Image Sensor Pixel Block Drive Signal Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image capturing systems face a drop in image quality when using a common driving line for readout circuits operating with different image capturing settings for each pixel block, leading to signal level differences and output fluctuations between frames.
Innovation Solution
An image capturing apparatus with a pixel portion arranged in a matrix, featuring multiple readout circuits and a control unit that supplies distinct drive signals to each readout circuit based on set image capturing conditions for different pixel blocks, ensuring optimal operation and minimizing load fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a common driving line is used for all readout circuits to reduce the number of driving lines, then device complexity is reduced, but image quality deteriorates due to load changes causing signal level differences and output fluctuations between frames
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the pixel region into multiple pixel blocks, each with its own dedicated driving line for the readout circuit. This segmentation allows independent control of each pixel block's readout operations, preventing load changes on shared driving lines from causing signal level differences and output fluctuations between frames, thus maintaining image quality consistency while still reducing the total number of driving lines compared to having separate lines for each pixel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different image capturing settings (such as different readout timings) to different pixel blocks locally. Each pixel block can be optimized independently for its specific requirements, allowing the system to achieve high framerates for important regions while using lower framerates for less important regions, thereby maintaining overall image quality consistency without requiring uniform high-performance settings across the entire sensor.
2Productivity
If different image capturing settings are applied to different pixel blocks to optimize data amount and framerate, then productivity is improved, but image quality deteriorates due to load changes on driving lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the pixel array into multiple pixel blocks that can be controlled independently. Each pixel block can have different image capturing settings applied to it, allowing the system to optimize data readout efficiency by using different framerates and resolutions for different regions while maintaining image quality consistency through dedicated driving lines for each block.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes operating parameters (such as framerate and resolution settings) for different pixel blocks based on their specific requirements. This allows the system to improve productivity by using lower framerates for less important regions while maintaining high framerates for important regions, all while preventing image quality deterioration through the use of dedicated driving lines for each pixel block.
Data Source
AI summary
An image capturing apparatus includes a pixel portion in which a plurality of pixel blocks are arranged, each pixel block including a predetermined number of pixels; a plurality of readout circuits arranged corresponding to the plurality of pixel blocks; a supply unit that supplies drive signals to the plurality of readout circuits; a setting unit that sets image capturing conditions for each of the plurality of pixel blocks; and a control unit that carries out control so that when the setting unit has set different image capturing conditions for a first pixel block and a second pixel block, the supply unit supplies a first drive signal to the readout circuits corresponding to the first pixel block, and supplies a second drive signal to the readout circuits corresponding to the second pixel block.