Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC

Radu Ispasoiu

Orit Skorka

Brian A Vaartstra

Anthony Richard Huggett

Barry Vanhoff

Grady Anderson

Image sensors, imaging systems, and methods for eliminating blooming artifacts in high dynamic range imaging. The image sensor includes a pixel array and a controller. The controller is configured to detect that a first pixel signal is at or below a barrier value. The first pixel signal is generated during a first exposure. The controller is also configured to compare neighboring pixel signals to the barrier value. The controller is further configured to determine a first image value for the center pixel based on a second pixel signal when at least one of the neighboring pixel signals is above the barrier value. The second pixel signal is generated during a second exposure that is shorter than the first exposure. The controller is also configured to set the first image value to the first pixel signal when each of the neighboring pixel signals is at or below the barrier value.

Blooming artifact elimination in high dynamic range imaging

An imaging system may include an electronic shutter. The electronic shutter may be positioned between an image sensor and a lens module or may be integrated as a package cover for the image sensor. The electronic shutter may selectively attenuate incident light that passes to the image sensor. To increase the dynamic range of the imaging system, the electronic shutter may have a first transparency while a first image is captured by the image sensor and a second, different transparency while a second image is captured by the image sensor. The first and second images are subsequently combined to form a single high dynamic range image. The electronic shutter may be controlled at a global level, at a sub-array level, or at a pixel level.

Imaging system with an electronic shutter

Imaging systems may include tunable polarization filters. A tunable polarization filter may be integrated directly into an image sensor package. For example, the tunable polarization filter may serve as cover glass for the image sensor package. Tunable polarization package glass may be incorporated into image sensor packages that have air gaps between the image sensor and the cover glass or that have transparent adhesive between the image sensor and the cover glass. The tunable polarization layer may be controlled at a global level, at a sub-array level, or at a pixel level. In some cases, the tunable polarization layer may be a tunable polarization filter. In this example, the direction of the polarization filter is tuned. In other cases, the tunable polarization layer may be a tunable polarization rotator. In this example, the tunable polarization layer selectively rotates the polarization of light that passes through the tunable polarization layer.

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Radu Ispasoiu