Patent · US Active

Solid-state image sensor and signal processing method of same

US8018516B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
2References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 23, 2009
Grant dateSep 13, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 27, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N25/702
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A signal processing method of a solid-state image sensor includes comparing a high-sensitivity-pixel output signal and a first threshold value to determine whether or not the high-sensitivity-pixel output signal reaches a level of a saturated-high-sensitivity-pixel output signal. If the high-sensitivity-pixel output signal does not reach the level of the saturated-high-sensitivity-pixel output signal, a difference value between the high-sensitivity-pixel output signal and an amplified low-sensitivity-pixel output signal is calculated. The amplified low-sensitivity-pixel output signal is obtained by multiplying a low-sensitivity-pixel output signal by a sensitivity ratio, which is obtained by dividing a sensitivity value of a high sensitivity pixel by a sensitivity value of a low sensitivity pixel. A first or second image signal is output according to whether an absolute value of the difference value is smaller than a second threshold value or not.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.