Image Sensor Optical Black Pixels Horizontal Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image sensors face challenges in reducing horizontal noise, which affects their performance in various applications such as digital cameras and medical imaging devices.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an image sensor design with optical black pixels arranged in the same horizontal line, matched with multiple comparators, and a sampling region structure that merges optical black signals into integrated signals for comparison with a reference signal, utilizing more comparators than optical black pixels to compensate for noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple optical black pixels are used to reduce horizontal noise, then noise reduction performance improves, but device area increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple optical black pixels are merged into a single optical black region, and multiple comparators share the same optical black signal input. This combining approach allows noise reduction through multiple comparison operations without proportionally increasing the total device area, as the optical black pixels and comparators are shared resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical black region serves multiple functions by providing signals to multiple comparators simultaneously. Each comparator uses the same optical black signal for its comparison operation, making the optical black region a universal resource that benefits multiple noise reduction operations without requiring separate dedicated pixels for each comparator.
2Measurement precision
If multiple comparators are matched with optical black pixels, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple comparators are configured to share the same optical black signal input, merging the signal path while maintaining separate comparison operations. This reduces the complexity of signal distribution while allowing each comparator to independently perform precise noise compensation comparisons with the shared optical black signal.
3Productivity
If optical black signals are merged into integrated signals, then signal processing efficiency improves, but signal loss may increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple optical black signals are merged into integrated signals that are then distributed to multiple comparators. This merging improves processing efficiency by consolidating signal paths, while the subsequent distribution to multiple comparators preserves signal integrity by providing each comparator with a complete copy of the integrated signal for accurate comparison operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are an image sensor and a method of driving the same. The image sensor includes n optical black pixels which are arranged in the same horizontal line; and m comparators which are matched with the n optical black pixels, wherein n is a natural number greater than or equal to two, and m is a natural number greater than n.