US 12,302,023 B2
Solid-state imaging element and imaging device that detect address event
Masaki Sakakibara, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION, Kanagawa (JP)
Filed by SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION, Kanagawa (JP)
Filed on Jan. 25, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/422,181.
Application 18/422,181 is a continuation of application No. 17/293,254, granted, now 11,917,317, previously published as PCT/JP2019/039621, filed on Oct. 8, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 2018-218011 (JP), filed on Nov. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0163588 A1, May 16, 2024
Int. Cl. H04N 25/772 (2023.01); H04N 25/47 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 25/772 (2023.01) [H04N 25/47 (2023.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A solid-state imaging element, comprising:
a pixel array unit that includes:
a set of normal pixels in two rows by two columns, wherein
a normal pixel of the set of normal pixels is configured to output an analog signal; and
a plurality of detection pixels, wherein
the plurality of detection pixels includes a set of detection pixels in two rows by two columns,
the set of detection pixels is adjacent to the set of normal pixels,
a detection pixel of the plurality of detection pixels is configured to:
detect that an amount of change in incident light becomes larger than a first threshold; and
output a detection result, and
the detection pixel includes:
a pixel circuit configured to generate a voltage signal by photoelectric conversion of the incident light;
a differentiation circuit configured to generate a differentiation signal corresponding to a change in the voltage signal with respect to a reference value, wherein the reference value corresponds to a value of the voltage signal at a time of reset of the differentiation circuit; and
a comparator configured to compare a level of the differentiation signal with the first threshold and a second threshold to output one of a high-level comparison result or a low-level comparison result as the detection result, wherein the first threshold is higher than the second threshold.