Solid image sensor and image sensing method

Abstract

The invention relates to a solid image sensor and an image sensing method. According to one embodiment, the solid image sensor can comprise a pixel array, an analog-digital converter and an output unit, wherein the pixel array is provided with a plurality of pixel units which are arrayed into rows and lines; each pixel unit is provided with a photo-electricity transforming device for transformingan optical signal into an electrical signal; the analog-digital converter is configured for transforming an analog electrical signal generated by each pixel into a digital signal, thereby obtaining apixel value of each pixel unit; the output unit is configured for outputting pixel values, changing compared with previous-frame pixel values, of the pixel units. According to the solid image sensor and the image sensing method disclosed by the invention, the changed pixel values of the pixels are only transmitted, thereby saving data transmission bandwidth; the frame rate can be improved under the condition of not sacrificing resolution; in addition, the subsequent image processing operation can be simplified, therefore, the solid image sensor and the image sensing method are quietly suitablefor being used in video surveillance, automotive advanced driving assistance systems and the like.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of semiconductors, and more particularly to a solid-state image sensor and image sensing method that can significantly reduce the amount of data transmitted without sacrificing resolution and frame rate, and is therefore particularly suitable for video Monitoring, automotive assisted driving and other fields. Background technique [0002] Solid-state image sensors have been widely used in people's daily life, including such as cameras, cameras on portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, various video surveillance cameras, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as those installed in automobiles. camera etc. Here, "solid-state" means that these image sensors are manufactured based on semiconductor processes. Common solid-state image sensors include a charge-coupled device (CCD) type and a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) type, both of which use a photoelectric conv...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

When the resolution and frame rate increase, the calculation amount of this image processing also increases sharply, which has exceeded the computing power of the current hardware, and it is difficult to solve this problem only by improving the algorithm

Therefore, although the existing solid-state image sensors have achieved high resolution and frame rate, they are limited in the fields of video surveillance, advanced automotive driving assistance, etc., especially when image recognition technology is required for object recognition and tracking. With the current hardware computing capability, only image sensor products with medium and low resolution and frame rate can be selected

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