US 12,464,234 B2
Electronic device including image sensor and operating method thereof
Inah Moon, Gyeonggi-do (KR); Jaehyoung Park, Gyeonggi-do (KR); Shuichi Shimokawa, Gyeonggi-do (KR); Yeotak Youn, Gyeonggi-do (KR); Kawang Kang, Gyeonggi-do (KR); and Dongsoo Kim, Gyeonggi-do (KR)
Assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Seoul (KR)
Filed by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Gyeonggi-do (KR)
Filed on Dec. 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/074,907.
Application 18/074,907 is a continuation of application No. PCT/KR2022/002018, filed on Feb. 10, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2021-0019463 (KR), filed on Feb. 10, 2021; and application No. 10-2021-0072286 (KR), filed on Jun. 3, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0101860 A1, Mar. 30, 2023
Int. Cl. H04N 23/67 (2023.01); H04N 23/10 (2023.01); H04N 23/12 (2023.01); H04N 23/55 (2023.01); H04N 25/772 (2023.01); H04N 25/78 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/672 (2023.01) [H04N 23/10 (2023.01); H04N 23/12 (2023.01); H04N 23/55 (2023.01); H04N 25/772 (2023.01); H04N 25/78 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electronic device, comprising:
an image sensor comprising a plurality of unit pixels, wherein each unit pixel comprises at least four photodiodes (PDs), the PDs being disposed adjacent to each other in a first direction and a second direction that is different from the first direction; and
a processor configured to:
perform, in a first unit pixel among the plurality of unit pixels, a first analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) to obtain first ADC data by reading out a first PD group included in the first unit pixel and a second PD group in the first unit pixel that is adjacent to the first PD group in the first direction;
perform a second ADC to obtain second ADC data by reading out a third PD group in the first unit pixel that is adjacent to the first PD group in the second direction;
perform a third ADC to obtain third ADC data by reading out a fourth PD group in the first unit pixel that is adjacent to the second PD group in the first unit pixel in the second direction;
detect a first phase difference in the second direction by using the first ADC data, the second ADC data and the third ADC data; and
detect a second phase difference in the first direction by using the second ADC data obtained from the third PD group and the third ADC data obtained from the fourth PD group, without using the first ADC data obtained from the first PD group and the second PD group.