US 11,756,975 B2
Image sensor and image sensing method to generate high sensitivity image through thin lens element and micro lens array
Yang Ho Cho, Seongnam-si (KR); Seunghoon Han, Seoul (KR); and Kyuhwan Choi, Yongin-si (KR)
Assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed by SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed on Mar. 30, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/834,428.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2019-0130481 (KR), filed on Oct. 21, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0118932 A1, Apr. 22, 2021
Int. Cl. H01L 27/146 (2006.01); G02B 3/00 (2006.01); H04N 23/55 (2023.01); H04N 23/84 (2023.01); H04N 25/133 (2023.01); G02B 5/18 (2006.01); G02B 5/20 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 27/14627 (2013.01) [G02B 3/0056 (2013.01); H01L 27/14603 (2013.01); H01L 27/14645 (2013.01); H01L 27/14647 (2013.01); H04N 23/55 (2023.01); H04N 23/84 (2023.01); G02B 5/1819 (2013.01); G02B 5/1866 (2013.01); G02B 5/1876 (2013.01); G02B 5/201 (2013.01); H04N 25/133 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image sensor comprising:
a plurality of thin lens elements, each of the plurality of thin lens elements comprising a plurality of scatterers configured to concentrate light of a partial wavelength band among light incident on the image sensor;
a micro lens array configured to concentrate light of a wavelength band including a range of at least two partial wavelength bands among a plurality of partial wavelength bands corresponding to the plurality of thin lens elements;
a sensing element configured to sense light passing through the plurality of thin lens elements and the micro lens array, the micro lens array comprising a plurality of micro lens elements arranged along an array plane; and
a processor configured to:
obtain chrominance information from a sensing region covered by the plurality of thin lens elements in a sensing array in which the sensing element is arranged, and obtain luminance information from a sensing region covered by the micro lens array,
obtain a compound eye vision (CEV) image, based on light that is sensed by the sensing element through the plurality of micro lens elements,
obtain the luminance information, from information obtained by rearranging pixels of a plurality of low-resolution images included in the obtained CEV image such that pixels corresponding to rays reflected from a same point are adjacent to each other, and
obtain an image, based on the chrominance information from the sensing region covered by the plurality of thin lens elements and the luminance information from the CEV image.