Patent ID: 9413991
Filing Date: 2016-08-09
CPC Classification: H04N

Claim Text:
1. A linear-logarithmic image sensor, comprising: a pixel array including a unit pixel, the unit pixel comprising a photoelectric conversion device that generates photo-charges in response to incident light, a storage node connected to the photoelectric conversion device and that stores the photo-charges generated by the photoelectric conversion device, and a floating diffusion node connected to the storage node, wherein the unit pixel generates a leakage signal in response to leakage photo-charges that leak from the storage node to the floating diffusion node while photo-charges that are generated by the photoelectric conversion device in response to incident light are accumulated in the storage node, and wherein the unit pixel sequentially generates a first analog signal corresponding to a first portion of photo-charges accumulated in the storage node and a second analog signal corresponding to a second portion of the photo-charges accumulated in the storage node by transferring the accumulated photo-charges in the storage node to the floating diffusion node in response to first and second transfer control signals; a signal generation unit including a signal generation block that generates a final analog signal in response to the leakage signal, the first analog signal, and the second analog signal; and a control unit coupled to the pixel array and to the signal generation unit, the control unit configured to control the pixel array and the signal generation unit; wherein the first transfer control signal has a first voltage level, and the second transfer control signal has a second voltage level that is higher than the first voltage level.