Solid state imaging processing systems and method for providing signal correction of pixel saturation errors

摘要

A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array unit in which unit pixels are arranged in a matrix shape and a signal processing circuit that obtains a first video signal and performs processing for combining the first and second video signals. The signal processing circuit includes judging means that judges whether a pixel of interest in the pixel array unit is a pixel to be saturated during an exposure period, calculating means that sets the pixel of interest as a correction pixel and calculates a correction amount on the basis of a luminance value of the second video signal of a peripheral pixel of the correction pixel, and correcting means that applies the correction amount to a luminance value of the first video signal of the correction pixel to thereby correct a noise signal amount due to photo-charges leaking from the peripheral pixel into the correction pixel.

主权项

1. A solid-state imaging device comprising:
a pixel array of unit pixels including photoelectric conversion elements for converting light signals into signal charges; and a signal processing circuit that obtains a first video signal and a second video signal for each of a plurality of the unit pixels and performs processing for combining the first and second video signals, the first and second video signals having different maximum sensitivity levels, wherein
a judging unit determines whether a particular unit pixel is saturated during an exposure period;a calculating unit calculates at least one correction amount on the basis of a luminance value for a unit pixel found to be saturated; andcorrecting unit for applying a correction amount calculated by the calculating unit to a video signal of a unit pixel immediately adjacent to the unit pixel found to be saturated to thereby correct a noise signal amount due to photo-charges leaking from the saturated unit pixel, and wherein the correction amount calculated by the calculating unit is based exclusively on a correction derived from one or more immediately adjacent unit pixels and only signal information for peripheral unit pixels of each individual unit pixel is used in determining a correction amount for each individual pixel signal from a unit pixel, and further wherein the first and second video signals for each unit pixel are used to determine whether a particular unit pixel is in a saturated state and performing correction by subtracting a sum of blooming amounts for a plurality of immediately adjacent unit pixels, each individual blooming amount being determined by multiplying a pixel signal by a coefficient.