CN114143515A

CN114143515A - Image sensor, camera module and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN114143515A
Application number: CN202111456405.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 牛明坤
Original assignee: Vivo Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Current assignee: Vivo Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-11-30
Filing date: 2021-11-30
Publication date: 2022-03-04

Abstract

The application discloses image sensor, module and electronic equipment make a video recording, this image sensor includes the pixel array, the pixel array includes: a pixel array including a plurality of pixel groups, each of the pixel groups having a hexagonal shape, each of the pixel groups including six pixel units, each of the pixel groups including a first pixel unit and a second pixel unit, the first pixel unit including at least two of: a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, a blue pixel unit, a cyan pixel unit, a magenta pixel unit and a yellow pixel unit; the second pixel unit includes at least one of: an infrared pixel unit and a white pixel unit.

Description

Image sensor, camera module and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The application belongs to the technical field of image processing, and particularly relates to an image sensor, a camera module and electronic equipment.

Background

Currently, the market competition of mobile terminal products is more and more intense, especially in the camera aspect of smart phones. Among them, the image sensor is the core of the camera and is also the most critical component in the camera. In order to increase the Sensitivity (Sensitivity) of the image sensor to achieve better night scene details and color effects, in the related art, for example, a larger pixel size is used to increase the Sensitivity of the image sensor itself, a larger lens aperture is used to increase the light incident amount, and a dual lens is used to enhance the object details and simultaneously take account of the object colors.

Disclosure of Invention

The application aims at providing an image sensor, a camera module and electronic equipment, which can well restore night scene details and color effects.

In order to solve the technical problem, the present application is implemented as follows:

in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an image sensor, which includes: a pixel array including a plurality of pixel groups, each of the pixel groups having a hexagonal shape, each of the pixel groups including six pixel units, each of the pixel groups including a first pixel unit and a second pixel unit, the first pixel unit including at least two of: a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, a blue pixel unit, a cyan pixel unit, a magenta pixel unit and a yellow pixel unit; the second pixel unit includes at least one of: an infrared pixel unit and a white pixel unit.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a camera module, which includes the image sensor described in the first aspect above.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes the camera module described in the second aspect above.

In the embodiment of the present application, the image sensor includes a pixel array, the pixel array includes a plurality of pixel groups, the shape of the pixel groups is a hexagon, and since the pixel groups include six pixel units, and each pixel group includes at least two of a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, a blue pixel unit, a cyan pixel unit, a magenta pixel unit, a yellow pixel unit, and at least one of an infrared pixel unit and a white pixel unit, not only at least two of a red waveband, a green waveband, a blue waveband, a cyan waveband, a magenta waveband, and a yellow waveband can be captured, and richer color information can be provided to achieve a more accurate color restoration effect. Meanwhile, the edge details of the object in a dark place or under low light can be enhanced by utilizing the visible light wave band and the infrared light wave band (wide spectrum), so that the light sensitivity under the low light environment is increased, and better night scene experience is provided.

Drawings

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent and readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

fig. 1 is a first schematic structural diagram of an image sensor provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram three of an image sensor provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an image sensor provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an image sensor provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram six of an image sensor provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram seven of an image sensor provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram eight of an image sensor provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary only for the purpose of explaining the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present application. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The features of the terms first and second in the description and in the claims of the present application may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. Further, "and/or" in the specification and claims means at least one of the connected objects.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "row direction", "column direction", "upper", "lower", "outer periphery", and the like, indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, are only for convenience in describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present application.

In the description of the present application, it is to be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the term "connected" is to be interpreted broadly, e.g. as a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.

The embodiment of the application relates to an image sensor, which is used as a component of a camera module and is used for sensing an optical signal and converting the optical signal into an electric signal to be output so as to form image data.

The image sensor (sensor) is the core of the camera and is also the most critical technology in the camera. Sensors are generally classified into two types: one is a widely used CCD (Charge-coupled Device) element, and the other is a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Device. In contrast to conventional cameras, which use "film" as their information recording carrier, the "film" of a digital camera is its imaging photosensitive element, which is the "film" of the digital camera that is not to be replaced and is integral with the camera.

The CMOS devices currently used, like the CCD, are semiconductors that can record light changes in digital cameras. The CMOS fabrication technology uses semiconductors made of two elements, silicon and germanium, so that N (negatively charged) and P (positively charged) semiconductors coexist on the CMOS, and the currents generated by these two complementary effects can be recorded and interpreted as images by the processing chip.

The camera lens (lens) is the most important component in the camera, and the quality of the camera lens directly affects the quality of the shot imaging. The camera lens can be divided into two categories, zoom and fixed focus. The zoom lens has variable focal length and variable visual angle, namely, the zoom lens can be pushed and pulled; a fixed focus lens is a lens with an unchangeable focal length, i.e. only one focal length or only one viewing angle.

A CMOS Camera Module (CCM) is a Camera Module mainly used in a mobile phone at present, and is composed of a Lens (Lens), a Voice Coil Motor (Voice Coil Motor), an infrared Filter (IR Filter), an image sensor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), and a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC).

The CCM has the working flow that the voice coil motor drives the lens to reach the position with accurate focusing, external light passes through the lens and is filtered by the infrared filter to irradiate on a photosensitive diode (pixel) of the image sensor, the photosensitive diode converts a sensed optical signal into an electric signal, a digital signal matrix (namely an image) is formed by the amplifying circuit and an AD conversion (analog-to-digital conversion) circuit, and the digital signal matrix is processed by the digital signal processor and is compressed and stored.

The structure of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to fig. 1 to 7.

As shown in fig. 1, an image sensor 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixel groups 11, each pixel group 11 having a hexagonal shape, each pixel group 11 including six pixel cells 111. Each pixel group 11 includes a first pixel unit and a second pixel unit. The first pixel unit includes at least two of: red (R) pixel cells, Green (G) pixel cells, Blue (B) pixel cells, Cyan (Cyan, C) pixel cells, Magenta (M) pixel cells, and Yellow (Y) pixel cells. The second pixel unit includes at least one of: an Infrared (IR) pixel element, and a White (W) pixel element.

The above red pixel unit R is used for capturing red frequency band signals, i.e. only red light is retained. The above green pixel unit G is used to capture green band signals, i.e. only green light is retained. The above blue pixel cell B is used to capture the blue band signal, i.e. only the blue light is retained.

The above cyan pixel cell C is used to capture a cyan band signal, i.e., retain only cyan light. The above magenta pixel unit M is used to capture the magenta band signal, i.e. only hold the magenta light. The above yellow pixel unit Y is used to capture the yellow band signal, i.e. only the yellow light is retained. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are complementary colors of red, green, and blue.

The above white pixel unit W is used to capture visible light. The above infrared pixel unit IR is used to collect a specific wavelength band in the sensed infrared light, which may be a wavelength band between 830 nm-940 nm.

In this embodiment, each pixel group 11 is in a regular hexagon shape, and each pixel unit 111 is in a regular triangle shape, for example, as shown in fig. 1, the pixel array sequentially includes a pixel group 11a, a pixel group 11b, a pixel group 11c, and the like, where the pixel group 11a, the pixel group 11b, the pixel group 11c, and the like are in a regular hexagon shape, and the pixel group 11a, the pixel group 11b, the pixel group 11c, and the like are all combined by six pixel units 111, and each pixel unit 111 is in a regular triangle shape, so that the pixel array can be arranged neatly.

In one embodiment, the number of the first pixel units and the number of the second pixel units in the pixel group 11 are three, and the three second pixel units are arranged at intervals, or the three second pixel units are arranged adjacently.

In one example, all of the three second pixel units are infrared pixel units, or all of the three second pixel units are white pixel units.

For example, as shown in fig. 1, the pixel group 11 includes one red pixel unit R, one green pixel unit G, one blue pixel unit B, and three white pixel units W, wherein the red pixel unit R, the green pixel unit G, and the blue pixel unit B are adjacently disposed, and the three white pixel units W are adjacently disposed.

According to the present example, which includes red pixel cells, green pixel cells, and blue pixel cells, it is possible to provide relatively rich color information to achieve an accurate color reproduction effect. Meanwhile, the sensitivity in a low-light environment can be increased by the white pixel unit so as to be beneficial to night scene shooting.

For another example, as shown in fig. 2, the pixel group 11 includes one red pixel unit R, one green pixel unit G, one blue pixel unit B, and three infrared pixel units IR, wherein the red pixel unit R, the green pixel unit G, and the blue pixel unit B are adjacently disposed, and the three infrared pixel units IR are adjacently disposed.

According to the present example, which includes red pixel cells, green pixel cells, and blue pixel cells, it is possible to provide relatively rich color information to achieve an accurate color reproduction effect. Meanwhile, the infrared light wave band can be captured through the infrared pixel unit, so that the edge details of objects in a low-light environment are strengthened, and better night scene experience is provided.

For another example, as shown in fig. 3, the pixel group 11 includes one red pixel unit R, one green pixel unit G, one blue pixel unit B, and three white pixel units W, wherein the red pixel unit R, the green pixel unit G, and the blue pixel unit B are disposed at intervals, and the three white pixel units W are disposed at intervals.

According to the present example, which includes red pixel cells, green pixel cells, and blue pixel cells, it is possible to provide relatively rich color information to achieve an accurate color reproduction effect. Meanwhile, the sensitivity in a low-light environment can be increased by the white pixel unit so as to be beneficial to night scene shooting. In addition, the white pixel unit, the red pixel unit, the green pixel unit and the blue pixel unit in the pixel group are distributed more uniformly, and the anti-aliasing effect of the image sensor is more facilitated.

For another example, as shown in fig. 4, the pixel group 11 includes one red pixel unit R, one green pixel unit G, one blue pixel unit B, and three infrared pixel units IR, wherein the red pixel unit R, the green pixel unit G, and the blue pixel unit B are disposed at intervals, and the three infrared pixel units IR are disposed at intervals.

According to the present example, which includes red pixel cells, green pixel cells, and blue pixel cells, it is possible to provide relatively rich color information to achieve an accurate color reproduction effect. Meanwhile, the edge details of the object in the low-light environment can be strengthened through the infrared pixel units, and better night scene experience is provided. In addition, the distribution of the infrared pixel unit, the red pixel unit, the green pixel unit and the blue pixel unit in the pixel group is more uniform, and the anti-aliasing effect of the image sensor is more facilitated.

In one embodiment, the number of first pixel cells in the pixel group 11 is at least four and the number of second pixel cells is at least one.

In one example, the colors of at least four first pixel units are different.

As shown in fig. 5, the pixel group 11 includes four pixel units of different colors, i.e., a red pixel unit R, a green pixel unit G, a blue pixel unit B, and a cyan pixel unit C, and the pixel group 11 further includes two white pixel units W.

According to the present example, since it includes pixel cells of at least four different colors among six pixel cells of a red pixel cell, a green pixel cell, a blue pixel cell, a cyan pixel cell, a magenta pixel cell, and a yellow pixel cell, it is possible to provide more abundant color information to achieve a more accurate color reproduction effect.

In one example, the at least four first pixel units include one red pixel unit, two green pixel units and one blue pixel unit, the number of the second pixel units is two, and the two second pixel units are both infrared pixel units.

As shown in fig. 6, the pixel group 11 includes one red pixel unit R, two green pixel units G, and one blue pixel unit B, and the pixel group 11 further includes two infrared pixel units IR.

According to the present example, which includes red pixel cells, green pixel cells, and blue pixel cells, it is possible to provide relatively rich color information to achieve an accurate color reproduction effect. Meanwhile, the light sensitivity in a low-light environment can be increased through the infrared pixel unit, so that night scene shooting is facilitated. Moreover, the occupation ratio of green pixel units in the same pixel group is more, so that the resolution ratio under the highlight scene is better.

In one example, the number of first pixel units in the pixel group 11 is five, and the five first pixel units include the following five types: the pixel comprises a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, a blue pixel unit, a cyan pixel unit, a magenta pixel unit and a yellow pixel unit.

As shown in fig. 7, the pixel group 11 includes a red pixel unit R, a green pixel unit G, a blue pixel unit B, a cyan pixel unit C, and a magenta pixel unit M, and the pixel group 11 further includes a white pixel unit W.

According to the present example, it includes pixel units of five different colors among six pixel units of a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, a blue pixel unit, a cyan pixel unit, a magenta pixel unit, and a yellow pixel unit, thereby being capable of providing more abundant color information to achieve a more accurate color reproduction effect.

According to the embodiment of the application, the image sensor comprises the pixel array, the pixel array comprises a plurality of pixel groups, the shape of each pixel group is hexagonal, and as the pixel groups comprise six pixel units, and each pixel group comprises at least two of a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, a blue pixel unit, a cyan pixel unit, a magenta pixel unit and a yellow pixel unit, and at least one of an infrared pixel unit and a white pixel unit, not only at least two of a red waveband, a green waveband, a blue waveband, a cyan waveband, a magenta waveband and a yellow waveband can be captured, and richer color information can be provided to realize more accurate color reduction effect. Meanwhile, the edge details of the object in a dark place or under low light can be enhanced by utilizing the visible light wave band and the infrared light wave band (wide spectrum), so that the light sensitivity under the low light environment is increased, and better night scene experience is provided.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 8, the image sensor 10 further includes a signal control circuit 112 in one-to-one correspondence with each pixel unit 111.

In this embodiment, the signal control circuit 112 includes a floating switch TX1, and the photodiode PD1 of each pixel unit 111 is connected in series with the floating switch TX 1.

In this embodiment, the signal control circuit 112 further includes: the first capacitor FD1 and the first capacitor FD1 are connected between the signal terminal Vs and the ground terminal GND. And the reset switch RST is connected between the power supply end VDD and the signal end Vs. And a source follower SF, a gate of which is connected with the signal terminal Vs, and a drain of which is connected with the power supply terminal VDD. A selection switch SET connected between the source of the source follower SF and the output terminal of the image sensor 10.

The following describes an exposure process of the pixel unit 111, including the following steps:

in step 202, the reset switch RST and the floating switch TX1 are turned on, a voltage is applied to the cathode of the photodiode PD1 and the first capacitor FD1, the photodiode PD1 is reset, and the electrons in the photodiode PD1 and the capacitor FD1 are cleared to zero.

Step 204, the reset switch RST and the floating switch TX1 are turned off, the photodiode PD1 starts to sense the stored energy (corresponding to the exposure start time), and a voltage difference starts to be generated across the photodiode.

In step 206, the reset switch RST is turned on to again clear the first capacitor FD1 to avoid interference/coupling caused by current electrons generated in the electronic circuit.

In step 208, the reset switch RST is turned off, the floating switch TX1 is turned on, the select switch SET is turned on (corresponding to the exposure end time), the energy of the photodiode PD1 is stored in the first capacitor FD1, and the terminal Vout outputs a voltage signal to the column amplifier corresponding to the sensor pixel unit.

In the embodiment of the present application, the reset switch RST, the floating switch TX1, and the select switch SET may be controlled by an external timing circuit or a timing control circuit in the processor, and work in an orderly manner.

In this embodiment, each pixel unit is correspondingly provided with one signal control circuit, so that independent exposure control of the pixel unit can be realized, and the dynamic range of the image sensor is expanded.

As shown in fig. 9, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a camera module 900, where the camera module 900 includes an image sensor 910, and the image sensor 910 may be the image sensor 10 of any of the above embodiments. The camera module 900 further includes a lens 920 and a circuit board 930, the image sensor 910 is electrically connected to the circuit board 930, and the circuit board 930 may be provided with a signal processing unit, an analog-to-digital converter, and the like, so as to convert an analog electrical signal output by the image sensor 910 into a digital signal through the analog-to-digital converter, and output the digital signal to a signal control circuit for signal processing, thereby obtaining image data. The lens 920 is disposed on a side of the image sensor 910 away from the circuit board 930, that is, the light incident surface of the image sensor 910 faces the lens 920.

In order to improve the shooting performance of the camera module 900, the camera module 900 may further include an optical filter 940, where the optical filter 940 is disposed between the image sensor 910 and the lens 920, and is used for filtering out invisible infrared light and the like of human eyes when shooting in the daytime, so as to improve the effective resolution of the collected image and the reducibility of the collected image to colors, and further improve the quality of the collected image.

In some embodiments, the camera module 900 may further include a motor 950, and the motor 950 is connected to the lens 920 for driving the lens 920 to move.

The camera module 900 can drive the lens 920 to move by controlling the motor 950, so as to realize automatic zooming.

In some embodiments, the camera module 900 may further include a base 960 for mounting the motor 950 to facilitate mounting of the motor 950.

In some embodiments, the camera module 900 may further include a protection film 970 disposed on the lens 920 to protect the lens 920 from being damaged.

For the image capturing module 900 of this embodiment, which includes an image sensor including a pixel array including a plurality of pixel groups, the pixel groups are hexagonal in shape, and each pixel group includes six pixel units, and each pixel group includes at least two of a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, a blue pixel unit, a cyan pixel unit, a magenta pixel unit, and a yellow pixel unit, and at least one of an infrared pixel unit and a white pixel unit, so that not only at least two wavelength bands of a red wavelength band, a green wavelength band, a blue wavelength band, a cyan wavelength band, a magenta wavelength band, and a yellow wavelength band can be captured, and richer color information can be provided to realize a more accurate color reduction effect. Meanwhile, the edge details of the object in a dark place or under low light can be enhanced by utilizing the visible light wave band and the infrared light wave band (wide spectrum), so that the light sensitivity under the low light environment is increased, and better night scene experience is provided.

An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device 1000 including the camera module 900 according to any of the above embodiments.

For example, the electronic device 1000 includes a housing having a light-transmissive portion. The camera module 900 may be disposed in the electronic device housing, and the lens 910 of the camera module 900 faces the light-transmitting portion, so as to capture an image through the light-transmitting portion.

The electronic device may be any device having a camera function, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a wearable device, and the like, which is not limited herein.

The foregoing embodiments have focused on the differences between corresponding and other embodiments, and reference may be made to the same or similar components in each embodiment.

In the description herein, references to the description of the term "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an illustrative embodiment," "an example," "a specific example," or "some examples" or the like mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

While embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An image sensor, comprising: a pixel array including a plurality of pixel groups, each of the pixel groups having a hexagonal shape, each of the pixel groups including six pixel units, each of the pixel groups including a first pixel unit and a second pixel unit, the first pixel unit including at least two of: a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, a blue pixel unit, a cyan pixel unit, a magenta pixel unit and a yellow pixel unit; the second pixel unit includes at least one of: an infrared pixel unit and a white pixel unit.

2. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the number of the first pixel units in the pixel group is three, the number of the second pixel units is three, three of the second pixel units are arranged at intervals, or three of the second pixel units are arranged adjacently.

3. The image sensor of claim 2, wherein all three of the second pixel units are infrared pixel units or all three of the second pixel units are white pixel units.

4. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the number of the first pixel units in the pixel group is at least four, and the number of the second pixel units is at least one.

5. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein at least four of the first pixel cells are all different colors.

6. The image sensor of claim 2, wherein the three first pixel units comprise one red pixel unit, one green pixel unit and one blue pixel unit, and the three second pixel units are all the infrared pixel units.

7. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein at least four of the first pixel units comprise one of the red pixel units, two of the green pixel units, and one of the blue pixel units, the number of the second pixel units is two, and both of the two second pixel units are the infrared pixel units.

8. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the number of the first pixel units in the pixel group is five, and the five first pixel units comprise five of the following: the pixel comprises a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, a blue pixel unit, a cyan pixel unit, a magenta pixel unit and a yellow pixel unit.

9. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein each of the pixel groups is shaped as a regular hexagon, and each of the pixel units is shaped as a regular triangle.

10. A camera module, characterized in that it comprises an image sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The camera module of claim 10, further comprising:

a circuit board to which the image sensor is electrically connected;

the lens is arranged on one side, far away from the circuit board, of the image sensor.

12. An electronic apparatus, characterized by comprising the camera module of claim 10 or 11.