WO2022011615A1 - 图像传感器、图像生成的方法和电子设备 - Google Patents

图像传感器、图像生成的方法和电子设备 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022011615A1
WO2022011615A1 PCT/CN2020/102194 CN2020102194W WO2022011615A1 WO 2022011615 A1 WO2022011615 A1 WO 2022011615A1 CN 2020102194 W CN2020102194 W CN 2020102194W WO 2022011615 A1 WO2022011615 A1 WO 2022011615A1
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pixel units
row
pixel
target
effective
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PCT/CN2020/102194
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English (en)
French (fr)
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武丹
李华飞
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深圳市汇顶科技股份有限公司
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Priority to PCT/CN2020/102194 priority Critical patent/WO2022011615A1/zh
Publication of WO2022011615A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022011615A1/zh

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    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N25/00Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
    • H04N25/60Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise
    • H04N25/67Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise applied to fixed-pattern noise, e.g. non-uniformity of response
    • H04N25/671Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise applied to fixed-pattern noise, e.g. non-uniformity of response for non-uniformity detection or correction
    • H04N25/673Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise applied to fixed-pattern noise, e.g. non-uniformity of response for non-uniformity detection or correction by using reference sources
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N25/00Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
    • H04N25/70SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith

Definitions

  • Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of sensors, and more particularly, to an image sensor, an image generation method, and an electronic device.
  • An image sensor is an electronic device that uses the photoelectric effect to convert an optical image into a digital signal, which usually includes a pixel array composed of a plurality of pixel units.
  • a digital signal usually includes a pixel array composed of a plurality of pixel units.
  • ADC analog-digital converter
  • the image sensor usually reads out the pixel value of the pixel unit in a row-by-row manner.
  • noise interference there may be noise interference in the pixel values read out by the image sensor.
  • the noise of a row of pixel values read out at the same time is equal. Due to the different readout times of pixel values between rows, the noise between different rows The size is different, this phenomenon is called row noise. Line noise appears as horizontal stripes in the image, which seriously affects the image quality.
  • Embodiments of the present application provide an image sensor, an image generation method, and an electronic device, which can effectively reduce the interference of line noise while reducing the manufacturing cost of the image sensor.
  • an image sensor comprising: a pixel array including multiple rows of effective pixel units and at least one group of dummy pixel units, wherein the multiple rows of effective pixel units and the at least one group of dummy pixel units are respectively connected to a power supply , at least two rows of effective pixel units in the multi-row effective pixel units correspond to a group of dummy pixel units, and the sensitivity of the dummy pixel units is 0; wherein, the target row effective pixel units in the multi-row effective pixel units When exposing to capture an image, the dummy pixel units of the target group corresponding to the effective pixel units of the target row are exposed at the same time, and the pixel values of the dummy pixel units of the target group are used to eliminate the row noise of the target row.
  • the at least one set of dummy pixel units includes a set of dummy pixel units, the multiple rows of valid pixel units correspond to the set of dummy pixel units, and the set of dummy pixel units is the target Group of pseudo-pixel cells.
  • each group of dummy pixel units in the at least one group of dummy pixel units includes 4-8 dummy pixel units.
  • At least one of the following pixel units of the pixel array is a dummy pixel unit: pixel units in the first row and column, pixel units in the first row and last column, pixel units in the last row and first column, and pixel units in the last row The last column of pixel cells.
  • the first row of pixel units and/or the first column of pixel units of the pixel array are dummy pixel units.
  • the pixel value of the pseudo pixel unit of the target group is the first pixel value
  • the pixel value of the pseudo pixel unit of the target group is the second pixel value; wherein, the row noise value of the target row is the second pixel value and the first pixel value. difference in value.
  • the multiple rows of effective pixel units are exposed row by row starting from the first row of effective pixel units, and the exposure start times of two adjacent rows of effective pixel units are separated by ⁇ t.
  • the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units is the same, and the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units is greater than ⁇ t.
  • the multiple rows of effective pixel units are exposed row by row starting from the first row of effective pixel units, and after the target row of effective pixel units is exposed, the next effective pixel unit adjacent to the target row of effective pixel units is exposed.
  • a row of effective pixel units starts to be exposed, and the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units in the multiple rows of effective pixel units is the same.
  • the pixel value of the dummy pixel unit of the target group is 0.
  • the row noise value of the target row is the pixel value of the dummy pixel unit of the target group.
  • the target pixel value of the target row is the difference between the effective pixel value of the effective pixel unit of the target row and the row noise value, and the target pixel value is used to generate the target image.
  • an image generation method comprising: reading effective pixel values of effective pixel units of a target row in a pixel array, the pixel array including multiple rows of effective pixel units and at least one group of dummy pixel units, the Multiple rows of effective pixel units and the at least one group of dummy pixel units are respectively connected to the power supply, at least two rows of effective pixel units in the multiple rows of effective pixel units correspond to a set of dummy pixel units, and the sensitivity of the dummy pixel units is 0.
  • the target row is determined line noise value.
  • the line noise value is subtracted from the effective pixel value to obtain a target pixel value, and the target pixel value is used to generate a target image.
  • the at least one set of dummy pixel units includes a set of dummy pixel units, the multiple rows of valid pixel units correspond to the set of dummy pixel units, and the set of dummy pixel units is the target Group of pseudo-pixel cells.
  • each group of dummy pixel units in the at least one group of dummy pixel units includes 4-8 dummy pixel units.
  • At least one of the following pixel units of the pixel array is a dummy pixel unit: pixel units in the first row and column, pixel units in the first row and last column, pixel units in the last row and first column, and pixel units in the last row The last column of pixel cells.
  • the first row of pixel units and/or the first column of pixel units of the pixel array are dummy pixel units.
  • the method further includes: when the effective pixel unit of the target row starts to be exposed, sampling the pseudo pixel unit of the target group to obtain a first pixel value; When the unit finishes exposure, sampling the pseudo pixel unit of the target group to obtain a second pixel value; wherein, the row noise value of the target row is the difference between the second pixel value and the first pixel value.
  • the multiple rows of effective pixel units are exposed row by row starting from the first row of effective pixel units, and the exposure start times of two adjacent rows of effective pixel units are separated by ⁇ t.
  • the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units is the same, and the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units is greater than ⁇ t.
  • the multiple rows of effective pixel units are exposed row by row starting from the first row of effective pixel units, and after the target row of effective pixel units is exposed, the next effective pixel unit adjacent to the target row of effective pixel units is exposed.
  • a row of effective pixel units starts to be exposed, and the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units in the multiple rows of effective pixel units is the same.
  • the method further includes: performing a reset operation on the dummy pixel units of the target group before exposing the effective pixel units of the target row.
  • the row noise value of the target row is the pixel value of the dummy pixel unit of the target group.
  • an electronic device in a third aspect, includes the image sensor in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.
  • the image sensor of the embodiment of the present application when a row of effective pixel units in multiple rows of effective pixel units is exposed, a group of dummy pixel units corresponding to the row of effective pixel units are exposed at the same time. Since the size of the line noise at the same time is the same, the pseudo pixel unit and the corresponding effective pixel unit of the line are exposed at the same time, so that the pixel value of the pseudo pixel unit can characterize the size of the line noise of the line, thereby reducing the noise of the line. interference and improve the image quality of the image sensor.
  • multiple rows of effective pixel units correspond to a group of pseudo pixel units, instead of setting a group of pseudo pixel units in each row of the pixel array, the number of pseudo pixel units is reduced, and the ratio of effective pixel units is increased, so that it is possible to Reduce the area of the image sensor and reduce the cost of the image sensor.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a current pixel array for reducing line noise.
  • FIG. 2 is an image acquisition timing diagram corresponding to the pixel array shown in FIG. 1 .
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
  • 4-7 are schematic diagrams of pixel arrays according to embodiments of the present application.
  • FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram of image acquisition performed by an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
  • FIG. 9 is another timing diagram of image acquisition performed by an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart of an image generation method according to an embodiment of the present application.
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.
  • CMOS image sensors complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS image sensor, CIS), or charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor, but this is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.
  • CMOS image sensors complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS image sensor, CIS)
  • CCD image sensor charge coupled device
  • the image sensor provided in the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a smart phone, a camera, a camera, a tablet computer, and other mobile terminals or other terminal devices with an imaging function.
  • the image sensor provided by the embodiments of the present application may be applied to fields such as security monitoring, automotive electronics, and the like.
  • image sensors can use active noise cancellation (ANC) to reduce the interference of line noise.
  • ANC active noise cancellation
  • the line noise can be reduced by arranging pseudo pixel units in each row of the pixel array.
  • the dummy pixel unit may also be referred to as a reference pixel unit, the sensitivity of the dummy pixel unit is 0, and the pixel value of the dummy pixel unit may be used to characterize the line noise.
  • the line noise in the embodiments of the present application refers to noise caused by power supply jitter.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a current pixel array for reducing row noise.
  • the pixel array in FIG. 1 includes a dummy pixel unit and an effective/active pixel unit. Each row of the pixel array is provided with 8 pseudo-pixel units.
  • the effective pixel unit is capable of light-sensing and can be used to obtain image information.
  • dummy pixel units and effective pixel units in the same row in the pixel array are exposed at the same time.
  • the pixel value of the dummy pixel unit is the row noise value of the row of the effective pixel unit exposed at the same time, and the pixel value of the effective pixel unit minus the pixel value of the dummy pixel unit is The line noise interference of the line can be eliminated, and the image information after the line noise has been eliminated can be obtained.
  • FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of image acquisition corresponding to the pixel array shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the effective pixel unit uses the pipeline method to start exposure line by line, and the opening interval is ⁇ t. After all lines are turned on, the exposure is ended after waiting for the Texp time. That is to say, the exposure is started row by row starting from the first row of effective pixel units. When the first row of effective pixel units is exposed, the first row of dummy pixel units is exposed at the same time.
  • the first row of effective pixel units and the first row of The row dummy pixel units end exposure at the same time, and when the exposure ends, the pixel values of the first row dummy pixel units are sampled, and the pixel values of the first row dummy pixel units are the first row row noise.
  • the exposure start time of the first row of effective pixel units is separated by ⁇ t
  • the second row of effective pixel units and the second row of dummy pixel units are exposed at the same time and the exposure is ended at the same time.
  • the pixel value of the pseudo pixel unit in the second row is the noise in the second row.
  • the effective pixel unit in the sixth row and the pseudo pixel in the sixth row are separated by ⁇ t.
  • the cells are exposed at the same time and the exposure is ended at the same time.
  • the pixel value of the pseudo pixel unit in the sixth row is sampled, and the pixel value of the pseudo pixel unit in the sixth row is the row noise of the sixth row.
  • a single dummy pixel unit may be damaged and the row noise calculation error occurs
  • 4 to 8 dummy pixel units can be set in each row of the pixel array. Referring to FIG. 1 again, the number of rows of the pixel array in FIG. 1 is 6, and each row is provided with 8 dummy pixel units.
  • an embodiment of the present application proposes an image sensor.
  • the number of dummy pixel units can be reduced, the proportion of effective pixel units can be increased, thereby reducing the area of the image sensor and reducing the manufacturing cost of the image sensor, and on the other hand
  • the interference of line noise can be effectively reduced.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an image sensor 100 according to an embodiment of the present application.
  • the image sensor 100 may include a pixel array 110 including multiple rows of effective pixel units 1101 and at least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 .
  • the multiple rows of effective pixel units 1101 and at least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 are respectively connected to the power supply, and at least two rows of effective pixel units in the multiple rows of effective pixel units correspond to a set of dummy pixel units.
  • the pseudo pixel unit corresponding to the effective pixel unit can be understood as: when a row of effective pixel units (such as the effective pixel unit of the target row) in the multiple rows of effective pixel units is exposed to capture an image, a group of pseudo pixel units corresponding to the effective pixel unit of the target row (For convenience of description, hereinafter referred to as the pseudo pixel unit of the target group) Simultaneous exposure, that is, the effective pixel unit of the target row and the pseudo pixel unit of the target group are exposed and sampled at the same time.
  • the pixel value of the pseudo pixel unit of the target group can be used to eliminate the row noise of the target row
  • the target row is the number of rows where the effective pixel unit of the target row is located in all the effective pixel units of the row.
  • a group of dummy pixel units corresponding to the row of effective pixel units are exposed at the same time.
  • the pixel unit and the corresponding effective pixel unit of the row are exposed at the same time, so that the pixel value of the pseudo pixel unit can characterize the row noise of the row, thereby reducing the interference of the row noise and improving the image quality of the image sensor.
  • multiple rows of effective pixel units correspond to a group of pseudo pixel units, instead of setting a group of pseudo pixel units in each row of the pixel array, so that the number of pseudo pixel units is reduced, and the ratio of effective pixel units is increased, thereby reducing the number of pseudo pixel units.
  • the area of the image sensor can be reduced, and the cost of the image sensor can be reduced.
  • the number of rows of valid pixel units is 6. If three rows of valid pixel units in the 6 rows of valid pixel units correspond to a group of dummy pixel units, the number of rows of dummy pixel units may be 4. In this case, the number of rows of dummy pixel cells is less than the number of rows of valid pixel cells.
  • the embodiments of the present application do not limit the positions of the at least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 in the pixel array, that is, the at least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 may be disposed at any position in the pixel array 110 .
  • At least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 may be disposed in at least one of the following positions in the pixel array 110: first row and first column, first row and last column, last row and last column, and last row and last column. As shown in FIG. 4 , at least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 are arranged on the first row and the first column, the first row and the last column, the last row and the first column, and the last row and the last column of the pixel array 110 , that is, they are arranged in the pixel array 110 on the four corners.
  • At least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 may be arranged in the first row and/or the first column in the pixel array 110 . Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , at least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 is disposed in the first column or the first row of the pixel array 110 .
  • At least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 may also be arranged in the last row and/or the last column in the pixel array 110 .
  • the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the number of each group of dummy pixel units in the at least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 .
  • each group of dummy pixel units may include only one dummy pixel unit.
  • the number of dummy pixel units can be reduced to the greatest extent, the area of the image sensor can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the image sensor can be reduced.
  • each group of dummy pixel units can include 4-8 pseudo-pixel units.
  • the numbers of different groups of dummy pixel units in the at least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 may be the same or different.
  • the first row of effective pixel units corresponds to the first group of pseudo pixel units
  • the second row of effective pixel units corresponds to the second group of pseudo pixel units
  • the first group of pseudo pixel units includes 4 pseudo pixel units
  • the second group of pseudo pixel units includes 8 pseudo-pixel units.
  • At least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 may include only one group of dummy pixel units.
  • multiple rows of effective pixel units 1101 may correspond to one group of dummy pixel units.
  • the image sensor only needs one set of dummy pixel units to reduce the interference of line noise, so that the proportion of effective pixel units is maximized, the area of the image sensor is minimized, and the manufacturing cost of the image sensor is reduced.
  • the proportion of dummy pixel units is only 0.0555%. It can be seen that the number of dummy pixel units in the pixel array is reduced by 6.2% compared to the solution of FIG. 1, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced by about 6%.
  • At least one group of dummy pixel units 1102 only includes one group of dummy pixel units (target group dummy pixel units), that is, the effective pixel units of all rows share the target group dummy pixel units. It is not limited to this.
  • the pseudo pixel unit of the target group when the effective pixel unit of the target row starts to be exposed, the pseudo pixel unit of the target group is exposed and sampled at the same time to obtain the first pixel value; when the effective pixel unit of the target row ends exposure, the pseudo pixel unit of the target group is sampled to obtain the second pixel value, then the row noise value of the target row is the difference between the second pixel value and the first pixel value, and the target pixel value of the target row is the difference between the effective pixel value of the effective pixel unit of the target row and the row noise value, wherein, The target pixel value is used to generate the target image.
  • the exposure modes of the effective pixel units may include, but are not limited to, the following two: the pipeline exposure mode shown in FIG. 2 and the row-by-row exposure mode.
  • the effective pixel units in FIG. 8 are exposed row by row in a pipeline manner.
  • the interval time for each row of effective pixel units to open exposure is ⁇ t, and the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units is the same, which is Texp.
  • ⁇ t the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units
  • Texp the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units
  • the first row of effective pixel units starts exposure first, and when the first row of effective pixel units starts to expose, the target group pseudo pixel units start exposure at the same time, and the target group pseudo pixel units are sampled to obtain the pixel value ADC_1s;
  • the row noise value RowNoise1 can obtain the image information of the first row after removing the row noise, that is, the target pixel value of the first row.
  • Two lines of image information after removing line noise that is, the target pixel value of the second line.
  • the effective pixel units in the Nth row begin to be exposed, and the target group pseudo pixel units are sampled to obtain the pixel value ADC_Ns; in the Nth row
  • the noise value RowNoiseN ADC_Ne-ADC_Ns in the Nth row, and subtract the Nth row from the effective pixel value of the Nth row of effective pixel units.
  • the noise value RowNoiseN can obtain the image information of the Nth row after removing the row noise, that is, the target pixel value of the Nth row.
  • the row-by-row exposure method is that after each row of effective pixel units is exposed and sampled, the next row of effective pixel units begins to be exposed, and the target group dummy pixel units begin to be exposed again, and the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units is the same.
  • the first row of effective pixel units is exposed first, and the target group dummy pixel units are exposed while the first row of effective pixel units is exposed, and the target group dummy pixel units are sampled to obtain the pixel value ADC_1s, which is valid in the first row
  • the effective pixel units of the second row begin to be exposed, and the dummy pixel units of the target group begin to be exposed again, and the dummy pixel units of the target group are sampled to obtain the pixel value ADC_2s, which is valid in the second row
  • the effective pixel units in the (N-1) row begin to be exposed, and the pseudo pixel units of the target group also begin to be exposed again, and the pseudo pixel units of the target group are sampled to obtain pixels
  • the pseudo pixel unit of the target group may be sampled, and the pixel value obtained by sampling is the row noise value of the target row.
  • the pixel value of the dummy pixel unit of the target group is 0.
  • a series of processing may be performed on the pixel unit of the target group, so that the pixel value of the dummy pixel unit of the target group is 0 before each row of effective pixel units starts to be exposed.
  • a reset operation may be performed on the dummy pixel unit of the target group.
  • the number of rows of effective pixel units is N.
  • the effective pixel units of the first row are exposed and sampled
  • the pseudo pixel units of the target group are exposed and sampled at the same time, and the pixel value of the pseudo pixel units of the target group is the first row. noise value.
  • a reset operation is performed on the dummy pixel units of the target group, so that the pixel value of the dummy pixel units of the target group is 0.
  • the effective pixel units in the second row start to be exposed and sampled, the pseudo pixel units in the target group are activated again, exposed and sampled at the same time as the effective pixel units in the second row, and the pixel values of the pseudo pixel units in the target group are the noise values in the second row.
  • N-1 After the exposure of the effective pixel units in the row is completed, a reset operation is performed on the dummy pixel units in the target group. After that, the effective pixel units in the Nth row start to be exposed and sampled, and the dummy pixel units in the target group are activated again. The units are exposed and sampled at the same time, and the pixel value of the pseudo-pixel unit of the target group obtained by sampling is the noise value of the Nth row.
  • the readout method of pixel values in the embodiments of the present application is row-by-row readout
  • the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this, and the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to column-by-column readout way out.
  • multiple columns of effective pixel units may correspond to a group of dummy pixels, for example, two columns of effective pixel units in the multiple columns of effective pixel units correspond to a set of dummy pixel units, or all columns of effective pixel units correspond to a set of dummy pixel units, etc.,
  • the number of columns of dummy pixel units is less than the number of columns of effective pixel units, so that the number of dummy pixel units can be reduced, the area of the image sensor can be reduced, and the cost of the image sensor can be reduced.
  • FIG. 10 shows a schematic flowchart of a method 200 for image generation according to an embodiment of the present application.
  • the method 200 can be applied to an image sensor, the image sensor can include a pixel array, the pixel array includes multiple rows of effective pixel units and at least one set of dummy pixel units, the multiple rows of effective pixel units and the at least one set of dummy pixel units are respectively Connected to a power supply, at least two rows of effective pixel units in the multiple rows of effective pixel units correspond to a group of dummy pixel units, and the sensitivity of the dummy pixel units is 0.
  • the image generation method 200 may include the following steps:
  • the effective pixel value of the effective pixel unit of the target row in the pixel array is read, wherein when the effective pixel unit of the target row is exposed to capture an image, the dummy pixel unit of the target group corresponding to the effective pixel unit of the target row is simultaneously exposed.
  • a row noise value of the target row is determined according to the pixel values of the dummy pixel units of the target group.
  • the line noise value is subtracted from the effective pixel value to obtain the target pixel value, and the target pixel value is used to generate the target image.
  • At least one group of dummy pixel units includes a group of dummy pixel units, multiple rows of valid pixel units correspond to a group of dummy pixel units, and a group of dummy pixel units is a target group of dummy pixel units.
  • each group of dummy pixel units in the at least one group of dummy pixel units includes 4-8 dummy pixel units.
  • At least one of the following pixel units in the pixel array is a pseudo pixel unit: pixel units in the first row and column, pixel units in the first row and last column, pixel units in the last row and first column, and last The last column of pixel units in a row.
  • the first row of pixel units and/or the first column of pixel units of the pixel array are dummy pixel units.
  • the method 200 may further include: when the effective pixel unit of the target row starts to be exposed, sampling the pseudo pixel unit of the target group to obtain the first pixel value; when the effective pixel unit of the target row ends the exposure , sampling the pseudo pixel unit of the target group to obtain the second pixel value; wherein, the row noise value of the target row is the difference between the second pixel value and the first pixel value.
  • multiple rows of effective pixel units are exposed row by row starting from the first row of effective pixel units, and the time interval ⁇ t when the exposure of two adjacent rows of effective pixel units starts is ⁇ t.
  • the exposure duration of the row of effective pixel units is the same, and the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units is greater than ⁇ t.
  • multiple rows of effective pixel units are exposed row by row starting from the first row of effective pixel units, and after the target row of effective pixel units is exposed, the next row of effective pixel units adjacent to the target row of effective pixel units. Exposure is started, and the exposure duration of each row of effective pixel units in the multiple rows of effective pixel units is the same.
  • the method 200 may further include: performing a reset operation on the dummy pixel units of the target group before exposing the effective pixel units of the target row.
  • the row noise value of the target row is the pixel value of the dummy pixel unit of the target group.
  • the method 200 shown in FIG. 10 may be performed by the image sensor 100 in the foregoing embodiments, and the pixel array, the multiple rows of effective pixel units, and the at least one group of dummy pixel units in the method 200 may be pixels in the image sensor 100 , respectively.
  • the steps or operations in FIG. 10 are only examples, and other operations or variations of various operations in FIG. 10 may also be performed in this embodiment of the present application.
  • the image sensor in this embodiment of the present application may further include a processor, and in the implementation process, each step of the foregoing method embodiment may be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or instructions in the form of software.
  • the above-mentioned processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA), or other possible solutions. Programming logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.
  • DSP digital signal processor
  • ASIC application specific integrated circuit
  • FPGA field programmable gate array
  • Programming logic devices discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.
  • a general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.
  • the steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor.
  • the software modules may be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers and other storage media mature in the art.
  • the storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory, and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.
  • an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device 300 , and the electronic device may include an image sensor 310 .
  • the image sensor may be the image sensor 100 in the foregoing embodiments.
  • the electronic device 300 can be any electronic device with an image acquisition function, which is an example but not a limitation, and can specifically be a portable or mobile computing device such as a terminal device, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, or a game device, It can also be a photographing device such as a camera, a video camera, or an automatic teller machine (automated teller machine, ATM).
  • a portable or mobile computing device such as a terminal device, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, or a game device
  • It can also be a photographing device such as a camera, a video camera, or an automatic teller machine (automated teller machine, ATM).
  • the disclosed systems and apparatuses may be implemented in other manners.
  • the apparatus embodiments described above are only illustrative.
  • the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.
  • multiple units or components may be combined or Can be integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored, or not implemented.
  • the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may also be electrical, mechanical or other forms of connection.
  • the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.
  • each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.
  • the above-mentioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware, or may be implemented in the form of software functional units.
  • the integrated unit if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.
  • the technical solutions of the present application are essentially or part of contributions to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of software products, and the computer software products are stored in a storage medium , including several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application.
  • the aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, Read-Only Memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), Random Access Memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes .

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Abstract

本申请实施例提供了一种图像传感器、图像生成的方法和电子设备,可以在降低图像传感器制造成本的同时有效减少行噪声的干扰。所述图像传感器包括:像素阵列,包括多行有效像素单元和至少一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元和所述至少一组伪像素单元分别与电源连接,所述多行有效像素单元中的至少两行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,所述伪像素单元的感光度为0;其中,所述多行有效像素单元中的目标行有效像素单元曝光以采集图像时,所述目标行有效像素单元对应的目标组伪像素单元同时曝光,所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值用于消除目标行的行噪声。

Description

图像传感器、图像生成的方法和电子设备 技术领域
本申请实施例涉及传感器领域,并且更具体地,涉及一种图像传感器、图像生成的方法和电子设备。
背景技术
图像传感器是一种利用光电效应将光学图像转换成数字信号的电子装置,其通常包括由多个像素单元组成的像素阵列。当外界光照射到图像传感器的像素阵列上时,像素单元发生光电效应,像素单元产生的电荷经模数转换电路(analog digital converter,ADC)转变为数字信号,数字信号再经过图像信号处理器的处理最终成为可以在显示器上看到的图像。
图像传感器通常采用逐行读出的方式对像素单元的像素值进行读出。然而,图像传感器读出的像素值中可能会存在噪声干扰,同一时刻读出的一行像素值的噪声大小相等,行与行之间由于像素值的读出时刻不同,使得不同行之间的噪声大小不同,此现象称为行噪声(row noise)。行噪声在图像中表现为水平条纹,严重影响图像质量。
发明内容
本申请实施例提供一种图像传感器、图像生成的方法和电子设备,可以在降低图像传感器制造成本的同时有效减少行噪声的干扰。
第一方面,提供了一种图像传感器,包括:像素阵列,包括多行有效像素单元和至少一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元和所述至少一组伪像素单元分别与电源连接,所述多行有效像素单元中的至少两行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,所述伪像素单元的感光度为0;其中,所述多行有效像素单元中的目标行有效像素单元曝光以采集图像时,所述目标行有效像素单元对应的目标组伪像素单元同时曝光,所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值用于消除目标行的行噪声。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述至少一组伪像素单元包括一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元对应所述一组伪像素单元,所述一组伪像素单元为所述目标组伪像素单元。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述至少一组伪像素单元中的每组伪像素单元包括4-8个伪像素单元。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述像素阵列的以下至少一个像素单元为伪像素单元:第一行第一列像素单元、第一行最后一列像素单元、最后一行第一列像素单元以及最后一行最后一列像素单元。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述像素阵列的第一行像素单元和/或第一列像素单元为伪像素单元。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述目标行有效像素单元开始曝光时,所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值为第一像素值;
所述目标行有效像素单元结束曝光时,所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值为第二像素值;其中,所述目标行的行噪声值为所述第二像素值与所述第一像素值之差。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,相邻两行有效像素单元的曝光开始时间相隔△t,所述多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同,所述每行有效像素单元的曝光时长大于△t。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,所述目标行有效像素单元曝光结束后,与所述目标行有效像素单元相邻的下一行有效像素单元开始曝光,所述多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同。
在一些可能的实施例中,在所述目标行有效像素单元曝光之前,所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值为0。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述目标行的行噪声值为所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述目标行的目标像素值为所述目标行有效像素单元的有效像素值与所述行噪声值之差,所述目标像素值用于生成目标图像。
第二方面,提供了一种图像生成的方法,包括:读取像素阵列中目标行有效像素单元的有效像素值,所述像素阵列包括多行有效像素单元和至少一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元和所述至少一组伪像素单元分别与电源连接,所述多行有效像素单元中的至少两行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素 单元,所述伪像素单元的感光度为0,在所述目标行有效像素单元曝光以采集图像时,所述目标行有效像素单元对应的目标组伪像素单元同时曝光;根据所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值,确定所述目标行的行噪声值。将所述有效像素值减去所述行噪声值,得到目标像素值,所述目标像素值用于生成目标图像。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述至少一组伪像素单元包括一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元对应所述一组伪像素单元,所述一组伪像素单元为所述目标组伪像素单元。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述至少一组伪像素单元中的每组伪像素单元包括4-8个伪像素单元。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述像素阵列的以下至少一个像素单元为伪像素单元:第一行第一列像素单元、第一行最后一列像素单元、最后一行第一列像素单元以及最后一行最后一列像素单元。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述像素阵列的第一行像素单元和/或第一列像素单元为伪像素单元。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述方法还包括:在所述目标行有效像素单元开始曝光时,对所述目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到第一像素值;在所述目标行有效像素单元结束曝光时,对所述目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到第二像素值;其中,所述目标行的行噪声值为所述第二像素值与所述第一像素值之差。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,相邻两行有效像素单元的曝光开始时间相隔△t,所述多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同,所述每行有效像素单元的曝光时长大于△t。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,所述目标行有效像素单元曝光结束后,与所述目标行有效像素单元相邻的下一行有效像素单元开始曝光,所述多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述方法还包括:在所述目标行有效像素单元曝光之前,对所述目标组伪像素单元进行复位操作。
在一些可能的实施例中,所述目标行的行噪声值为所述目标组伪像素单 元的像素值。
第三方面,提供了一种电子设备,该电子设备包括上述第一方面或者第一方面中任一种可能的实施方式中的图像传感器。
本申请实施例的图像传感器,在多行有效像素单元中的一行有效像素单元曝光时,该行有效像素单元对应的一组伪像素单元同时曝光。由于同一时刻的行噪声大小是相同的,伪像素单元与对应的该行有效像素单元同时曝光,这样通过伪像素单元的像素值就可以表征该行的行噪声大小,从而可以减小行噪声的干扰,提高图像传感器的图像质量。
进一步地,多行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,而不用在像素阵列的每行都设置一组伪像素单元,减少了伪像素单元的数量,提高了有效像素单元的占比,从而可以减小图像传感器的面积,降低图像传感器的成本。
附图说明
图1是目前的一种用于减少行噪声的像素阵列示意图。
图2是图1所示的像素阵列对应的图像采集时序图。
图3是根据本申请实施例的图像传感器的示意性框图。
图4-图7是根据本申请实施例的像素阵列示意图。
图8是根据本申请实施例的图像传感器进行图像采集的一种时序图。
图9是根据本申请实施例的图像传感器进行图像采集的另一种时序图。
图10是根据本申请实施例的图像生成方法的示意性流程图。
图11是根据本申请实施例的电子设备的示意性框图。
具体实施方式
下面将结合附图,对本申请实施例中的技术方案进行描述。
本申请实施例的技术方案可以应用于各种图像传感器,例如互补金属氧化物半导体(complementary metal oxide semiconductor,CMOS)图像传感器(CMOS image sensor,CIS),或者电荷耦合器件(charge coupled device,CCD)图像传感器,但本申请实施例对此并不限定。
作为一种常见的应用场景,本申请实施例提供的图像传感器可以应用在智能手机、相机、摄像头、平板电脑以及其他具有成像功能的移动终端或者其他终端设备。或者,本申请实施例提供的图像传感器可以应用于安防监控、 汽车电子等领域。
目前,图像传感器可以利用主动降噪(active noise cancellation,ANC)的方式来减少行噪声的干扰,比如,可以通过在像素阵列的每行都设置伪像素单元来减少行噪声。其中,伪像素单元也可以称为参考像素单元,伪像素单元的感光度为0,伪像素单元的像素值可以用于表征行噪声。应理解,本申请实施例的所说的行噪声指的是由电源抖动所引起的噪声。
图1为目前的一种用于减少行噪声的像素阵列示意图,图1中的像素阵列包括伪像素(dummy pixel)单元和有效像素(effective/active pixel)单元,像素阵列的每行都设置有8个伪像素单元。有效像素单元能够感光,可以用于获取图像信息。在图像传感器采集图像的过程中,像素阵列中处于相同行的伪像素单元和有效像素单元同时曝光。由于伪像素单元的感光度为0,所以伪像素单元的像素值就为与它同时曝光的有效像素单元所在行的行噪声值,该有效像素单元的像素值减去伪像素单元的像素值就可以消除该行的行噪声干扰,得到消除行噪声后的图像信息。
参考图2,图2为图1所示的像素阵列对应的图像采集的时序图。在图像采集的过程中,有效像素单元采用流水方式逐行开启曝光,开启的间隔时间为△t,在所有行都开启完后,再等待Texp时长之后结束曝光。也就是说,从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行开启曝光,在第一行有效像素单元曝光时,第一行伪像素单元同时曝光,在曝光Texp时长后第一行有效像素单元和第一行伪像素单元同时结束曝光,在结束曝光时对第一行伪像素单元的像素值进行采样,第一行伪像素单元的像素值即为第一行行噪声。与第一行有效像素单元的曝光开始时间相隔△t时长后,第二行有效像素单元和第二行伪像素单元同时曝光且同时结束曝光,在结束曝光时对第二行伪像素单元的像素值进行采样,第二行伪像素单元的像素值即为第二行行噪声……与第五行有效像素单元的曝光开始时间相隔△t时长后,第六行有效像素单元和第六行伪像素单元同时曝光且同时结束曝光,在结束曝光时对第六行伪像素单元的像素值进行采样,第六行伪像素单元的像素值即为第六行行噪声。
考虑到单个伪像素单元可能会损坏而出现该行行噪声计算错误的情况,一般情况下像素阵列的每行可以设置4~8个伪像素单元。再次参考图1,图1中的像素阵列的行数为6,且每行都设置有8个伪像素单元。
可以看到,主动降噪需要大量的伪像素单元才可以得到良好的降噪质量, 也就是说,目前的用于减少行噪声的像素阵列中伪像素单元所占的比例较大,使得图像传感器的面积变大,制造成本变高。以像素阵列中有效像素单元的行数和列数都为120,每行8个伪像素单元为例,伪像素单元的占比为6.25%。
鉴于此,本申请实施例提出了一种图像传感器,一方面,可以减少伪像素单元的数量,提高有效像素单元的占比,从而减小图像传感器的面积,降低图像传感器的制造成本,另一方面,可以有效减少行噪声的干扰。
以下,结合图3至图9,详细介绍本申请实施例的图像传感器。
需要说明的是,为便于说明,在本申请的实施例中,相同的附图标记表示相同的部件,并且为了简洁,在不同实施例中,省略对相同部件的详细说明。应理解,附图示出的本申请实施例中的各种部件的厚度、长宽等尺寸,以及集成装置的整体厚度、长宽等尺寸仅为示例性说明,而不应对本申请构成任何限定。
图3是本申请实施例的图像传感器100的结构示意图。该图像传感器100可以包括像素阵列110,像素阵列110包括多行有效像素单元1101和至少一组伪像素单元1102。多行有效像素单元1101和至少一组伪像素单元1102分别与电源连接,多行有效像素单元中的至少两行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元。
其中,有效像素单元对应伪像素单元可以理解为:多行有效像素单元中的一行有效像素单元(比如目标行有效像素单元)曝光以采集图像时,目标行有效像素单元对应的一组伪像素单元(为了描述方便,后文称为目标组伪像素单元)同时曝光,即目标行有效像素单元与目标组伪像素单元同时曝光、采样。其中,目标组伪像素单元的像素值可以用于消除目标行的行噪声,目标行为目标行有效像素单元在所有行有效像素单元中所处的行数。
本申请实施例的图像传感器,在多行有效像素单元中的一行有效像素单元曝光时,该行有效像素单元对应的一组伪像素单元同时曝光,由于同一时刻的行噪声大小是相同的,伪像素单元与对应的该行有效像素单元同时曝光,这样通过伪像素单元的像素值就可以表征该行的行噪声大小,从而可以减小行噪声的干扰,提高图像传感器的图像质量。
进一步地,多行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,而不用在像素阵列的每行都设置一组伪像素单元,使得减少了伪像素单元的数量,提高了有效像素单元的占比,从而可以减小图像传感器的面积,降低图像传感器的成本。 比如,有效像素单元的行数为6,若6行有效像素单元中有三行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,则伪像素单元的行数可以为4。在这种情况下,伪像素单元的行数少于有效像素单元的行数。
可选地,本申请实施例对至少一组伪像素单元1102在像素阵列中的位置不作限定,也就是说,至少一组伪像素单元1102可以设置于像素阵列110中的任意位置。
作为一种示例,至少一组伪像素单元1102可以设置于像素阵列110中的以下至少一个位置:第一行第一列、第一行最后一列、最后一行第一列以及最后一行最后一列。如图4所示,至少一组伪像素单元1102设置于像素阵列110的第一行第一列、第一行最后一列、最后一行第一列以及最后一行最后一列上,即设置于像素阵列110的四个角上。
作为另一种示例,至少一组伪像素单元1102可以设置于像素阵列110中的第一行和/或第一列。参考图5和图6,至少一组伪像素单元1102设置于像素阵列110的第一列或第一行。
应理解,本文中术语“和/或”,仅仅是一种描述关联对象的关联关系,表示可以存在三种关系,例如,A和/或B,可以表示:单独存在A,同时存在A和B,单独存在B这三种情况。
当然,如图7所示,至少一组伪像素单元1102也可以设置于像素阵列110中的最后一行和/或最后一列。
可选地,本申请实施例对至少一组伪像素单元1102中的每组伪像素单元的数量不作具体限定。
例如,每组伪像素单元中可以只包括一个伪像素单元。如此,可以最大程度的减少伪像素单元的数量,减小图像传感器的面积,降低图像传感器的制造成本。
再例如,为了防止单个伪像素单元损坏导致与它对应的有效像素单元所在行的行噪声计算错误,每组伪像素单元可以设置一定冗余,优选地,每组伪像素单元可以包括4-8个伪像素单元。
可选地,至少一组伪像素单元1102中的不同组伪像素单元的数量可以相同,也可以不同。比如,第一行有效像素单元对应第一组伪像素单元,第二行有效像素单元对应第二组伪像素单元,第一组伪像素单元包括4个伪像素单元,第二组伪像素单元包括8个伪像素单元。
可选地,在本申请实施例中,至少一组伪像素单元1102可以只包括一组伪像素单元,此时,多行有效像素单元1101可以对应一组伪像素单元。
如此,图像传感器只需要一组伪像素单元就可以减少行噪声的干扰,使得有效像素单元的占比最大,最大程度地减小了图像传感器的面积,降低了图像传感器的制造成本。以像素阵列中有效像素单元的行数和列数都为120,一组伪像素单元包括8个伪像素单元为例,伪像素单元的占比仅为0.0555%。可以看到,与图1的方案相比,像素阵列中的伪像素单元的数量减少了6.2%,从而可以降低约6%的制造成本。
上述内容介绍了图像传感器中像素阵列的结构,下面将详细介绍该图像传感器采集图像的过程。应理解,后文将以至少一组伪像素单元1102只包括一组伪像素单元(目标组伪像素单元),即所有行的有效像素单元共用目标组伪像素单元为例进行说明,但本申请并不限于此。
在一种实现方式中,目标行有效像素单元开始曝光时,目标组伪像素单元同时曝光并采样,得到第一像素值;在目标行有效像素单元结束曝光时,目标组伪像素单元采样,得到第二像素值,则目标行的行噪声值为第二像素值与第一像素值之差,目标行的目标像素值为目标行有效像素单元的有效像素值与行噪声值之差,其中,目标像素值用于生成目标图像。
在该实现方式中,有效像素单元的曝光方式可以包括但不限于以下两种:图2所示的流水曝光方式以及逐行曝光方式等。
图8中的有效像素单元采取流水方式逐行开启曝光,每行有效像素单元开启曝光的间隔时间为△t,每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同,都为Texp,目标组伪像素单元在整个曝光过程中一直持续曝光,目标组伪像素单元的总曝光时长为(N-1)*△t+Texp,N为有效像素单元的行数。
具体来说,第一行有效像素单元首先开始曝光,在第一行有效像素单元开始曝光时,目标组伪像素单元同时开始曝光,并对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_1s;在第一行有效像素单元结束曝光时,对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_1e,则第一行行噪声值RowNoise1=ADC_1e-ADC_1s,第一行有效像素单元的有效像素值减去第一行行噪声值RowNoise1就可以得到第一行消除行噪声后的图像信息,即第一行的目标像素值。
在第一行有效像素单元曝光后的△t时间后,第二行有效像素单元开始 曝光,并对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_2s;在第二行有效像素单元结束曝光时,对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_2e,则第二行行噪声值RowNoise2=ADC_2e-ADC_2s,第二行有效像素单元的有效像素值减去第二行行噪声值RowNoise2就可以得到第二行消除行噪声后的图像信息,即第二行的目标像素值。
类似地,在第(N-1)行有效像素单元曝光后的△t时间后,第N行有效像素单元开始曝光,并对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_Ns;在第N行有效像素单元结束曝光时,对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_Ne,则第N行行噪声值RowNoiseN=ADC_Ne-ADC_Ns,第N行有效像素单元的有效像素值减去第N行行噪声值RowNoiseN就可以得到第N行消除行噪声后的图像信息,即第N行的目标像素值。
逐行曝光方式为每行有效像素单元曝光和采样结束之后,下一行有效像素单元才开始曝光,且目标组伪像素单元再次开始曝光,每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同。具体来说,第一行有效像素单元首先曝光,在第一行有效像素单元曝光的同时目标组伪像素单元曝光,并对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_1s,在第一行有效像素单元结束曝光时目标组伪像素单元也结束曝光,并对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_1e,则第一行行噪声值RowNoise1=ADC_1e-ADC_1s。
在第一行有效像素单元曝光结束后,第二行有效像素单元开始曝光,且目标组伪像素单元再次开始曝光,并对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_2s,在第二行有效像素单元结束曝光时目标组伪像素单元也结束曝光,并对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_2e,则第二行行噪声值RowNoise2=ADC_2e-ADC_2s。
类似地,在第(N-1)行有效像素单元曝光结束后,第N行有效像素单元开始曝光,且目标组伪像素单元也再次开始曝光,并对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_Ns,在第N行有效像素单元结束曝光时目标组伪像素单元也结束曝光,并对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到像素值ADC_Ne,则第N行行噪声值RowNoiseN=ADC_Ne-ADC_Ns。至此,有效像素单元的曝光过程结束。
在另一种实现方式中,在目标行有效像素单元结束曝光时可以对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,采样得到的像素值就为目标行的行噪声值。
在该实现方式中,在每行有效像素单元开始曝光之前,目标组伪像素单元的像素值为0。可选地,可以对目标组像素单元进行一系列处理,使得在每行有效像素单元开始曝光之前目标组伪像素单元的像素值为0,例如,可以对目标组伪像素单元进行复位操作。
如图9所示,有效像素单元的行数为N,第一行有效像素单元曝光、采样时,目标组伪像素单元同时进行曝光、采样,目标组伪像素单元的像素值为第一行行噪声值。在第一行有效像素单元曝光结束之后,对目标组伪像素单元进行复位操作,使得目标组伪像素单元的像素值为0。第二行有效像素单元开始曝光、采样,目标组伪像素单元再次启动,与第二行有效像素单元同时曝光、采样,目标组伪像素单元的像素值为第二行行噪声值……在第(N-1)行有效像素单元曝光结束之后,对目标组伪像素单元进行复位操作,之后,第N行有效像素单元开始曝光并采样,目标组伪像素单元再次启动,与第N行有效像素单元同时曝光并采样,采样得到的目标组伪像素单元的像素值为第N行行噪声值。
应理解,本申请实施例中的具体的例子只是为了帮助本领域技术人员更好地理解本发明实施例,而非限制本申请实施例的范围。
需要说明的是,虽然本申请实施例中像素值的读出方式为逐行读出,然而本申请实施例的技术方案并不限于此,本申请实施例的技术方案也可以适用于逐列读出的方式。示例性地,多列有效像素单元可以对应一组伪像素,如多列有效像素单元中有两列有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,或者所有列有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元等,这样的话伪像素单元的列数少于有效像素单元的列数,从而可以减少伪像素单元的数量,减小图像传感器的面积且降低图像传感器的成本。
上文结合图3-图9,详细描述了本申请的装置实施例,下文结合图10,详细描述本申请的方法实施例,应理解,方法实施例与装置实施例相互对应,类似的描述可以参照装置实施例。
图10示出了本申请实施例的图像生成的方法200的示意性流程图。方法200可以应用于图像传感器中,该图像传感器可以包括像素阵列,像素阵列包括多行有效像素单元和至少一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元和所述至少一组伪像素单元分别与电源连接,所述多行有效像素单元中的至少两行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,所述伪像素单元的感光度为0。
如图10所示,该图像生成的方法200可以包括如下步骤:
在210中,读取像素阵列中目标行有效像素单元的有效像素值,其中,在目标行有效像素单元曝光以采集图像时,目标行有效像素单元对应的目标组伪像素单元同时曝光。
在220中,根据目标组伪像素单元的像素值,确定目标行的行噪声值。
在230中,将有效像素值减去行噪声值,得到目标像素值,目标像素值用于生成目标图像。
可选地,在一些实施例中,至少一组伪像素单元包括一组伪像素单元,多行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,一组伪像素单元为目标组伪像素单元。
可选地,在一些实施例中,至少一组伪像素单元中的每组伪像素单元包括4-8个伪像素单元。
可选地,在一些实施例中,像素阵列中的以下至少一个像素单元为伪像素单元:第一行第一列像素单元、第一行最后一列像素单元、最后一行第一列像素单元以及最后一行最后一列像素单元。
可选地,在一些实施例中,像素阵列的第一行像素单元和/或第一列像素单元为伪像素单元。
可选地,在一些实施例中,方法200还可以包括:在目标行有效像素单元开始曝光时,对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到第一像素值;在目标行有效像素单元结束曝光时,对目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到第二像素值;其中,目标行的行噪声值为第二像素值与第一像素值之差。
可选地,在一些实施例中,多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,相邻两行有效像素单元曝光开始的时间相隔△t,多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同,每行有效像素单元的曝光时长大于△t。
可选地,在一些实施例中,多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,目标行有效像素单元曝光结束后,与目标行有效像素单元相邻的下一行有效像素单元开始曝光,多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同。
可选地,在一些实施例中,方法200还可以包括:在目标行有效像素单元曝光之前,对目标组伪像素单元进行复位操作。
可选地,在一些实施例中,目标行的行噪声值为目标组伪像素单元的像素值。
应理解,图10所示的方法200可以由前述实施例中的图像传感器100执行,方法200中的像素阵列、多行有效像素单元、至少一组伪像素单元分别可以为图像传感器100中的像素阵列110、多行有效像素单元1101、至少一组伪像素单元1102。应理解,图10中的步骤或操作仅是示例,本申请实施例还可以执行其它操作或者图10的各种操作的变形。
还应理解,本申请实施例的图像传感器还可以包括处理器,在实现过程中,上述方法实施例的各步骤可以通过处理器中的硬件的集成逻辑电路或者软件形式的指令完成。上述的处理器可以是通用处理器、数字信号处理器(digital signal processor,DSP)、专用集成电路(application specific integrated circuit,ASIC)、现成可编程门阵列(field programmable gate array,FPGA)或者其他可编程逻辑器件、分立门或者晶体管逻辑器件、分立硬件组件。可以实现或者执行本申请实施例中的公开的各方法、步骤及逻辑框图。通用处理器可以是微处理器或者该处理器也可以是任何常规的处理器等。结合本申请实施例所公开的方法的步骤可以直接体现为硬件译码处理器执行完成,或者用译码处理器中的硬件及软件模块组合执行完成。软件模块可以位于随机存储器,闪存、只读存储器,可编程只读存储器或者电可擦写可编程存储器、寄存器等本领域成熟的存储介质中。该存储介质位于存储器,处理器读取存储器中的信息,结合其硬件完成上述方法的步骤。
除了上述实施例提供的图像传感器100之外,如图11所示,本申请实施例还提供了一种电子设备300,该电子设备可以包括图像传感器310。该图像传感器可以为前述实施例中的图像传感器100。
该电子设备300可以为任意具有图像采集功能的电子设备,作为示例而非限定,其具体可以为终端设备、手机、平板电脑、笔记本电脑、台式机电脑、或游戏设备等便携式或移动计算设备,也可以为相机、摄像机等拍摄设备,还可以为自动取款机(automated teller machine,ATM)等。
需要说明的是,在不冲突的前提下,本申请描述的各个实施例和/或各个实施例中的技术特征可以任意的相互组合,组合之后得到的技术方案也应落入本申请的保护范围。
应理解,在本申请实施例和所附权利要求书中使用的术语是仅仅出于描 述特定实施例的目的,而非旨在限制本申请实施例。例如,在本申请实施例和所附权利要求书中所使用的单数形式的“一种”、“上述”和“该”也旨在包括多数形式,除非上下文清楚地表示其他含义。
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,能够以电子硬件、计算机软件或者二者的结合来实现,为了清楚地说明硬件和软件的可互换性,在上述说明中已经按照功能一般性地描述了各示例的组成及步骤。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申请的范围。
在本申请所提供的几个实施例中,应该理解到,所揭露的系统、装置,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,或一些特征可以忽略,或不执行。另外,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,也可以是电的,机械的或其它的形式连接。
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申请实施例方案的目的。
另外,在本申请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,也可以是两个或两个以上单元集成在一个单元中。上述集成的单元既可以采用硬件的形式实现,也可以采用软件功能单元的形式实现。
所述集成的单元如果以软件功能单元的形式实现并作为独立的产品销售或使用时,可以存储在一个计算机可读取存储介质中。基于这样的理解,本申请的技术方案本质上或者说对现有技术做出贡献的部分,或者该技术方案的全部或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中,包括若干指令用以使得一台计算机设备(可以是个人计算机,服务器,或者网络设备等)执行本申请各个实施例所述方法的全部或部 分步骤。而前述的存储介质包括:U盘、移动硬盘、只读存储器(ROM,Read-Only Memory)、随机存取存储器(RAM,Random Access Memory)、磁碟或者光盘等各种可以存储程序代码的介质。
以上所述,仅为本申请的具体实施方式,但本申请的保护范围并不局限于此,任何熟悉本技术领域的技术人员在本申请揭露的技术范围内,可轻易想到各种等效的修改或替换,这些修改或替换都应涵盖在本申请的保护范围之内。因此,本申请的保护范围应以权利要求的保护范围为准。

Claims (22)

  1. 一种图像传感器,其特征在于,包括:
    像素阵列,包括多行有效像素单元和至少一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元和所述至少一组伪像素单元分别与电源连接,所述多行有效像素单元中的至少两行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,所述伪像素单元的感光度为0;
    其中,所述多行有效像素单元中的目标行有效像素单元曝光以采集图像时,所述目标行有效像素单元对应的目标组伪像素单元同时曝光,所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值用于消除目标行的行噪声。
  2. 根据权利要求1所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,所述至少一组伪像素单元包括一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元对应所述一组伪像素单元,所述一组伪像素单元为所述目标组伪像素单元。
  3. 根据权利要求1或2所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,所述至少一组伪像素单元中的每组伪像素单元包括4-8个伪像素单元。
  4. 根据权利要求1至3中任一项所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,所述像素阵列中的以下至少一个像素单元为伪像素单元:第一行第一列像素单元、第一行最后一列像素单元、最后一行第一列像素单元以及最后一行最后一列像素单元。
  5. 根据权利要求1至3中任一项所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,所述像素阵列的第一行像素单元和/或第一列像素单元为伪像素单元。
  6. 根据权利要求1至5中任一项所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,所述目标行有效像素单元开始曝光时,所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值为第一像素值;
    所述目标行有效像素单元结束曝光时,所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值为第二像素值;
    其中,所述目标行的行噪声值为所述第二像素值与所述第一像素值之差。
  7. 根据权利要求6所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,所述多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,相邻两行有效像素单元的曝光开始时间相隔△t,所述多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同,所述每行有效像素单元的曝光时长大于△t。
  8. 根据权利要求1至5中任一项所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,所述多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,所述目标行有效像素单元曝光结束后,与所述目标行有效像素单元相邻的下一行有效像素单元开始曝光,所述多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同。
  9. 根据权利要求8所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,在所述目标行有效像素单元曝光之前,所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值为0。
  10. 根据权利要求9所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,所述目标行的行噪声值为所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值。
  11. 根据权利要求6或10所述的图像传感器,其特征在于,所述目标行的目标像素值为所述目标行有效像素单元的有效像素值与所述行噪声值之差,所述目标像素值用于生成目标图像。
  12. 一种图像生成的方法,其特征在于,包括:
    读取像素阵列中目标行有效像素单元的有效像素值,所述像素阵列包括多行有效像素单元和至少一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元和所述至少一组伪像素单元分别与电源连接,所述多行有效像素单元中的至少两行有效像素单元对应一组伪像素单元,所述伪像素单元的感光度为0,在所述目标行有效像素单元曝光以采集图像时,所述目标行有效像素单元对应的目标组伪像素单元同时曝光;
    根据所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值,确定所述目标行的行噪声值;
    将所述有效像素值减去所述行噪声值,得到目标像素值,所述目标像素值用于生成目标图像。
  13. 根据权利要求12所述的方法,其特征在于,所述至少一组伪像素单元包括一组伪像素单元,所述多行有效像素单元对应所述一组伪像素单元,所述一组伪像素单元为所述目标组伪像素单元。
  14. 根据权利要求12或13所述的方法,其特征在于,所述至少一组伪像素单元中的每组伪像素单元包括4-8个伪像素单元。
  15. 根据权利要求12至14中任一项所述的方法,其特征在于,所述像素阵列中的以下至少一个像素单元为伪像素单元:第一行第一列像素单元、第一行最后一列像素单元、最后一行第一列像素单元以及最后一行最后一列像素单元。
  16. 根据权利要求12至15中任一项所述的方法,其特征在于,所述像 素阵列的第一行像素单元和/或第一列像素单元为伪像素单元。
  17. 根据权利要求12至16中任一项所述的方法,其特征在于,所述方法还包括:
    在所述目标行有效像素单元开始曝光时,对所述目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到第一像素值;
    在所述目标行有效像素单元结束曝光时,对所述目标组伪像素单元进行采样,得到第二像素值;
    其中,所述目标行的行噪声值为所述第二像素值与所述第一像素值之差。
  18. 根据权利要求17所述的方法,其特征在于,所述多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,相邻两行有效像素单元的曝光开始时间相隔△t,所述多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同,所述每行有效像素单元的曝光时长大于△t。
  19. 根据权利要求12至16中任一项所述的方法,其特征在于,所述多行有效像素单元从第一行有效像素单元开始逐行曝光,所述目标行有效像素单元曝光结束后,与所述目标行有效像素单元相邻的下一行有效像素单元开始曝光,所述多行有效像素单元中的每行有效像素单元的曝光时长相同。
  20. 根据权利要求19所述的方法,其特征在于,所述方法还包括:
    在所述目标行有效像素单元曝光之前,对所述目标组伪像素单元进行复位操作。
  21. 根据权利要求20所述的方法,其特征在于,所述目标行的行噪声值为所述目标组伪像素单元的像素值。
  22. 一种电子设备,其特征在于,包括:
    如权利要求1至11中任一项所述的图像传感器。
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CN1951104A (zh) * 2004-04-30 2007-04-18 伊斯曼柯达公司 低噪声采样和保持电路
CN102316280A (zh) * 2010-06-30 2012-01-11 格科微电子(上海)有限公司 图像传感器及消除图像传感器电源噪声的方法
CN104125421A (zh) * 2014-07-02 2014-10-29 江苏思特威电子科技有限公司 Cmos图像传感器及其行噪声校正方法
JP2016208421A (ja) * 2015-04-27 2016-12-08 キヤノン株式会社 撮像装置およびその制御方法
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CN1951104A (zh) * 2004-04-30 2007-04-18 伊斯曼柯达公司 低噪声采样和保持电路
CN102316280A (zh) * 2010-06-30 2012-01-11 格科微电子(上海)有限公司 图像传感器及消除图像传感器电源噪声的方法
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