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JP-7854947-B2 - Solid-state imaging device, control method for solid-state imaging device, and control program for solid-state imaging device

JP7854947B2JP 7854947 B2JP7854947 B2JP 7854947B2JP-7854947-B2

Inventors

  • 小曽根 卓義
  • 原 一騎
  • 坂本 順一
  • 角倉 慎弥

Assignees

  • ソニーセミコンダクタソリューションズ株式会社

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20220104
Priority Date
20210112

Claims (5)

  1. A pixel array section comprising multiple pixels, A control unit that reads first image data from the pixel array unit in each of multiple cycles within one frame, A processing unit that generates a second image data for one frame based on a plurality of first image data read within the first frame, Equipped with, The processing unit corrects the position of the subject in the plurality of first image data based on the motion vector of the subject's region included in the plurality of first image data, and generates the second image data by adding the corrected plurality of first image data so that the ratio of each of the plurality of first image data is equal . Each of the cycles includes a first period for accumulating the charge generated in the pixel and a second period for discarding the charge generated in the pixel. The frequency of the cycle is set to a frequency that is different from a power of two of the frame frequency, and the sum of the first periods of the plurality of cycles within one frame is set to be more than half of the frame period. Solid-state imaging device.
  2. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit generates the first image data based on the image data read from the pixel array unit during the first period and the image data read from the pixel array unit during the second period.
  3. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the duration of each of the aforementioned multiple cycles is the same.
  4. Solid-state imaging device, In each of the multiple cycles within a single frame, the first image data is read from a pixel array unit having multiple pixels. This includes generating a second image data for one frame based on a plurality of first image data read within the first frame, In generating the second image data, Based on the motion vector of the subject's region included in the plurality of first image data, the position of the subject in the plurality of first image data is corrected, and the second image data is generated by adding the corrected plurality of first image data so that the ratio of each of the plurality of first image data is equal . Each of the cycles includes a first period for accumulating the charge generated in the pixel and a second period for discarding the charge generated in the pixel. The frequency of the cycle is set to a frequency that is different from a power of two of the frame frequency, and the sum of the first periods of the plurality of cycles within one frame is set to be more than half of the frame period. A method for controlling a solid-state imaging device.
  5. The process involves reading first image data from a pixel array unit having multiple pixels in each of the multiple cycles within one frame, A step of generating a second image data for one frame based on a plurality of first image data read within the first frame, A control program for a solid-state imaging device to be executed by a computer, In the process of generating the second image data, Based on the motion vector of the subject's region included in the plurality of first image data, the position of the subject in the plurality of first image data is corrected, and the second image data is generated by adding the corrected plurality of first image data so that the ratio of each of the plurality of first image data is equal . Each of the cycles includes a first period for accumulating the charge generated in the pixel and a second period for discarding the charge generated in the pixel. The frequency of the cycle is set to a frequency that is different from a power of two of the frame frequency, and the sum of the first periods of the plurality of cycles within one frame is set to be more than half of the frame period. Control program for a solid-state imaging device.

Description

This disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging device, a control method for a solid-state imaging device, and a control program for a solid-state imaging device. In recent years, with the increasing autonomy of mobile devices such as automobiles and robots, and the spread of IoT (Internet of Things), there has been a strong demand for faster and more accurate image recognition. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-223477 This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a vehicle control system.This figure shows an example of a sensing area.This is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an image sensor according to one embodiment.This figure illustrates an example of a read operation performed by an image sensor during one frame period according to one embodiment.This figure illustrates an example of a read operation performed by an image sensor during one cycle period according to one embodiment.This figure illustrates an example of the configuration and operation of the frame data generation unit in an image sensor according to one embodiment.This is a diagram illustrating the principle behind the generation of SNR drops.This figure illustrates an example of another readout operation performed by the image sensor during one frame period according to one embodiment.This figure illustrates an example of another readout operation performed by the image sensor during one frame period according to one embodiment.This figure illustrates an example of vibration correction according to one embodiment.This block diagram shows an example configuration for realizing vibration correction according to one embodiment.This block diagram shows another configuration example for realizing vibration compensation according to one embodiment.This is a schematic diagram illustrating the case where vibration correction is applied to the basic operation according to one embodiment.This is a diagram (part 1) illustrating a motion vector search operation according to one embodiment.This is a diagram (part 2) illustrating the motion vector search operation according to one embodiment.This is a diagram illustrating the motion vector search operation according to one embodiment (part 3).This is a block diagram showing an example configuration for realizing motion vector search according to one embodiment.This figure illustrates an example of a read operation performed by an image sensor during one frame period, according to a modified version of one embodiment.This is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that implements the functions of the information processing device related to this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted. Furthermore, this disclosure will be explained in the order of the items shown below. 0. Introduction 1. One Embodiment 1.1 Example of Vehicle Control System Configuration 1.2 Example of Solid State Imaging Device (Image Sensor) Configuration 1.3 Example of Basic Operation (Generation of Frame Data by 4-Cycle Sequence and DOL Synthesis) 1.4 Other examples of countermeasures for SNR drop 1.5 Flicker detection and removal 1.6 Shake correction 1.7 Motion vector search (ME) 1.8 Summary 1.9 Modifications 2. Hardware configuration 0. Introduction The following technical challenges exist with conventional image sensors. (Flicker light source) In conventional technology, a problem can occur where the subject is detected as either remaining off for an extended period or remaining lit for an extended period, depending on the relationship between the subject's blinking cycle and the image sensor's frame rate. While this problem can be solved by setting the image sensor's exposure time to a long exposure time longer than the subject's blinking cycle, this can induce problems such as blurring, which will be discussed later. (Blur) When long exposures are used to improve the detection accuracy of flicker light sources such as traffic lights and road signs, increasing the exposure time increases the distance the subject and background move within the image sensor's field of view, which can cause blurring in the acquired image. While this problem can be reduced by shortening the exposure time, it leads to a dilemma where the detection accuracy of flicker light sources decreases. Furthermore, short exposure times can result in reduced visibility of images acquired in low-light environments such as at night or in dark areas. (Low light performance) While the visibility of images acquired in low-light environments can be improved by increasing the exposure time, this creates a dilemma: the image acquired by the image sensor becomes blurred. Furthermore, in recent years, the trend towards smaller pixel pitches has led to decreased pixel sensitivity, making it increasingly