Image sensor and image capture system with extended dynamic range

Abstract

An image sensor includes a plurality of pixels; a color filter pattern spanning at least a portion of the pixels, wherein the color filter pattern forms a color filter kernel having colors in a predetermined arrangement; and a mechanism for controlling integration time of the pixels, wherein the integration time of the plurality of pixels is spatially variant in a pattern that is correlated with the color filter array kernel.

1 . An image sensor comprising:
 (a) a plurality of pixels arranged in an array of rows and columns;   (b) a color filter pattern spanning at least a portion of the pixels, wherein the color filter pattern forms a plurality of color filter kernels having at least one color of every color in the color filter pattern in a predetermined arrangement with an identical pattern of colors in each color filter kernel, and wherein the color filter kernels are arranged in at least two different uniformly distributed sets that are correlated with the color filter pattern; and   (c) a mechanism for independent control of an integration time of each uniformly distributed set , wherein a first uniformly distributed set has a first integration time and a second uniformly distributed set has a second integration time that is different from the first integration time.   
     
     
         2 . The image sensor as in  claim 1 , wherein the color filter pattern is a Bayer color filter pattern. 
     
     
         3 . The image sensor as in  claim 1 , wherein the color filter pattern is a 2×2 kernel. 
     
     
         4 . The image sensor as in  claim 3 , wherein the at least two different uniformly distributed sets comprise an alternating pattern of two lines of 2×2 kernels. 
     
     
         5 . The image sensor as in  claim 3 , wherein the at least two different uniformly distributed sets comprise 2×2 kernels. 
     
     
         6 . The image sensor as in  claim 5 , wherein the integration time pattern of adjacent two lines groups is offset by two pixels. 
     
     
         7 . The image sensor of  claim 1  wherein the integration time pattern is a multiple of the color filter kernel. 
     
     
         8 . An image sensor comprising:
 (a) a plurality of pixels arranged in an array of rows and columns; and   (b) an integration time control line for each row of pixels, wherein each integration time control line is routed to a portion of the pixels in one row and to a portion of the pixels in an adjacent row to provide output signal values having signals that are generated from pixels within at least two physically separate rows within the array.   
     
     
         9 . A camera comprising:
 (a) an image sensor comprising:
 (a1) a plurality of pixels arranged in an array of rows and columns; 
 (b) a color filter pattern spanning at least a portion of the pixels, wherein the color filter pattern forms a plurality of color filter kernels having at least one color of every color in the color filter pattern in a predetermined arrangement with an identical pattern of colors in each color filter kernel, and wherein the color filter kernels are arranged in at least two different uniformly distributed sets that are correlated with the color filter pattern; and 
 (c) a mechanism for independent control of an integration time of each uniformly distributed set, wherein a first uniformly distributed set has a first integration time and a second uniformly distributed set has a second integration time that is different from the first integration time. 
   
     
     
         10 . The camera as in  claim 9 , wherein the color filter pattern is a Bayer color filter pattern. 
     
     
         11 . The camera as in  claim 9 , wherein the color filter pattern is a 2×2 kernel. 
     
     
         12 . The camera as in  claim 11 , wherein the at least two different uniformly distributed sets comprise an alternating pattern of two lines of 2×2 kernels. 
     
     
         13 . The camera as in  claim 11 , wherein the at least two different uniformly distributed sets comprise 2×2 kernels. 
     
     
         14 . The camera as in  claim 13 , wherein the integration time pattern of adjacent two lines groups is offset by two pixels. 
     
     
         15 . The camera as in  claim 1 , wherein the integration time pattern is a multiple of the color filter kernel. 
     
     
         16 . The camera as in  claim 9  further comprising a mechanism that reads out at least a subset of the plurality of pixels and uses the signal values obtained from the readout to determine the integration times of the plurality of pixels. 
     
     
         17 . A camera comprising:
 (a) an image sensor comprising:   (a1) a plurality of pixels arranged in an array of rows and columns; and   (a2) an integration time control line for each row of pixels, wherein each integration time control line is routed to a portion of the pixels in one row and to a portion of the pixels in an adjacent row to produce output signal values having signals that are generated from pixels within at least two physically separate rows within the array.   
     
     
         18 . The camera as in  claim 17 , further comprising:
 (b) memory; and   (c) means for writing the output signal values into two row locations in the memory for each row of pixels, wherein the output signal values are reconstructed in the memory.   
     
     
         19 . The image sensor of  claim 1 , further comprising an integration time control line for each row of pixels, wherein each integration time control line is routed to a portion of the pixels in two adjacent rows to provide output signal values having signals that are generated from pixels within the adjacent rows within the array. 
     
     
         20 . The camera of  claim 9 , wherein the image sensor further comprises an integration time control line for each row of pixels, wherein each integration time control line is routed to a portion of the pixels in two adjacent rows to provide output signal values having signals that are generated from pixels within the adjacent rows within the array. 
     
     
         21 . The image sensor of  claim 8 , further comprising a color filter pattern spanning at least a portion of the pixels, wherein the color filter pattern forms a plurality of color filter kernels having at least one color of every color in the color filter pattern in a predetermined arrangement with an identical pattern of colors in each color filter kernel, and wherein the color filter kernels are arranged in at least two different uniformly distributed sets that are correlated with the color filter pattern. 
     
     
         22 . The image sensor of  claim 21 , wherein the color filter pattern is a 2×2 kernel. 
     
     
         23 . The image sensor of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a memory; and   means for writing the output signal values into two row locations in the memory for each row of pixels to reconstruct an image.   
     
     
         24 . An image sensor comprising:
 (a) a plurality of pixels arranged in an array of rows and columns;   (b) a color filter pattern spanning at least a portion of the pixels, wherein the color filter pattern forms a plurality of color filter kernels having at least one color of every color in the color filter pattern in a predetermined arrangement with an identical pattern of colors in each color filter kernel, and wherein the color filter kernels are arranged in at least two different uniformly distributed sets that are correlated with the color filter pattern; and   (c) a mechanism for independent control of an integration time of each uniformly distributed set, wherein a first uniformly distributed set has a first integration time and a second uniformly distributed set has a second integration time that is different from the first integration time, and wherein at least a portion of the pixels in at least one of the uniformly distributed sets does not contain valid signal level information.