公开(公告)号：US20140313350A1

公开(公告)日：2014-10-23

申请号：US13971712

申请日：2013-08-20

申请人： Aptina Imaging Corporation

发明人： Brian Keelan

IPC分类号： H04N5/238 ,  H04N9/04 ,  H04N9/64 ,  H04N5/217

CPC分类号： H01L27/14685 ,  H01L27/14621 ,  H01L27/14623 ,  H04N5/3572 ,  H04N5/3651 ,  H04N5/367 ,  H04N9/045

摘要： Imaging devices may include processing circuitry, a lens, and an array of image sensor pixels and reference pixels. The array may receive direct image light and stray light from the lens. The image sensor pixels may include clear color filter elements and the reference pixels may include opaque color filter elements. The opaque color filter elements may block direct image light from being captured by the reference pixels. The image sensor pixels may generate pixel values in response to the direct image light and the stray light whereas the reference pixels may generate reference pixel values in response to the stray light. The processing circuitry may mitigate stray light effects such as local flare and veiling glare within the imaging system by adjusting the pixel values based on the reference pixel values. The imaging system may be calibrated in a calibration system for generating stray light calibration data.

摘要翻译： 成像设备可以包括处理电路，透镜和图像传感器像素和参考像素的阵列。 该阵列可以接收来自透镜的直接图像光和杂散光。 图像传感器像素可以包括清晰的滤色器元件，并且参考像素可以包括不透明滤色器元件。 不透明滤色器元件可以阻止直接图像光被参考像素捕获。 图像传感器像素可以响应于直接图像光和杂散光而产生像素值，而参考像素可以响应于杂散光而生成参考像素值。 处理电路可以通过基于参考像素值调整像素值来减轻成像系统内的杂散光效应，例如局部耀斑和遮光眩光。 成像系统可以在用于产生杂散光校准数据的校准系统中校准。

公开(公告)号：US20130293753A1

公开(公告)日：2013-11-07

申请号：US13865100

申请日：2013-04-17

申请人： Aptina Imaging Corporation

发明人： Brian Keelan ,  Dhandapani Dharumalingam

IPC分类号： H04N5/335

CPC分类号： H04N5/369 ,  H01L27/14634 ,  H01L27/14636 ,  H01L27/14638 ,  H04N5/3745

摘要： Imaging systems may be provided with stacked-chip image sensors. A stacked-chip image sensor may include a vertical chip stack that includes an array of image pixels and processing circuitry. The image pixel array may be coupled to the processing circuitry through an array of vertical metal interconnects. The image pixel array may be partitioned into image pixel sub-arrays configured to capture image data at a capture frame rate. The processing circuitry may compress image data associated with each image pixel sub-array in parallel and may output the compressed image data to off-chip image processing circuitry at an output frame rate that is less than the capture frame rate. The processing circuitry may determine respective compression block sizes for each image pixel sub-array with which to compress the associated image data and may determine respective output frame rates for image data from each image pixel sub-array.

摘要翻译： 成像系统可以设置有堆叠芯片图像传感器。 堆叠芯片图像传感器可以包括包括图像像素阵列和处理电路的垂直芯片堆叠。 图像像素阵列可以通过垂直金属互连阵列耦合到处理电路。 图像像素阵列可以被划分成被配置为以捕获帧速率捕获图像数据的图像像素子阵列。 处理电路可以并行地压缩与每个图像像素子阵列相关联的图像数据，并且可以以小于捕捉帧速率的输出帧速率将压缩图像数据输出到片外图像处理电路。 处理电路可以确定用于压缩相关图像数据的每个图像像素子阵列的各个压缩块大小，并且可以确定来自每个图像像素子阵列的图像数据的相应输出帧速率。

公开(公告)号：US20150146077A1

公开(公告)日：2015-05-28

申请号：US14090876

申请日：2013-11-26

申请人： Aptina Imaging Corporation

发明人： Brian Keelan ,  Brian Vaartstra ,  Jeffrey Mackey

IPC分类号： H04N5/235 ,  H04N5/238 ,  H04N9/64

CPC分类号： H04N9/045 ,  G02F1/01 ,  G02F2001/1517 ,  H01L27/14621 ,  H01L27/14627 ,  H01L27/14685 ,  H04N5/3696 ,  H04N2209/043

摘要： An imaging system may include an image sensor having an array of image pixels. Some image pixels in the array may be provided with spectral response adjustment structures. For example, a plurality of broadband pixels in the array may include spectral response adjustment structures. The spectral response adjustment structures may be configured to narrow the spectral response of the broadband pixels in high light conditions. For example, the spectral response of the broadband pixels may transition from clear to gray, from clear to green, or from yellow to green as the light level increases. The spectral response adjustment structures may, for example, be formed from photochromic materials or electrochromic elements. Processing circuitry in the imaging system may generate a color correction matrix for an image based at least partly on the state of the spectral response adjustment structures.

摘要翻译： 成像系统可以包括具有图像像素阵列的图像传感器。 阵列中的一些图像像素可以被提供有光谱响应调整结构。 例如，阵列中的多个宽带像素​​可以包括光谱响应调整结构。 光谱响应调整结构可以被配置为在高光条件下使宽带像素的光谱响应变窄。 例如，随着光级增加，宽带像素的光谱响应可以从清晰转变为灰色，从清晰变为绿色，或从黄色转变为绿色。 光谱响应调节结构可以例如由光致变色材料或电致变色元件形成。 成像系统中的处理电路可以至少部分地基于光谱响应调整结构的状态来生成用于图像的颜色校正矩阵。

公开(公告)号：US20150138366A1

公开(公告)日：2015-05-21

申请号：US14086705

申请日：2013-11-21

申请人： Aptina Imaging Corporation

发明人： Brian Keelan ,  Marko Mlinar

IPC分类号： H04N5/33 ,  H04N5/225

CPC分类号： H04N9/045 ,  H04N5/332 ,  H04N9/64

摘要： An image sensor may have an array of image pixels arranged in color filter unit cells that each have at least one red image pixel that generates red image signals, at least one blue image pixel that generate blue image signals, at least one clear image pixels that generate clear image signals, at least one infrared image pixel that generates infrared image signals, and optionally at least one green image pixel that generates green image signals. The image sensor may be coupled to processing circuitry that performs chroma demosaicking operations on the image signals. The processing circuitry may generate an infrared image using the infrared image signals and a luminance value using the clear, red, blue, and infrared image signals. The processing circuitry may perform point filter operations on the image signals based on the generated luminance value to produce corrected visible light image signals having improved image quality.

摘要翻译： 图像传感器可以具有布置在滤色器单元单元中的图像像素阵列，每个像素阵列具有生成红色图像信号的至少一个红色图像像素，产生蓝色图像信号的至少一个蓝色图像像素，至少一个清晰图像像素， 产生清晰的图像信号，产生红外图像信号的至少一个红外图像像素，以及可选地产生绿色图像信号的至少一个绿色图像像素。 图像传感器可以耦合到对图像信号执行色度去马赛克操作的处理电路。 处理电路可以使用红外图像信号和使用透明，红色，蓝色和红外图像信号的亮度值来生成红外图像。 处理电路可以基于产生的亮度值对图像信号执行点滤波器操作，以产生具有改善的图像质量的校正的可见光图像信号。

公开(公告)号：US20130293752A1

公开(公告)日：2013-11-07

申请号：US13875549

申请日：2013-05-02

申请人： APTINA IMAGING CORPORATION

发明人： Honghong Peng ,  Brian Keelan

IPC分类号： H04N5/353

CPC分类号： H04N5/353 ,  H01L27/14634 ,  H04N5/2327 ,  H04N5/23277 ,  H04N5/3535 ,  H04N5/357 ,  H04N5/3745

摘要： Imaging systems may be provided with stacked-chip image sensors. A stacked-chip image sensor may include a vertical chip stack that includes an array of image pixels and processing circuitry. The image pixel array may be coupled to the processing circuitry through an array of vertical metal interconnects. The image pixel array may be partitioned into image pixel sub-arrays configured to capture image data using one or more integration times. The processing circuitry may determine motion information for the image data captured by each pixel sub-array and may determine integration times for each pixel sub-array. The pixel sub-arrays may capture additional image data using the determined integration times. The additional image data may be combined to generate final image frames having short integration pixel values and long integration pixel values. The processing circuitry may output the final image frames to off-chip image processing circuitry.

摘要翻译： 成像系统可以设置有堆叠芯片图像传感器。 堆叠芯片图像传感器可以包括包括图像像素阵列和处理电路的垂直芯片堆叠。 图像像素阵列可以通过垂直金属互连阵列耦合到处理电路。 图像像素阵列可以被分割成被配置为使用一个或多个积分时间捕获图像数据的图像像素子阵列。 处理电路可以确定由每个像素子阵列捕获的图像数据的运动信息，并且可以确定每个像素子阵列的积分时间。 像素子阵列可以使用确定的积分时间捕获附加图像数据。 可以组合附加图像数据以生成具有短积分像素值和长积分像素值的最终图像帧。 处理电路可以将最终图像帧输出到片外图像处理电路。

公开(公告)号：US20130242148A1

公开(公告)日：2013-09-19

申请号：US13736768

申请日：2013-01-08

申请人： APTINA IMAGING CORPORATION

发明人： Marko Mlinar ,  Brian Keelan

IPC分类号： H04N9/04

CPC分类号： H04N9/045 ,  G06K9/46 ,  G06T3/4015 ,  G06T5/10 ,  G06T11/60 ,  G06T2207/10024 ,  H04N5/63 ,  H04N9/67 ,  H04N9/735 ,  H04N2209/041

摘要： An image sensor may have art array of image sensor pixels arranged in color filter unit cells each having one red image pixel that generates red image signals, one blue image pixel that generate blue image signals, and two clear image sensor pixels that generate white image signals. The image sensor may be coupled to processing circuitry that performs filtering operations on the red, blue, and white image signals to increase noise correlations in the image signals that reduce noise- amplification when applying a color correction matrix to the-image signals. The processing circuitry may extract a green image signal from the white image signal. The processing circuitry may compute a scaling value that includes a linear combination of the red, blue, white and green image signals. The scaling value may be applied to the red, blue, and green image signals to produce corrected, image signals having improved image quality.

摘要翻译： 图像传感器可以具有布置在滤色器单元单元中的图像传感器像素的艺术阵列，每个像素具有产生红色图像信号的一个红色图像像素，产生蓝色图像信号的一个蓝色图像像素和产生白色图像信号的两个清晰图像传感器像素 。 图像传感器可以耦合到对红色，蓝色和白色图像信号执行滤波操作的处理电路，以增加在将颜色校正矩阵应用于图像信号时降低噪声放大的图像信号中的噪声相关性。 处理电路可以从白色图像信号中提取绿色图像信号。 处理电路可以计算包括红色，蓝色，白色和绿色图像信号的线性组合的缩放值。 缩放值可以应用于红色，蓝色和绿色图像信号以产生具有改善的图像质量的校正的图像信号。