signal is dispersed to C1, and the photosensitive signal processing circuit operates in the medium gain processing mode MCG.
在所述第二模式选择信号为第二电平的情况下,所述感光信号处理电路工作于所述高增益处理模式。When the second mode selection signal is at the second level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the high-gain processing mode.
比如,图7中第二选择子电路输出的第二模式选择信号为低电平0,T2断开,C1和C2均与第一存储电容FD断开,感光信号全部放大输出,所述感光信号处理电路工作于所述高增益处理模式HCG。For example, the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit in FIG. 7 is low level 0, T2 is disconnected, C1 and C2 are disconnected from the first storage capacitor FD, all photosensitive signals are amplified and output, and the photosensitive signal processing circuit operates in the high gain processing mode HCG.
需要说明的是,在本申请实施例中,在第二选择子电路输出的第二模式选择信号为低电平0的情况下,第一选择子电路输出的第一模式选择信号可以为低电平0也可以为高电平0,不影响C1和C2与第一存储电容FD的断开。当然,可以将第一选择子电路输出的第一模式选择信号设置为低电平0,如此,可以降低能耗。It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, when the second mode selection signal output by the second selection subcircuit is low level 0, the first mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit can be low level 0 or high level 0, which does not affect the disconnection of C1 and C2 from the first storage capacitor FD. Of course, the first mode selection signal output by the first selection subcircuit can be set to low level 0, so that energy consumption can be reduced.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图7,所述第一增益处理子单元1111还包括第一模式切换开关元件T1;所述第一模式切换开关元件T1的控制端与所述第一选择子电路连接120以用于接入所述第一模式选择信号,所述第一模式切换开关元件T1的第一端与所述第二存储电容C2的第一端连接;所述第一模式切换开关元件的第二端与所述第二增益处理子单元1112连接;In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 7 , the first gain processing subunit 1111 further includes a first mode switching switch element T1; a control end of the first mode switching switch element T1 is connected to the first selection subcircuit 120 for accessing the first mode selection signal, a first end of the first mode switching switch element T1 is connected to a first end of the second storage capacitor C2; a second end of the first mode switching switch element is connected to the second gain processing subunit 1112;
所述第二增益处理子单元1112还包括第二模式切换开关元件T2;所述第二模式切换开关元件T2的控制端与所述第二选择子电路121连接以用于接入所述第二模式选择信号,所述第二模式切换开关元件T2的第一端与所述第三存储电容C1的第一端连接,所述第二模式切换开关元件T2的第一端还与所述第一模式切换开关元件T1的第二端连接;所述第二模式切换开关元件T2的第二端与所述第一存储电容FD 的第一端连接;The second gain processing subunit 1112 also includes a second mode switching switch element T2; the control end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is connected to the second selection subcircuit 121 for accessing the second mode selection signal, the first end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is connected to the first end of the third storage capacitor C1, and the first end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is also connected to the second end of the first mode switching switch element T1; the second end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is connected to the first storage capacitor FD A first end is connected;
所述第二存储电容C2的第二端接地,所述第一存储电容FD的第二端接地,所述第三存储电容C1的第二端接地。A second end of the second storage capacitor C2 is grounded, a second end of the first storage capacitor FD is grounded, and a second end of the third storage capacitor C1 is grounded.
其中,如图7,所述第一模式切换开关元件T1的控制端还与缓存电容C4的第一端连接。如图8第一模式切换开关元件T1的控制端可以与晶体管M1的输出端连接。所述第二模式切换开关元件T2的控制端还与缓存电容C3的第一端连接。第二模式切换开关元件T2的控制端可以与晶体管M2的输出端连接。As shown in FIG7 , the control end of the first mode switching switch element T1 is also connected to the first end of the cache capacitor C4. As shown in FIG8 , the control end of the first mode switching switch element T1 can be connected to the output end of the transistor M1. The control end of the second mode switching switch element T2 is also connected to the first end of the cache capacitor C3. The control end of the second mode switching switch element T2 can be connected to the output end of the transistor M2.
在本申请的一些实施例中,参照图7,所述感光信号处理电路11还包括重置单元113,所述重置单元113与所述增益处理单元111连接,所述重置单元113用于重置所述感光信号处理电路11;In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 7 , the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 further includes a reset unit 113 , the reset unit 113 is connected to the gain processing unit 111 , and the reset unit 113 is used to reset the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 ;
所述重置单元包括重置开关元T3,所述重置开关元件T3的控制端用于接入重置控制信号RST,所述重置开关元件T3的第一端接入电源信号,所述重置开关元件T3的第二端与所述第一模式切换开关元件T1的第一端连接。The reset unit includes a reset switch element T3, a control end of the reset switch element T3 is used to access a reset control signal RST, a first end of the reset switch element T3 is connected to a power signal, and a second end of the reset switch element T3 is connected to a first end of the first mode switching switch element T1.
在一种实施例中,所述重重置开关元件T3的控制端加载第一电平(高电平)的情况下,重置所述感光信号处理电路11。所述重重置开关元件T3的控制端加载第二电平(低电平)的情况下,所述两个选择信号输出端输出的所述上述两个模式选择信号使所述感光信号处理电路11能够选择某个工作模式。In one embodiment, when the control end of the reset switch element T3 is loaded with a first level (high level), the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 is reset. When the control end of the reset switch element T3 is loaded with a second level (low level), the two mode selection signals output by the two selection signal output ends enable the light-sensing signal processing circuit 11 to select a certain working mode.
其中,如图7,重置开关元件T3,为晶体管T3。As shown in FIG. 7 , the reset switch element T3 is a transistor T3.
本申请实施例中,参考图8所示,与图7相比,区别仅在于在第一节点与第一选择信号输出端之间设置有第一晶体管M1。第一节点为M4的第二端和C4的第一端之间的连接点,以及在第二节点与第二选择信号输出端之间设置有第一晶体管M2。第二节点为M3的第二端和C3的第一端之间的连接点。In the embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG8 , compared with FIG7 , the only difference is that a first transistor M1 is provided between the first node and the first selection signal output terminal. The first node is a connection point between the second end of M4 and the first end of C4, and a first transistor M2 is provided between the second node and the second selection signal output terminal. The second node is a connection point between the second end of M3 and the first end of C3.
本申请实施例中,图9对应4合1像素阵列中每一像素单元的像素结构,参考图9所示,和图7相比,增益模式选择电路12相同,区别在于,感光像素单元21包括四个结构相同的感光单元10;其中,第一个感光单元包括第一光电二极管PD1和晶体管M4a;第二个感光单元包括第二光电二极管PD2和晶体管M4b;第三个感光单元包括第三光电二极管PD3和晶体管M4c;第四个感光单元包括第四光电二极管PD4和晶体管M4d;PD1的正极连接GND;PD1的负极连接M4a的第一极;PD1的控制极连接控制信号TX1;PD2的正极连接GND;PD2的负极连接M4b的第一极;PD2的控制极连接控制信号TX2;PD3的正极连接GND;PD3的负极连接M4c的第一极;PD3的控制极连接控制信号TX3;PD4的正极连接GND;PD4的负极连接M4d的第一极;PD4的控制极连接控制信号TX4;M4a、M4b、M4c、M4d的输出端(漏极)均连接感光信号处理电路11。In the embodiment of the present application, FIG. 9 corresponds to the pixel structure of each pixel unit in the 4-in-1 pixel array. Referring to FIG. 9 , compared with FIG. 7 , the gain mode selection circuit 12 is the same, except that the photosensitive pixel unit 21 includes four photosensitive units 10 with the same structure; wherein the first photosensitive unit includes a first photodiode PD1 and a transistor M4a; the second photosensitive unit includes a second photodiode PD2 and a transistor M4b; the third photosensitive unit includes a third photodiode PD3 and a transistor M4c; the fourth photosensitive unit includes a fourth photodiode PD4 and a transistor M4d; the positive electrode of PD1 is connected to G ND; the negative electrode of PD1 is connected to the first electrode of M4a; the control electrode of PD1 is connected to the control signal TX1; the positive electrode of PD2 is connected to GND; the negative electrode of PD2 is connected to the first electrode of M4b; the control electrode of PD2 is connected to the control signal TX2; the positive electrode of PD3 is connected to GND; the negative electrode of PD3 is connected to the first electrode of M4c; the control electrode of PD3 is connected to the control signal TX3; the positive electrode of PD4 is connected to GND; the negative electrode of PD4 is connected to the first electrode of M4d; the control electrode of PD4 is connected to the control signal TX4; the output ends (drains) of M4a, M4b, M4c, and M4d are all connected to the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11.
本申请实施例中,参考图10所示,与图9相比,区别仅在于在第一节点与第一选择信号输出端之间设置有第一晶体管M1。第一节点为M4的第二端和C4的第一 端之间的连接点,以及在第二节点与第二选择信号输出端之间设置有第一晶体管M2。第二节点为M3的第二端和C3的第一端之间的连接点。In the embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG. 10, compared with FIG. 9, the only difference is that a first transistor M1 is provided between the first node and the first selection signal output terminal. The first node is the second terminal of M4 and the first terminal of C4. The second node is a connection point between the second end of M3 and the first end of C3, and a first transistor M2 is provided between the second node and the second selection signal output terminal. The second node is a connection point between the second end of M3 and the first end of C3.
本申请实施例中,参考图11所示,与图7相比,区别仅在于,将图7中第一选择子电路120更换为包括D信号触发器G1的缓存元件123,以及将第二选择子电路121更换为包括D信号触发器G2的缓存元件124。In the embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG. 11 , compared with FIG. 7 , the only difference is that the first selection subcircuit 120 in FIG. 7 is replaced with a cache element 123 including a D signal trigger G1, and the second selection subcircuit 121 is replaced with a cache element 124 including a D signal trigger G2.
在本申请的实施例中,参考图12所示,与图9相比,区别仅在于,将图9中第一选择子电路120中的第一开关元件M4和第一缓存电容C4更换为D信号触发器G1,以及将第二选择子电路121中的第一开关元件M4和第一缓存电容C4更换为D信号触发器G2。In an embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG. 12 , compared with FIG. 9 , the only difference is that the first switch element M4 and the first cache capacitor C4 in the first selection subcircuit 120 in FIG. 9 are replaced with a D signal trigger G1, and the first switch element M4 and the first cache capacitor C4 in the second selection subcircuit 121 are replaced with a D signal trigger G2.
本申请实施例中,参考图13所示,与图11相比,区别仅在于,触发器G1的Q输出端与第一模式选择信号输出端之间设置有晶体管M1。触发器G2的Q输出端与第二模式选择信号输出端之间设置有晶体管M2。In the embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG13 , compared with FIG11 , the only difference is that a transistor M1 is provided between the Q output terminal of the trigger G1 and the first mode selection signal output terminal, and a transistor M2 is provided between the Q output terminal of the trigger G2 and the second mode selection signal output terminal.
本申请实施例中,参考图14所示,与图12相比,区别仅在于,触发器G1的Q输出端与第一模式选择信号输出端之间设置有晶体管M1。触发器G2的Q输出端与第二模式选择信号输出端之间设置有晶体管M2。In the embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG14 , compared with FIG12 , the only difference is that a transistor M1 is provided between the Q output terminal of the trigger G1 and the first mode selection signal output terminal, and a transistor M2 is provided between the Q output terminal of the trigger G2 and the second mode selection signal output terminal.
需要说明的是,感光信号处理电路112除了可以像图7-图14中所示结构之外,还可以采用图16、图17的结构。如图16所示,It should be noted that the light-sensing signal processing circuit 112 can adopt the structures shown in FIGS. 7 to 14 as well as the structures shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 . As shown in FIG. 16 ,
PD的正极连接接地端;PD的负极连接T4的第一极;T4的控制极连接电荷输出控制信号输入端TX;T4的第二极连接SF的控制极形成第一连接点;C2和T1串联形成第一串联支路;C1和T2串联形成第二串联支路;第一串联支路、第二串联支路和FD并联形成第一并联支路;第一并联支路跨接在第一连接点与接地端之间。T1的控制极接入第二模式选择信号,T2的控制极接入第一模式选择信号,以使感光信号处理电路切换处理模式;SF的第一极连接电源信号输入端VDD;SF的第二极连接T5的第一极;T5的第二极连接像素信号输出端PIX_OUT;T5的控制极连接像素读出控制信号输入端SEL;T3的控制端连接复位信号输入端RST;T3的第一极连接VDD;T3的第二极连接第一连接点。The positive electrode of PD is connected to the ground terminal; the negative electrode of PD is connected to the first electrode of T4; the control electrode of T4 is connected to the charge output control signal input terminal TX; the second electrode of T4 is connected to the control electrode of SF to form a first connection point; C2 and T1 are connected in series to form a first series branch; C1 and T2 are connected in series to form a second series branch; the first series branch, the second series branch and FD are connected in parallel to form a first parallel branch; the first parallel branch is connected between the first connection point and the ground terminal. The control electrode of T1 is connected to the second mode selection signal, and the control electrode of T2 is connected to the first mode selection signal, so that the photosensitive signal processing circuit switches the processing mode; the first electrode of SF is connected to the power signal input terminal VDD; the second electrode of SF is connected to the first electrode of T5; the second electrode of T5 is connected to the pixel signal output terminal PIX_OUT; the control electrode of T5 is connected to the pixel readout control signal input terminal SEL; the control terminal of T3 is connected to the reset signal input terminal RST; the first electrode of T3 is connected to VDD; the second electrode of T3 is connected to the first connection point.
参照图17所示,和图1a相比,区别仅在于感光处理电路11中的结构和T3的第二极的连接方式发生变化,其中,T2、C2、FD以及T1的控制极的连接方式不变,T1串联连接在T3的第二极与第一连接点之间;T3与T1连接形成第二连接点,C1跨接在第二连接点与接地端之间。As shown in Figure 17, compared with Figure 1a, the only difference is that the structure in the photosensitive processing circuit 11 and the connection method of the second pole of T3 have changed, wherein the connection method of T2, C2, FD and the control pole of T1 remains unchanged, T1 is connected in series between the second pole of T3 and the first connection point; T3 and T1 are connected to form a second connection point, and C1 is bridged between the second connection point and the ground terminal.
在一些请实施例中,根据所述增益模式选择电路输出的所述第一模式选择信号和第二模式选择信号,所述感光信号处理电路在高增益处理模式、中增益处理模式和低增益处理模式之间切换。In some embodiments, the photosensitive signal processing circuit switches between a high gain processing mode, a medium gain processing mode, and a low gain processing mode according to the first mode selection signal and the second mode selection signal output by the gain mode selection circuit.
在一些请实施例中,在所述第一模式选择信号为第一电平,且所述第二模式选择信号为第一电平的情况下,所述感光信号处理电路工作于所述低增益处理模式; In some embodiments, when the first mode selection signal is at the first level and the second mode selection signal is at the first level, the photosensitive signal processing circuit operates in the low gain processing mode;
在所述第一模式选择信号为第二电平,且所述第二模式选择信号为第一电平的情况下,所述感光信号处理电路工作于所述中增益处理模式;When the first mode selection signal is at the second level and the second mode selection signal is at the first level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the medium gain processing mode;
在所述第一模式选择信号第二电平的情况下,所述感光信号处理电路工作于所述高增益处理模式。When the first mode selection signal is at the second level, the light-sensing signal processing circuit operates in the high-gain processing mode.
其中,在所述第一模式选择信号为第二电平的情况下,无论第一模式选择信号是高电平或者低电平,T1和T2都断开,感光信号则不会被分散到C1和C2中。Wherein, when the first mode selection signal is at the second level, no matter the first mode selection signal is at a high level or a low level, T1 and T2 are disconnected, and the light-sensing signal will not be dispersed into C1 and C2.
为了方便理解本申请实施例的技术方案,介绍感光单元10和感光处理电路11的工作原理:In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, the working principles of the photosensitive unit 10 and the photosensitive processing circuit 11 are introduced:
感光电路10中的光电二极管PD在每一帧时间内感光并进行光电转换,生成电荷e-,通过T4(通常为N型金属-氧化物-半导体(N-Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor,NMOS)晶体管后,缓存在第一存储电容FD(这里,FD可以是浮动扩散(Floating Diffusion)电容)中。在读取阶段,第一存储电容FD内的电荷e-将由放大开关元件SF(这里,SF可以是源跟随器(Source Follower),即,一种共漏放大器)转换成相应的电压,通过T5开关后,通过PIX_OUT输出至像素结构外。The photodiode PD in the photosensitive circuit 10 senses light and performs photoelectric conversion in each frame time to generate a charge e-, which is buffered in the first storage capacitor FD (here, FD can be a floating diffusion capacitor) after passing through T4 (usually an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistor. In the reading stage, the charge e- in the first storage capacitor FD will be converted into a corresponding voltage by the amplifying switch element SF (here, SF can be a source follower, that is, a common drain amplifier), and after passing through the T5 switch, it is output to the outside of the pixel structure through PIX_OUT.
T3用于在RST输入的复位控制信号的作用下将第一存储电容FD重置至VDD。放大开关元件SF用于改变第一存储电容FD的大小,以满足不同模式的需求。由于在高增益处理模式HCG下,第一存储电容FD的电压需要尽可能的小;而在低增益处理模式LCG下,第一存储电容FD的电压需要尽可能的大。因此,通过在像素结构中增设了T1、T2以及C1,C2,通过控制T1和T2的开沟通和关断,使得像素结构在HCG、MCG、LCG三种模式之间转换。T3 is used to reset the first storage capacitor FD to VDD under the action of the reset control signal input by RST. The amplifying switch element SF is used to change the size of the first storage capacitor FD to meet the needs of different modes. Because in the high gain processing mode HCG, the voltage of the first storage capacitor FD needs to be as small as possible; and in the low gain processing mode LCG, the voltage of the first storage capacitor FD needs to be as large as possible. Therefore, by adding T1, T2 and C1, C2 in the pixel structure, by controlling the opening and closing of T1 and T2, the pixel structure is switched between the three modes of HCG, MCG and LCG.
其中,C1用于对FD进行第一次扩容;C2用于对FD进行进一步扩容。当像素结构需要工作在高增益处理模式HCG下时,T1和T2均处于断开状态,FD负责承接由PD转移出的电荷e-。当像素结构需要工作在中增益处理模式LCG下时,T2闭合,FD与C1并联连接,实现扩容。其中,T3必须保持断开防止重置。因此,承接PD转移出的电荷e-为FD+C1。当像素结构需要工作在低增益处理模式LCG下时,T1和T2同时断开,FD与C1、C2并联连接,实现进一步扩容。其中,T3必须保持断开防止重置。因此,承接PD转移出的电荷e-为FD+C1+C2。总之,TCG功能的实现本质方法为根据所需改变FD电容的大小。Among them, C1 is used for the first expansion of FD; C2 is used for further expansion of FD. When the pixel structure needs to work in the high-gain processing mode HCG, T1 and T2 are both in the disconnected state, and FD is responsible for taking over the charge e- transferred from PD. When the pixel structure needs to work in the medium-gain processing mode LCG, T2 is closed, and FD is connected in parallel with C1 to achieve expansion. Among them, T3 must remain disconnected to prevent resetting. Therefore, the charge e- transferred from PD is FD+C1. When the pixel structure needs to work in the low-gain processing mode LCG, T1 and T2 are disconnected at the same time, and FD is connected in parallel with C1 and C2 to achieve further expansion. Among them, T3 must remain disconnected to prevent resetting. Therefore, the charge e- transferred from PD is FD+C1+C2. In short, the essential method to realize the TCG function is to change the size of the FD capacitor as needed.
那么,在上述晶体管为N型MOS管的情况下,第一电平为高电平1,第二电平为低电平0。在本申请选择增益模式的过程中,RST为低电平0,则T3断开。然后,在所述第一模式选择信号为1、在所述第二模式选择信号为1时,T1和T2导通,C1和C2与FD并联,都分散感光单元生成的电荷,进入低增益处理模式LCG。在所述第一模式选择信号为0、在所述第二模式选择信号为1时,T1断开,T2导通,C1与FD并联分散感光单元生成的电荷,C2不与FD并联,C2不分散感光单元生成的电荷,进入中增益处理模式MCG。在所述第二模式选择信号为0时,T2断开, C1和C2不与FD并联,C1和C2不分散感光单元生成的电荷,所有感光信号被增益,进入高增益处理模式HCG,该种情况下T1断开可以节省能耗。Then, in the case where the above-mentioned transistor is an N-type MOS tube, the first level is a high level 1, and the second level is a low level 0. In the process of selecting the gain mode in the present application, RST is a low level 0, and T3 is disconnected. Then, when the first mode selection signal is 1 and the second mode selection signal is 1, T1 and T2 are turned on, C1 and C2 are connected in parallel with FD, and both disperse the charge generated by the photosensitive unit, and enter the low gain processing mode LCG. When the first mode selection signal is 0 and the second mode selection signal is 1, T1 is disconnected, T2 is turned on, C1 is connected in parallel with FD to disperse the charge generated by the photosensitive unit, C2 is not connected in parallel with FD, and C2 does not disperse the charge generated by the photosensitive unit, and enters the medium gain processing mode MCG. When the second mode selection signal is 0, T2 is disconnected, C1 and C2 are not connected in parallel with FD, and C1 and C2 do not disperse the charge generated by the photosensitive unit. All photosensitive signals are amplified and enter the high gain processing mode HCG. In this case, T1 is disconnected to save energy.
其中,在所述第二模式选择信号为0时,第一模式选择信号可以为0也可以为1。该种情况下,第一模式选择信号为0时,可以节省功耗。Wherein, when the second mode selection signal is 0, the first mode selection signal may be 0 or 1. In this case, when the first mode selection signal is 0, power consumption may be saved.
可以理解的是,本申请实施例提供的感光像素结构,不仅适用于4合1的像素阵列,也可以扩展至9合1以及16合1的像素阵列,其结构类似。It can be understood that the photosensitive pixel structure provided in the embodiment of the present application is not only applicable to a 4-in-1 pixel array, but can also be extended to a 9-in-1 and 16-in-1 pixel array, which have similar structures.
同样,本申请实施例提供的感光像素结构可以应用于四原色(Red Green Blue White,RGBW)的CIS,而非仅仅是三原色(Red Green Blue,RGBW)阵列的CIS。该种情况下,不同的的像素阵列需求,其感光处理电路11和增益模式选择电路12的实施方式不变,变化的只是感光电路10中的组成结构不同。Similarly, the photosensitive pixel structure provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a CIS with four primary colors (Red, Green, Blue, White, RGBW), rather than just a CIS with a three primary color array (Red, Green, Blue, RGBW). In this case, the implementation methods of the photosensitive processing circuit 11 and the gain mode selection circuit 12 remain unchanged for different pixel array requirements, and only the component structure in the photosensitive circuit 10 is different.
需要说明的是,本申请实施例中,M1~M14、T1-T4都可以为金属氧化物半导体(Metal Oxide Semiconductor,MOS)晶体管,可以采用N型,也可以采用P型,采用某种类型的晶体管时,可以根据晶体管的原理以及本申请电路的需求,调整栅极、源级和漏极之间的连接关系。It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, M1~M14 and T1-T4 can all be Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) transistors, which can be N-type or P-type. When a certain type of transistor is used, the connection relationship between the gate, source and drain can be adjusted according to the principle of the transistor and the requirements of the circuit of the present application.
为了理解本申请实施例的技术方案,基于上述感光像素电路,现在一帧时间内分阶段对图7的像素结构驱动方法进行介绍:In order to understand the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, based on the above-mentioned photosensitive pixel circuit, the pixel structure driving method of FIG. 7 is now introduced in stages within one frame time:
重置阶段,DCG_SEL、CLK_CTL、RST均为高电平“1”(保证M3、M4、T3、T1、T2均导通),进行第一次刷新,置空存储电容FD、C1和C2;其中,重置阶段结束的标志是RST变为“0”,即,T3断开。In the reset phase, DCG_SEL, CLK_CTL, and RST are all high level "1" (ensuring that M3, M4, T3, T1, and T2 are all turned on), and the first refresh is performed to empty the storage capacitors FD, C1, and C2; the end of the reset phase is marked by RST becoming "0", that is, T3 is disconnected.
曝光阶段,感光单元10中的PD工作,感应光信号生成电荷,并将电荷存储在PD的固有电容中。M6可以处于断开状态也可以处于导通状态。During the exposure phase, the PD in the photosensitive unit 10 works, senses the light signal to generate charges, and stores the charges in the inherent capacitance of the PD. M6 can be in an off state or in an on state.
读取阶段,CLK_CTL为高电平,以将实际的LCG_SEL刷新进入C4、将实际的MCG_SEL刷新进入C3(第二次刷新),并将LCG_SEL输入M4控制M4的导通或关断,以及将MCG_SEL输入M3控制M3的导通或关断,以使得像素结构工作在C3和C4输出的信号所对应的模式;在C3和C4输出的信号对应HCG时,T1和T2关断,C1和C2分别与FD断开;TX和SEL均为高电平,T4和T5导通,为感光单元10生成的电荷出来存储在FD中,并通过SF放大后输出并通过感光信号处理电路11输出端输出。在C3和C4输出的信号对应MCG时,T1关断、T2导通,C1与FD并联,C2分与FD断开;TX和SEL均为高电平,T4和T5导通,为感光单元10生成的电荷出来存储在FD中,并通过SF放大后输出并通过感光信号处理电路11输出端输出。在C3和C4输出的信号对应LCG时,T1和T2导通,C1和C2分别与FD并联;TX和SEL均为高电平,T4和T5导通,为感光单元10生成的电荷出来存储在FD中,并通过SF放大后输出并通过感光信号处理电路11输出端输出。In the reading stage, CLK_CTL is at a high level to refresh the actual LCG_SEL into C4, refresh the actual MCG_SEL into C3 (second refresh), and input LCG_SEL into M4 to control the on or off of M4, and input MCG_SEL into M3 to control the on or off of M3, so that the pixel structure works in the mode corresponding to the signals output by C3 and C4; when the signals output by C3 and C4 correspond to HCG, T1 and T2 are turned off, and C1 and C2 are disconnected from FD respectively; TX and SEL are both at high levels, T4 and T5 are turned on, and the charge generated by the photosensitive unit 10 is stored in the FD, and is amplified by SF and output through the output end of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11. When the signal output by C3 and C4 corresponds to MCG, T1 is turned off, T2 is turned on, C1 is connected in parallel with FD, and C2 is disconnected from FD; TX and SEL are both high level, T4 and T5 are turned on, and the charge generated for the photosensitive unit 10 is stored in FD, amplified by SF and output through the output end of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11. When the signal output by C3 and C4 corresponds to LCG, T1 and T2 are turned on, C1 and C2 are connected in parallel with FD respectively; TX and SEL are both high level, T4 and T5 are turned on, and the charge generated for the photosensitive unit 10 is stored in FD, amplified by SF and output through the output end of the photosensitive signal processing circuit 11.
可以理解的是,由于本申请实施例中的M3、M4存在漏电的特性,因此缓存电容C3和C4的缓存有时间限制。因此,超过一定时间后必须进行刷新。刷新的频率 为不低于像素阵列内所有像素更新一次所需的时间。这里,若在重置阶段或曝光阶段的时间超过预设时间,则需要根据需要进行刷新(重新对T1和T2的控制极刷入模式控制信号);同时,在读取阶段,若T4和T5延时导通,则同样需要根据需要进行刷新。It is understandable that, due to the leakage characteristics of M3 and M4 in the embodiment of the present application, the cache of the cache capacitors C3 and C4 has a time limit. Therefore, it must be refreshed after a certain time. The refresh frequency The time required for updating all pixels in the pixel array is not less than the time required for updating once. Here, if the time in the reset phase or the exposure phase exceeds the preset time, it is necessary to refresh as needed (re-flush the mode control signal into the control electrodes of T1 and T2); at the same time, in the reading phase, if T4 and T5 are turned on with a delay, they also need to be refreshed as needed.
在上述实施例的基础上,本申请实施例提供了一种图像传感器,该图像传感器包括上述的像素结构。On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, an embodiment of the present application provides an image sensor, which includes the above-mentioned pixel structure.
在上述实施例的基础上,本申请实施例提供了一种电子设备,该电子设备包括上述的图像传感器。Based on the above embodiment, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes the above image sensor.
需要说明的是,在本申请实施例中,电子设备包括但不限于手机、平板电脑、笔记本电脑、掌上电脑、车载终端、可穿戴设备、以及计步器等。It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the electronic devices include but are not limited to mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, vehicle-mounted terminals, wearable devices, and pedometers, etc.
本领域普通技术人员可以意识到,结合本文中所公开的实施例描述的各示例的单元及算法步骤,能够以电子硬件、或者计算机软件和电子硬件的结合来实现。这些功能究竟以硬件还是软件方式来执行,取决于技术方案的特定应用和设计约束条件。专业技术人员可以对每个特定的应用来使用不同方法来实现所描述的功能,但是这种实现不应认为超出本公开的范围。Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this disclosure.
所属领域的技术人员可以清楚地了解到,为描述的方便和简洁,上述描述的系统、装置和单元的具体工作过程,可以参考前述方法实施例中的对应过程,在此不再赘述。Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.
在本申请所提供的实施例中,应该理解到,所揭露的装置和方法,可以通过其它的方式实现。例如,以上所描述的装置实施例仅仅是示意性的,例如,所述单元的划分,仅仅为一种逻辑功能划分,实际实现时可以有另外的划分方式,例如多个单元或组件可以结合或者可以集成到另一个系统,或一些特征可以忽咯,或不执行。另一点,所显示或讨论的相互之间的耦合或直接耦合或通信连接可以是通过一些接口,装置或单元的间接耦合或通信连接,可以是电性,机械或其它的形式。In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.
所述作为分离部件说明的单元可以是或者也可以不是物理上分开的,作为单元显示的部件可以是或者也可以不是物理单元,即可以位于一个地方,或者也可以分布到多个网络单元上。可以根据实际的需要选择其中的部分或者全部单元来实现本实施例方案的目的。The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.
另外,在本公开各个实施例中的各功能单元可以集成在一个处理单元中,也可以是各个单元单独物理存在,也可以两个或两个以上单元集成在一个单元中。In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present disclosure may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.
通过以上的实施方式的描述,本领域的技术人员可以清楚地了解到上述实施例方法可借助软件加必需的通用硬件平台的方式来实现,当然也可以通过硬件,但很多情况下前者是更佳的实施方式。基于这样的理解,本申请的技术方案本质上或者说对相关技术做出贡献的部分可以以软件产品的形式体现出来,该计算机软件产品存储在一个存储介质(ROM、RAM、磁碟、光盘)中,包括若干指令用以使得一台终 端(可以是手机,计算机,服务器,空调器,或者网络设备等)执行本申请各个实施例所述的方法。Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above embodiment method can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, or by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the relevant technology, can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (ROM, RAM, disk, CD), including a number of instructions for enabling a terminal The terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) executes the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.
可以理解的是,本公开实施例描述的这些实施例可以用硬件、软件、固件、中间件、微码或其组合来实现。对于硬件实现,模块、单元、子单元可以实现在一个或多个专用集成电路(Application Specific Integrated Circuits,ASIC)、数字信号处理器(Digital Signal Processor,DSP)、数字信号处理设备(DSP Device,DSPD)、可编程逻辑设备(Programmable Logic Device,PLD)、现场可编程门阵列(Field-Programmable Gate Array,FPGA)、通用处理器、控制器、微控制器、微处理器、用于执行本公开所述功能的其它电子单元或其组合中。It is understood that the embodiments described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, modules, units, and sub-units can be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), digital signal processors (DSP), digital signal processing devices (DSPD), programmable logic devices (PLD), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units for performing the functions described in the present disclosure or a combination thereof.
对于软件实现,可通过执行本公开实施例所述功能的模块(例如过程、函数等)来实现本公开实施例所述的技术。软件代码可存储在存储器中并通过处理器执行。存储器可以在处理器中或在处理器外部实现。For software implementation, the technology described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by a module (such as a process, function, etc.) that performs the functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The software code can be stored in a memory and executed by a processor. The memory can be implemented in the processor or outside the processor.
需要说明的是,本说明书中的各个实施例均采用递进的方式描述,每个实施例重点说明的都是与其他实施例的不同之处,各个实施例之间相同相似的部分互相参见即可。It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.
尽管已描述了本申请实施例的可选实施例,但本领域内的技术人员一旦得知了基本创造性概念,则可对这些实施例做出另外的变更和修改。所以,所附权利要求意欲解释为包括可选实施例以及落入本申请实施例范围的所有变更和修改。Although the optional embodiments of the present application have been described, those skilled in the art may make additional changes and modifications to these embodiments once they have learned the basic creative concept. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including optional embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present application.
最后,还需要说明的是,在本文中,诸如第一和第二等之类的关系术语仅仅用来将一个实体与另一个实体区分开来,而不一定要求或者暗示这些实体之间存在任何这种实际的关系或者顺序。而且,术语“包括”、“包含”或者其任何其他变体意在涵盖非排他性的包含,从而使得包括一系列要素的物品或者终端设备不仅包括那些要素,而且还包括没有明确列出的其他要素,或者是还包括为这种物品或者终端设备所固有的要素。在没有更多限制的情况下,由语句“包括一个……”限定的要素,并不排除在包括要素的物品或者终端设备中还存在另外的相同要素。Finally, it should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity from another entity, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that an article or terminal device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such article or terminal device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "including one..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the article or terminal device including the elements.
以上对本申请所提供的技术方案进行了详细介绍,本文中应用了具体个例对本申请的原理及实施方式进行了阐述,同时,对于本领域的一般技术人员,依据本申请的原理及实现方式,在具体实施方式及应用范围上均会有改变之处,综上,本说明书内容不应理解为对本申请的限制。 The technical solution provided by the present application is introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the principles and implementation methods of the present application, there may be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. In summary, the contents of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present application.
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