Three-dimensional color image sensing device

Abstract

The present application relates to a three-dimensional color image sensing device applied to an object to be measured in ambient light. A light emitter is used to emit excitation light with a polarized direction. A first unit pixel is used to sense the excitation light and the ambient light reflected by the object to be measured to generate a first sensing signal and a second sensing signal. A second unit pixel, a third unit pixel and a fourth unit pixel are used to receive the ambient light reflected by the object to be measured to generate an image signal. A processing circuit calculates depth information according to the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal, and generates two-dimensional color information through the image signal to generate three-dimensional color information according to the depth information and the two-dimensional color information. Thus, the present application provides a three-dimensional color image sensing device capable of modeling three-dimensional color images while reducing system operation and data storage requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a three-dimensional color image sensing device, and more particularly to a three-dimensional color image sensing device capable of modeling and constituting a three-dimensional color image. Background Technology

[0002] With the evolution of ranging technology, various ranging techniques have been developed and widely applied in applications such as vehicle distance detection, facial recognition, and various Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Common ranging techniques include infrared (IR) ranging, ultrasonic ranging, and intense pulsed light (IPL) ranging. However, as the accuracy requirements for ranging increase, IPL ranging, which employs time-of-flight (ToF) measurement methods, is currently one of the main research directions in this field.

[0003] While image sensing technology has wide applications in biometrics, robotics, drones, wearable devices, motion-sensing games, virtual reality / augmented reality / mixed reality (VR / AR / MR), dynamic facial expression creation, and even safe driving, current image sensing technologies still require collaboration between different devices to achieve their intended purpose, depending on the changing detection requirements. Furthermore, processing 2D color images and 1D images simultaneously to create a 3D color image typically involves extensive computation, including noise reduction and removal. This necessitates the system storing large amounts of information to perform these operations. Therefore, reducing the noise in the original information to achieve a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed to reduce system computation and data storage requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a three-dimensional color image sensing device, employing a time-of-flight measurement method for stereoscopic image sensing, and combining it with a three-primary-color sensing module to acquire color stereoscopic images. Therefore, the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to this invention can construct three-dimensional color images while successfully reducing system computation and data storage requirements.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a three-dimensional color image sensing device applied to a test object in ambient light. The three-dimensional color image sensing device includes: a light emitter comprising a first light emitting source and a first light source polarizer, the first light source polarizer being disposed on the first light emitting source, the first light emitting source being used to emit excitation light and generate an emission signal; a light sensor comprising a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels including a plurality of first unit pixels, a plurality of second unit pixels, a plurality of third unit pixels, and a plurality of fourth unit pixels, the plurality of first unit pixels being used to sense light with wavelengths within the wavelength range of the excitation light, the plurality of second unit pixels, the plurality of third unit pixels, and the plurality of fourth unit pixels being used to sense the ambient light reflected by the test object; a processing circuit coupled to the light emitter and the light sensor, the processing circuit controlling the light emitting source to emit the excitation light and simultaneously activating the light sensor; and a polarization layer disposed on the light sensor, the polarization layer including a plurality of first polarization layers and a plurality of second polarization layers. A first polarizing layer is disposed on a portion of the plurality of first unit pixels, and a second polarizing layer is disposed on another portion of the plurality of first unit pixels. The polarization directions of the plurality of first polarizing layers and the second polarizing layer are orthogonal, and the polarization direction of the plurality of first polarizing layers is consistent with that of the polarization plate of the first light source. A filter layer is disposed on the polarization layer and includes a plurality of first filter units, a plurality of second filter units, a plurality of third filter units, and a plurality of fourth filter units. The plurality of first filter units, the plurality of second filter units, the plurality of third filter units, and the plurality of fourth filter units are disposed on the plurality of fourth unit pixels. The plurality of first filter units, the plurality of second filter units, the plurality of third filter units, and the fourth filter units are respectively used to filter out light of different wavelength ranges. A dual-bandpass filter layer is disposed on the polarization layer and the filter layer. The dual-bandpass filter layer is used to filter out light in the ambient light whose wavelength is outside the wavelength range of visible light and the excitation light.The excitation light, after passing through the plurality of first filter units and the plurality of first polarization layers, forms a first excitation light with a first polarization direction. The first excitation light, after being reflected by the object under test, passes through the dual-bandpass filter layer, the filter layer, and the polarization layer, and the plurality of first polarization layers to a portion of the plurality of first unit pixels, causing a portion of the plurality of first unit pixels to generate a first sensing signal. The first sensing signal includes a pulse signal and a first background noise. The ambient light, after being reflected by the object under test, passes through the dual-bandpass filter layer, the filter layer, and the plurality of second polarization layers to another portion of the plurality of first unit pixels, the plurality of second unit pixels, and the plurality of third unit pixels. The first unit pixels and the plurality of fourth unit pixels cause the plurality of second unit pixels, the plurality of third unit pixels, and the plurality of fourth unit pixels to generate an image signal. Simultaneously, another portion of the plurality of first unit pixels generate a second sensing signal, which includes a second background noise. Furthermore, the processing circuit calculates the time of pulse signal generation based on the first and second sensing signals, and calculates depth information based on the time of transmission signal generation and the time of pulse signal generation. Additionally, the processing circuit generates two-dimensional color information based on the image signal, and generates three-dimensional color information based on the depth information and the two-dimensional color information.

[0006] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the plurality of first unit pixels are a plurality of infrared light unit pixels, the plurality of first filtering units are infrared light filtering units, and the plurality of first polarizing layers and the plurality of second polarizing layers are of the same number, and the polarization directions of the plurality of first polarizing layers and second polarizing layers are orthogonal and staggered.

[0007] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the plurality of second unit pixels are a plurality of red light unit pixels, the plurality of third unit pixels are a plurality of green light unit pixels, the plurality of fourth unit pixels are a plurality of blue light unit pixels, the plurality of red light unit pixels are used to sense red light, the plurality of green light unit pixels are used to sense green light, and the plurality of blue light unit pixels are used to sense blue light; furthermore, the plurality of first filtering units are a plurality of infrared light filtering units, the plurality of second filtering units are a plurality of red light filtering units, the plurality of third filtering units are a plurality of green light filtering units, and the plurality of fourth filtering units are a plurality of blue light filtering units.

[0008] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the first background noise and the second background noise have the same intensity, and the polarization directions of the first background noise and the second background noise are orthogonal to each other.

[0009] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the light emitter further includes a second light emission source coupled to the first light emission source, and a second light source polarizer is disposed on the second light emission source. The polarization direction of the second light source polarizer is consistent with that of the plurality of second polarizing layers, and the excitation light forms a second excitation light having a second polarization direction after passing through the second light source polarizer.

[0010] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the first polarization direction is orthogonal to the second polarization direction.

[0011] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the two-dimensional color information includes a CIE color coordinate, and the CIE color coordinate includes an x-color coordinate value and a y-color coordinate value.

[0012] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the two-dimensional color information further includes an x-coordinate value and a y-coordinate value, and the three-dimensional color information further includes depth information—a z-coordinate value—compared to the two-dimensional color information.

[0013] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the three-dimensional color image sensing device has a shutter mechanism, which is a global shutter (GS) to simultaneously expose the plurality of first unit pixels, the plurality of second unit pixels, the plurality of third unit pixels and the plurality of fourth unit pixels to generate the two-dimensional color information and the depth information.

[0014] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the three-dimensional color image sensing device further includes a storage unit coupled to the processing circuit, the storage unit being used to store the depth information and the two-dimensional color information.

[0015] Preferably, in the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention, the excitation wavelength range of the light emitter is the infrared wavelength range.

[0016] Thus, the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention employs a time-of-flight measurement method for stereoscopic image sensing, combined with a three-primary-color sensing module to acquire color stereoscopic images. Therefore, the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the present invention can construct three-dimensional color images while successfully reducing system computation and data storage requirements. Furthermore, the three-dimensional color image sensing device of the present invention can significantly improve its practicality and applicability by adding a filtering unit, enabling the same pixel unit to detect light of different wavelength ranges.

[0017] To enable those skilled in the art to understand the purpose, features and effects of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the following specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a three-dimensional color image sensing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of the three-dimensional color image sensing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the optical sensor according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 To illustrate the wavelength range of the dual-bandpass filter layer in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 Timing diagrams of multiple signal waveforms in the first embodiment of the present invention are provided as examples;

[0023] Figure 6 The timing diagram of the transmission signal and pulse signal in the first embodiment of the present invention is provided as an example.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a block diagram of a three-dimensional color image sensing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of a three-dimensional color image sensing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0027] 100: Three-dimensional color image sensing device;

[0028] 11: Light emitter;

[0029] 111: First light source;

[0030] 112: First light source polarizer;

[0031] 113: Second light source polarizer;

[0032] 114: Second light source;

[0033] 12: Light sensor;

[0034] 121: pixels;

[0035] 1211: First unit pixel;

[0036] 1212: Second unit pixel;

[0037] 1213: Third unit pixel;

[0038] 1214: Fourth unit pixel;

[0039] 13: Processing circuit;

[0040] 14: Polarizing layer;

[0041] 141: First polarizing layer;

[0042] 142: Second polarizing layer;

[0043] 15: Filtering layer;

[0044] 151: First filtering unit;

[0045] 152: Second filtering unit;

[0046] 153: Third filtering unit;

[0047] 154: Fourth filtering unit;

[0048] 16: Dual-bandpass filter layer;

[0049] 200: Item to be tested;

[0050] BN, BN': Background noise signals;

[0051] P, P'; pulse signals;

[0052] Sp, Sb, Sr: voltage signals. Detailed Implementation

[0053] The inventive concept will now be more fully described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept. The advantages and features of the inventive concept, as well as methods of achieving it, will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the inventive concept is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described below, but can be implemented in various forms. Therefore, exemplary embodiments are provided only to disclose the inventive concept and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the category of the inventive concept. In the drawings, exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept are not limited to the specific instances provided herein and are exaggerated for clarity.

[0054] The terminology used herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the invention. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms of the terms “a” and “the” as used herein are intended to include multiple forms. The term “and / or” as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It should be understood that when a component is referred to as “connected” or “coupled” to another component, the component may be directly connected or coupled to the other component or there may be intermediate components.

[0055] Similarly, it should be understood that when a component (e.g., a layer, region, or substrate) is said to be "on" another component, the component may be directly on the other component, or there may be intermediate components. In contrast, the term "directly" implies the absence of intermediate components. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" or "including" are used herein, they indicate the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0056] Furthermore, exemplary embodiments in the detailed description will be illustrated by cross-sectional views of idealized exemplary drawings that serve as concepts of the present invention. Accordingly, the shapes of the exemplary drawings may be modified according to manufacturing techniques and / or tolerable errors. Therefore, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific shapes shown in the exemplary drawings, but may include other shapes that may be produced according to the manufacturing process. The areas illustrated in the drawings have general characteristics and are used to illustrate specific shapes of components. Therefore, this should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention.

[0057] It should also be understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the various components. Therefore, a first component in some embodiments may be referred to as a second component in other embodiments, without departing from the teachings of the invention. Exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts illustrated and described herein include their complementary counterparts. Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals or the same indicators denote the same components.

[0058] Furthermore, exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to sectional views and / or plan views, which are idealized illustrative diagrams. Therefore, deviations from the illustrated shapes are expected due to factors such as manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Thus, exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limited to the shapes of the areas shown herein, but are intended to include shape deviations caused, for example, by manufacturing processes. Therefore, the areas shown in the figures are schematic and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shapes of the areas of the device, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0059] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a three-dimensional color image sensing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of a three-dimensional color image sensing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied to the test object 200 in the ambient light L. The three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 includes: a light emitter 11, a light sensor 12, a processing circuit 13, a polarization layer 14, a filter layer 15, and a dual-bandpass filter layer 16.

[0060] Specifically, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the light emitter 11 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a first light emitting source 111 and a first light source polarizer 112. The first light source polarizer 112 is disposed on the first light emitting source 111. The first light emitting source 111 is used to emit excitation light R (not shown) and generate an emission signal. The excitation light R, after passing through the first light source polarizer 112, forms a first excitation light R' with a first polarization direction E (not shown). Specifically, in this embodiment, the light emitter 11 can be, for example, a pulsed light emitter or a laser diode, which is used to emit infrared light pulses. Preferably, the light emitter 11 can be a surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) to achieve a wider excitation light wavelength range. Specifically, in this embodiment, the wavelength range of the excitation light is the infrared light wavelength range; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0061] Please see Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the optical sensor according to the present invention. Specifically, as shown... Figure 1 to Figure 3 As shown, the light sensor 12 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is coupled to the light emitter 11. The light sensor 12 includes a plurality of pixels 121, which include a first unit pixel 1211, a plurality of second unit pixels 1212, a plurality of third unit pixels 1213, and a plurality of fourth unit pixels 1214. In this embodiment, as... Figure 3 As shown, the first unit pixel 1211, the second unit pixel 1212, the third unit pixel 1213 and the fourth unit pixel 1214 are arranged in an array.

[0062] Specifically, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first unit pixel 1211 is used to sense the wavelength range of the excitation light R emitted by the first light emitting source 111. In this embodiment, the first unit pixel 1211 is an infrared light unit pixel, which is mainly used to sense light with wavelengths between 760nm and 1000nm. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0063] Specifically, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the second unit pixel 1212, the third unit pixel 1213 and the fourth unit pixel 1214 are used to receive the ambient light L reflected by the object under test 200 to generate an image signal. In this embodiment, the second unit pixel 1212, the third unit pixel 1213 and the fourth unit pixel 1214 are mainly used to sense light with wavelengths in the visible light range (450nm-750nm). Since the red, green and blue light sources of the ambient light L have different spectral distributions, they will be mutually decomposed with the absorption spectrum of the target object, resulting in a spectral change caused by reflection. Therefore, the color of the object under test 200 can be estimated by the difference in the reflectance ratio of the object under test 200. In this embodiment, the second unit pixel 1212 is a red light unit pixel, the third unit pixel 1213 is a green light unit pixel, and the fourth unit pixel 1214 is a blue light unit pixel. The red light unit pixel is mainly used to sense light with wavelengths between 620nm and 750nm, the green light unit pixel is mainly used to sense light with wavelengths between 495nm and 570nm, and the blue light unit pixel is mainly used to sense light with wavelengths between 450nm and 495nm. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is worth mentioning that in this embodiment, the second unit pixel 1212, the third unit pixel 1213, and the fourth unit pixel 1214 can have the same structure. The present invention can improve the practicality and applicability of the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 by adding a filtering unit, enabling the same unit pixel to detect light with different wavelength ranges.

[0064] Specifically, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first unit pixel 1211 is used to sense light with wavelengths within the wavelength range of the excitation light to generate a sensing signal. In this embodiment, the first unit pixel 1211 may be, for example, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor (CMOS Image Sensor, CIS), but the present invention is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the first unit pixel 1211 is mainly used to sense the excitation light R emitted by the light emitter 11. Since the wavelength range of the excitation light R is different from the visible light range, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention can simultaneously sense the visible light range to generate color information and sense the excitation light wavelength range to generate depth information (not shown).

[0065] It should be further explained that, in this embodiment, the light sensor 12 according to the present invention can have a global shutter mechanism, that is, the first unit pixel 1211, the second unit pixel 1212, the third unit pixel 1213, and the fourth unit pixel 1214 on the light sensor 12 will acquire image electrical signals and depth information at the same time. In this way, the need for system data temporary storage is further reduced, and the storage space required for the two-dimensional color information and depth information of the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention is reduced, which has wide applicability.

[0066] Specifically, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the processing circuit 13 is coupled to the light emitter 11 and the light sensor 12. The processing circuit 13 can be various circuits or combinations thereof with computing functions. For example, the processing circuit 13 can be a personal computer or a smartphone, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the processing circuit 13 controls the light emitter 11 to emit excitation light R and simultaneously turns on the light sensor 12 to sense the excitation light R reflected by the object under test 200. This ensures that the light sensor 12 can determine the time difference between the excitation light R illuminating the object under test 200 and the light sensor 12 after reflection, and calculates the distance between the object under test 200 and the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 by time-of-flight ranging. The light sensor 12 also simultaneously senses the ambient light L reflected by the object under test 200, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0067] Specifically, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the polarization layer 14 is correspondingly disposed on the plurality of first unit pixels 1211, and the polarization layer 14 includes a first polarization layer 141 and a second polarization layer 142, wherein the first polarization layer 141 is correspondingly disposed on a portion of the first unit pixels 1211, and the second polarization layer 142 is correspondingly disposed on another portion of the first unit pixels 1211. Specifically, in this embodiment, the polarization direction of the first polarizing layer 141 is consistent with the polarization direction of the first light source polarizer 112, and the polarization direction of the first polarizing layer 141 is orthogonal to the polarization direction of the second polarizing layer 142. This allows a portion of the first unit pixels 1211 to sense the first excitation light R' emitted by the light emitter 11 and reflected by the test object 200, as well as a portion of the ambient light L reflected by the test object 200. Conversely, another portion of the first unit pixels 1211 can only sense a portion of the ambient light L reflected by the test object 200. It is understood that the sensing signal generated by a portion of the first unit pixels 1211 includes the first excitation light R' emitted by the light emitter 11 and reflected by the test object 200, while the sensing signal generated by the other portion of the first unit pixels 1211 only includes a portion of the ambient light L reflected by the test object 200. More specifically, in this embodiment, the number of first polarizing layers 141 and second polarizing layers 142 is the same, and they are staggered. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0068] Specifically, the polarizing layer 14 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be one of a reflective, dichroic, or birefringent polarizer. Preferably, the polarizing layer 14 can be a birefringent polarizer. The advantage of using a birefringent polarizer is that, compared to other polarizers, it is less prone to change under high-energy laser irradiation, thus preventing heat accumulation after prolonged high-energy laser irradiation, which could lead to deformation, deterioration, or other problems. Therefore, the polarizing layer 14 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be a birefringent crystal or a metal grating; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0069] Specifically, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the filter layer 15 is disposed on the polarization layer 14 and correspondingly disposed on the second unit pixel 1212, the third unit pixel 1213, and the fourth unit pixel 1214. The filter layer 15 includes a first filter unit 151, a second filter unit 152, a third filter unit 153, and a fourth filter unit 154. In some embodiments, the first filter unit 151 is an infrared light filter unit, the second filter unit 152 is a red light filter unit, the third filter unit 153 is a green light filter unit, and the fourth filter unit 154 is a blue light filter unit. Furthermore, the plurality of first filter units 151 are disposed on the plurality of first unit pixels 1211, the plurality of second filter units 152 are disposed on the plurality of second unit pixels 1212, the plurality of third filter units 153 are disposed on the plurality of third unit pixels 1213, and the plurality of fourth filter units 154 are disposed on the plurality of fourth unit pixels 1214. Therefore, by setting the filter layer 15, the present invention reduces the influence of the first excitation light R' emitted by the light emitter 11 on the pixel 121. In this way, the accuracy of the color information generated by the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention is improved.

[0070] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 4 To illustrate the wavelength range of the dual-bandpass filter layer in the first embodiment of the present invention, see below. Figure 1 to Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, a dual-bandpass filter layer 16 is disposed on the filter layer 15 and the polarization layer 14. The dual-bandpass filter layer 16 is used to filter out light in the ambient light L whose wavelengths fall outside the visible light range and the excitation light wavelength range. In this embodiment, the visible light range is 405nm to 650nm, and the excitation light wavelength range is 925nm to 965nm. Specifically, in some embodiments, the visible light range is 405nm to 645nm, and the excitation light wavelength range is 835nm to 875nm; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. In this way, the dual-bandpass filter layer 16 filters through a narrow wavelength range in the visible and near-infrared spectra, which corresponds to the wavelength of the excitation light emitted by the light emitter 11 used, to ensure that a clear and accurate image is obtained under most lighting conditions. This improves the accuracy of the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention while reducing the complexity of data processing by the processing circuit 13 and increasing the instruction cycle of the processing circuit 13.

[0071] Furthermore, the processing circuit 13 can generate two-dimensional color information (not shown) based on the image signal. This two-dimensional color information can contain four variables, representing planar information and color information respectively. The x-coordinate and y-coordinate values ​​represent the planar information, while the x-color coordinate and y-color coordinate values ​​represent the color information. It should be further noted that the color coordinate values ​​in this specification are all expressed in CIE color coordinates; however, the invention is not limited thereto.

[0072] Please see Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 Timing diagrams of multiple signal waveforms in the first embodiment of the present invention are provided as examples; Figure 6 The timing diagram of the transmission signal and pulse signal in the first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of example. Specifically, as shown... Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the processing circuit 13 controls the light emitter 11 to emit excitation light R and simultaneously activates the light sensor 12. Since a portion of the first unit pixels 1211 can sense the first excitation light R' emitted by the light emitter 11 and reflected by the test object 200, as well as the ambient light L reflected by a portion of the test object 200, the first sensing signal Sp output by a portion of the first unit pixels 1211 can include the background noise signal BN' corresponding to the ambient light and the pulse signal P'. In this embodiment, since another portion of the first unit pixels 1211 can only sense the ambient light L reflected by a portion of the test object 200, the second sensing signal Sb output by the other portion of the first unit pixels 1211 only includes the background noise signal BN corresponding to the ambient light. In this embodiment, the background noise signals BN and BN' under the same ambient light have the same or similar signal strength. Therefore, the processing circuit 13 can obtain the output voltage signal Sr by comparing the voltage signals Sp and Sb and performing a subtraction operation. The voltage signal Sr only has the pulse signal P' and eliminates the background noise signal. In this way, the influence of ambient light L on the first unit pixel 1211 can be eliminated by simply subtracting the sensing signal generated by a portion of the first unit pixel 1211 from the sensing signal generated by another portion of the first unit pixel 1211. This achieves the effect of improving the accuracy of the distance information generated by the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention.

[0073] Specifically, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, in this embodiment, the processing circuit 13 can calculate the distance between the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 and the object under test 200 based on the time difference between the occurrence time of the pulse signal P' of the voltage signal Sr and the occurrence time of the emission signal P of the excitation light R emitted by the light emitter 11, thereby generating depth information. In this embodiment, the processing circuit 13 can further form three-dimensional color information based on the above-mentioned two-dimensional color information and depth information. The three-dimensional color information can further include z-coordinate values ​​compared to the two-dimensional color information. In this way, the three-dimensional color information can contain 5 variables, representing spatial information and color information respectively. The x-coordinate value, y-coordinate value, and z-coordinate value represent spatial information, and the x-color coordinate value and y-color coordinate value represent color information. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0074] More specifically, in this embodiment, the excitation light R passes through the polarizer of the first light source to form a first excitation light R' with a first polarization direction E. The first excitation light R' is emitted to the test object 200 and reflected, then passes through the dual-bandpass filter layer 16, the first filter unit 151 of the filter layer 15, and the first polarizing layer 141 to a portion of the first unit pixels 1211. This causes a portion of the multiple first unit pixels 1211 to generate a first sensing signal Sp. The first sensing signal Sp includes a pulse signal P' and a background noise signal BN'. Ambient light L is emitted to the test object 200 and reflected, then passes through the dual-bandpass filter layer 16, the filter layer 15, and the second polarizing layer 142 to another portion of the first unit pixels 1211, second unit pixels 1212, third unit pixels 1213, and... The fourth unit pixel 1214 causes the plurality of second unit pixels 1212, the plurality of third unit pixels 1213, and the plurality of fourth unit pixels 1214 to generate image electrical signals (not shown). At the same time, another portion of the first unit pixels 1211 generates a second sensing signal Sb. The second sensing signal Sb only contains the background noise signal BN corresponding to the ambient light. Therefore, the processing circuit 13 can calculate the time of generation of the pulse signal P' based on the first sensing signal Sp and the second sensing signal Sb. The processing circuit 13 can also calculate the depth information based on the time of generation of the emission signal P and the time of generation of the pulse signal P'. Furthermore, the processing circuit 13 can generate two-dimensional color information based on the image electrical signals and generate three-dimensional color information based on the depth information and the two-dimensional color information.

[0075] Specifically, in this embodiment, the processing circuit 13 calculates the optical path length of the excitation light R according to the following formula (1), where c is the speed of light, d is the distance between the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 and the object under test 200, θ is the angle between the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 and the object under test 200, and T is time. However, when the distance d between the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 and the object under test 200 is large, θ can be ignored, resulting in a value of 1 for cos(θ), which means that half of the optical path length is the distance between the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 and the object under test 200.

[0076]

[0077] It is worth mentioning that the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 according to the present invention can construct a three-dimensional color image by using the three-dimensional color information of each point on the object to be measured. Therefore, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 according to the present invention can construct a three-dimensional color image while successfully reducing the system's computation and data storage requirements.

[0078] It should be further explained that, according to the embodiments of the present invention, background noise signals caused by natural light in the environment can be eliminated by simple subtraction operation without complex software calculation, effectively reducing the processing time of the processing circuit 13 and reducing software complexity. Even when the signal strength of background noise signals BN and BN' is greater than that of pulse signals P and P', the processing circuit 13 can still eliminate background noise signals by comparing voltage signals Sp and Sb and performing subtraction operation, effectively performing calculations and distance sensing to obtain accurate depth information.

[0079] Specifically, in this embodiment, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 may have a shutter mechanism (not shown), which is a global shutter (GS) to simultaneously expose the first unit pixel 1211, the second unit pixel 1212, the third unit pixel 1213, and the fourth unit pixel 1214 to generate the two-dimensional color information and the depth information. This improves the time for the processing circuit 13 of the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 to receive the two-dimensional color information and the depth information, shortens the time for calculating the three-dimensional color information from the two-dimensional color information and the depth information, and improves the operability and computational efficiency of the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention.

[0080] Other examples of the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 are provided below to enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand possible variations. Components indicated by the same component symbols as in the above embodiments are substantially the same as those referenced above. Figure 1 to Figure 3The components, features, and advantages that are the same as those of the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 will not be described again.

[0081] Please see Figure 7 to Figure 8 As shown, Figure 7 This is a block diagram of a three-dimensional color image sensing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of a three-dimensional color image sensing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 As shown, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes: a light emitter 11, a light sensor 12, a processing circuit 13, a polarization layer 14, a filter layer 15, a dual-bandpass filter layer 16, and a storage unit 17.

[0082] Specifically, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 further includes a storage unit 17, which is coupled to the processing circuit 13, compared to the first embodiment. The storage unit 17 can be used to store depth information, two-dimensional color information, and three-dimensional color information, so as to serve as reference information for the processing circuit 13 to calculate the depth information and two-dimensional color information for self-learning. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 13 can learn itself through machine learning algorithms or deep learning algorithms to generate more accurate depth information and two-dimensional color information, and construct a more complete three-dimensional color image. The algorithm can be, but is not limited to, K-means clustering, ant colony optimization (ACO), and particle swarm optimization (PSO).

[0083] Specifically, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the light emitter 11 further includes a second light emission source 114 coupled to the first light emission source 111, and a second light source polarizer 113 is disposed on the second light emission source 114. The polarization direction of the second light source polarizer 113 is consistent with the polarization direction of the second polarization layer 142. After the excitation light L passes through the second light source polarizer 113, a second excitation light R'' with a second polarization direction M (not shown) is formed. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0084] It should be further explained that, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 generates a first excitation light R' and a second excitation light R'' alternately by the first light emitting source 111 and the second light emitting source 114, so that a portion of the first unit pixel 1211 and another portion of the first unit pixel 1211 generate corresponding sensing signals. Specifically, please refer to Table 1 below. Table 1 is used to illustrate that when the first light emitting source 111 and the second light emitting source 114 generate the first excitation light R' and the second excitation light R'', a portion of the first unit pixel 1211 and another portion of the first unit pixel 1211 respectively generate corresponding sensing signals. When the first light emitting source 111 generates the first excitation light R', a portion of the first unit pixel 1211 can sense the first excitation light R' emitted by the first light emitting source 111 and reflected by the test object 200, as well as the ambient light L reflected by a portion of the test object 200. Therefore, the first sensing signal Sp output by a portion of the first unit pixel 1211 can include the background noise signal BE (not shown) and the pulse signal TE (not shown) corresponding to the ambient light. Furthermore, the other portion of the first unit pixel 1211 can only sense the ambient light L reflected by a portion of the test object 200. Therefore, the second sensing signal Sb output by the other portion of the first unit pixel 1211 only includes the background noise signal BM (not shown) corresponding to the ambient light. When the second light emitting source 114 generates the second excitation light R'', another portion of the first unit pixel 1211 can sense the second excitation light R'' emitted by the second light emitting source 114 and reflected by the object under test 200, as well as the ambient light L reflected by a portion of the object under test 200. Therefore, the second sensing signal Sb output by the other portion of the first unit pixel 1211 can include the background noise signal BM corresponding to the ambient light and the pulse signal TM (not shown). Furthermore, a portion of the first unit pixel 1211 can only sense the ambient light L reflected by a portion of the object under test 200. Therefore, the first sensing signal Sp output by a portion of the first unit pixel 1211 only includes the background noise signal BE corresponding to the ambient light. In this way, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 can eliminate the influence of the ambient light L on the first unit pixel 1211 by simply subtracting the four sensing signals. Compared with the first embodiment, the second embodiment can further ensure the complete elimination of the background noise signal to generate a more accurate pulse signal, thereby improving the accuracy of the distance information generated by the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention.

[0085] First light emitting source 111 Second light emitting source 114 First unit pixel 1211 Background noise signal BE and pulse signal TE Background noise signal BE First unit pixel 1211 Background noise signal BM Background noise signal BM and pulse signal TM

[0086] Table 1

[0087] Finally, the technical features and achievable technical effects of the present invention are summarized as follows: First, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention employs a stereoscopic image sensing system using a time-of-flight measurement method, combined with a three-primary-color sensing module, to obtain a color stereoscopic image. Therefore, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention can construct a three-dimensional color image while successfully reducing system computation and data storage requirements.

[0088] Secondly, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention can detect light of different wavelength ranges by adding a filter unit 131, thereby greatly improving the practicality and applicability of the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention.

[0089] Thirdly, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 can eliminate the influence of ambient light L on the light sensor 12 by simply subtracting the sensing signals generated by a portion of the first unit pixel 1211 and another portion of the first unit pixel 1211, thereby achieving the effect of improving the accuracy of the distance information generated by the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention.

[0090] Fourth, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, even when the signal strengths of the background noise signals BN and BN' are greater than those of the pulse signals P and P', the processing circuit 13 can still eliminate the background noise signals by comparing the voltage signals Sp and Sb and performing a subtraction operation, effectively perform the operation, and perform distance sensing to obtain accurate depth information.

[0091] Fifth, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 can eliminate the influence of ambient light L on the light sensor 12 by simply subtracting the four sensing signals. Compared with the first embodiment, the second embodiment can further ensure the complete elimination of background noise signals to generate more accurate pulse signals, thereby improving the accuracy of the distance information generated by the three-dimensional color image sensing device 100 of the present invention.

[0092] The above description of specific embodiments illustrates the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0093] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention; any equivalent changes or modifications made without departing from the spirit disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of the above patent.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional color image sensing device, characterized in that, The three-dimensional color image sensing device is applied to an object under test in ambient light and includes: A light emitter includes a first light emitting source and a first light source polarizer, the first light source polarizer being disposed on the first light emitting source, the first light emitting source being used to emit an excitation light and generate an emission signal; A light sensor includes multiple pixels, which include multiple first unit pixels, multiple second unit pixels, multiple third unit pixels, and multiple fourth unit pixels. The multiple first unit pixels are used to sense light with wavelengths within the wavelength range of the excitation light, and the multiple second unit pixels, the multiple third unit pixels, and the multiple fourth unit pixels are used to sense the ambient light reflected by the object under test. A processing circuit is coupled to the light emitter and the light sensor. The processing circuit controls the light emitter to emit the excitation light and simultaneously turns on the light sensor. A polarization layer is disposed on the photosensitive sensor. The polarization layer includes multiple first polarization layers and multiple second polarization layers. The multiple first polarization layers are disposed on a portion of the multiple first unit pixels, and the second polarization layers are disposed on another portion of the multiple first unit pixels. The polarization directions of the multiple first polarization layers and the second polarization layers are orthogonal, and the polarization direction of the multiple first polarization layers is consistent with that of the polarization plate of the first light source. A filter layer is disposed on the polarization layer. The filter layer includes a plurality of first filter units, a plurality of second filter units, a plurality of third filter units, and a plurality of fourth filter units. The plurality of first filter units are disposed on the plurality of first unit pixels, the plurality of second filter units are disposed on the plurality of second unit pixels, the plurality of third filter units are disposed on the plurality of third unit pixels, and the plurality of fourth filter units are disposed on the fourth unit pixels. The plurality of filter units are respectively used to filter out visible light and excitation light of different wavelength ranges. A dual-bandpass filter layer is disposed on the polarization layer and the filter layer. The dual-bandpass filter layer is used to filter out light in the ambient light whose wavelength is outside the wavelength range of visible light and the excitation light. The excitation light, after passing through the polarizer of the first light source, forms a first excitation light with a first polarization direction. This first excitation light, after being reflected by the object under test, passes through the dual-bandpass filter layer, the plurality of first filter units of the filter layer, and the plurality of first polarizing layers to a portion of the plurality of first unit pixels, causing a portion of the plurality of first unit pixels to generate a first sensing signal. This first sensing signal includes a pulse signal and a first background noise. The ambient light, after being reflected by the object under test, passes through the dual-bandpass filter layer, the filter layer, and the plurality of second polarizing layers to another portion of the plurality of first unit pixels, the plurality of second unit pixels, and the plurality of third unit pixels. The plurality of fourth unit pixels cause the plurality of second unit pixels, the plurality of third unit pixels, and the plurality of fourth unit pixels to generate an image signal. At the same time, another portion of the plurality of first unit pixels generate a second sensing signal, the second sensing signal including a second background noise. Furthermore, the processing circuit calculates the time of pulse signal generation based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal, and the processing circuit calculates depth information based on the time of transmission signal generation and the time of pulse signal generation. Additionally, the processing circuit generates two-dimensional color information based on the image signal, and generates three-dimensional color information based on the depth information and the two-dimensional color information.

2. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of first unit pixels are plurality of infrared light unit pixels, the plurality of first filter units are infrared light filter units, and the plurality of first polarizing layers and the plurality of second polarizing layers are of the same number and are arranged alternately.

3. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of second unit pixels are plurality of red light unit pixels, the plurality of third unit pixels are plurality of green light unit pixels, and the plurality of fourth unit pixels are plurality of blue light unit pixels. In addition, the plurality of second filter units are plurality of red light filter units, the plurality of third filter units are plurality of green light filter units, and the plurality of fourth filter units are plurality of blue light filter units.

4. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first background noise and the second background noise have the same intensity, and the polarization directions of the first background noise and the second background noise are orthogonal to each other.

5. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light emitter further includes a second light emission source coupled to the first light emission source, and a second light source polarizer is disposed on the second light emission source. The polarization direction of the second light source polarizer is consistent with that of the plurality of second polarization layers. After the excitation light passes through the second light source polarizer, it forms a second excitation light with a second polarization direction.

6. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first polarization direction is orthogonal to the second polarization direction.

7. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two-dimensional color information includes a CIE color coordinate, and the CIE color coordinate includes an x-color coordinate value and a y-color coordinate value.

8. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The two-dimensional color information further includes an x-coordinate value and a y-coordinate value, and the three-dimensional color information further includes depth information—a z-coordinate value—compared to the two-dimensional color information.

9. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The three-dimensional color image sensing device has a shutter mechanism, which is a global shutter, so that the plurality of first unit pixels, the plurality of second unit pixels, the plurality of third unit pixels and the plurality of fourth unit pixels are exposed simultaneously to generate the two-dimensional color information and the depth information.

10. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The three-dimensional color image sensing device further includes a storage unit coupled to the processing circuit, the storage unit being used to store the depth information and the two-dimensional color information.

11. The three-dimensional color image sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The excitation wavelength range of this light emitter is the infrared wavelength range.

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