Sony patent discloses global shutter technology and foveon like sensor.
Sony fulfilled a new patent describing a sensor with global shutter (Click here to see the original patent). This is Sony’s description:
“In the CMOS type image sensor, the photoelectric conversion unit reads out the signal charges for each pixel or for each row where a plurality of pixels is arranged. In this case, exposure time for accumulating the signal charges is difficult to match in all the pixels, and thus in some cases, a captured image is distorted. Particularly, if the motion of a subject is great, this defect is noticeably generated. In order to prevent this defect from being generated, a “global exposure” is performed in which all the pixels start exposure at the same time and finish the exposure at the same time. The “global exposure” is performed by simultaneously driving all the pixels through an electrical control without using the mechanical shutter”
The same patent describes also how Sony wants to increase the number of Megapixels without to lose image quality. It’s the “foveon” alike approach. It’s not the first time we see such a patent:
“In order to realize the high sensitivity, there has been proposed one where a chalcopyrite based compound semiconductor film such as a CuInGaSe2 film with high light absorption coefficient is used in the photoelectric conversion unit (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications No. 2007-123720).
In addition, there has been proposed a “lamination type” where photoelectric conversion units for respective colors are laminated and disposed in a depth direction perpendicular to an imaging surface, instead of disposing the photoelectric conversion units which selectively sense light beams of respective colors in a direction along the imaging surface. In the “lamination type,” each pixel senses not only light of one color but also light of plural colors. For this reason, a light sensing surface is extensively formed and thus use efficiency of light can be improved, thereby improving sensitivity (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications No. 2006-245088).”
Can’t wait to see such a sensor coming soon!!!
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Comment from Jens: No the proposal 20110310282 is not foveo...
Comment from Guest #2342: I believe in whatever Sony says. Remembe...
Comment from Don Cox: The proposal is Foveon-like in having th...- Comment from Don Cox: Patents are always a bit vague in their ...
ian
5 months ago |Great and interesting stuff, but with Sony it’s hard to believe anything like this will be anything short of a long way off. I’d just like to see or hear some solid release info on a professional grade ff camera. That’s what I would have liked for this christmas. My guess is if we compare the timing of the first bit of info on the a700 replacement (a77) to what we have been teased with about full frame announcements for this spring, the reality is a ff by the fall of 2012 could even be a stetch.
Sony does make it a bit hard for loyal professionals.
David Grano-De-Oro
5 months ago |The Foveon tech sounds great but what about including backside illumination (BSI) which is used in Fuji systems. It works much like a cats eyes where the underlying layer reflects light right back into the photosites. This improves low light IQ, color, and detail. Tho Fuji’s JPG and RAW programing sucks. All JPG programing should be done by Nikon, even Sony’s JPG programing sucks.
GH
5 months ago |Sony already uses a BSI chip, the EXMOR R, in various point and shoot cameras. Unfortunately, as the sensor size goes up, the effectiveness of BSI decreases, so the relatively minimal improvement with BSI in aps-c sensors is not yet worth the cost.
Booe
5 months ago |“relatively minimal”
Please, source? (and not pseudoscience originating on forums)
Vlad
5 months ago |I doesn’t work like a cat’s eye.
D.Ortego
5 months ago |Sounds pretty cool no matter when it comes out. I’ll likely find a way to buy the next A9xx and who knows, maybe it will have this included. Still, I’m happy to have my ‘new’ A900. Tried and true with no multi-layered menus of wash, rinse, spin, fluff and dry settings. Either way, it’s looking very promising for photography in 2012, provided Japan can go a few months without another calamity.
Arturo
5 months ago |Fuji jpg programming sucks? The finepix x100 has one of the best jpg programming on apsc sensor cameras and it uses an old sensor. Almost all the review websites and users praise the x100 or x10 for the outstanding jpg color and Noise reduction. I agree that Sony doesn’t have the best jpg processing engine in terms of noise reduction and pretty colors.
Clyde
5 months ago |First we move beyond the need to repeat traditional SLR design philosophies.
Then we move beyond the need to repeat traditional CMOS chip philosophies.
Prepare for the renaissance of imaging technologies. We’ve just passed the tipping point. Finally the hardware can begin evolving again. I hope the software designers and ergonomic designers can keep pace with it.
Jiri
5 months ago |+1
pancanikonpus
5 months ago |oh well, Sony still continue doing on “Sony Styles” which is doing something Others do not tend to do
lol… Keep moving Sony! the #1 crown are very close to you 
as usual we used to read, and still read a lot of PRO photographers hates MP race. World biggest SLR market share owner -Canon, Nikon, and other mirrorless companies like M43, Olympus, Fuji are not interested in MP race. but except Sony, that make a different creating an opportunity in their own way and fix the downsize in MP -brilliant
Anu Nyymi
5 months ago |No “Foveon”-likeness in this patent. Instead it is more futuristic in the sense that it involves “organic” sensor technology in the same way Fuji’s recently surfaced papers and patents do. When this kind of technology matures, it is way better than Foveon could ever be – upto twice the QE of today’s sensors and way better angular response.
HOWEVER: as far as I know, there is still a loooooong road ahead, so no reason to hold breath.
Don Cox
5 months ago |The proposal is Foveon-like in having the different colour photodetectors one behind the other rather than side by side as in a Bayer mosaic. See the second quote in the news item.
Jens
5 months ago |No the proposal 20110310282 is not foveon-like. It ist not based on a technology built of different layers. The intention is to perform “global exposure [..] in which all the pixels start exposure at the same time and finish the exposure at the same time. The “global exposure” is performed by simultaneously driving all the pixels through an electrical control without using the mechanical shutter”
See also #0027-0031 and #0115, 116 and 149 of the proposal.
However, although it is based on a CMOS-Sensor (#0115., 0116, 0133), it can be combined with a foveon-like technology (#0012, 0169). But this is not the core meaning of the statement/proposal.
Jesse Lim
5 months ago |With this sensor technology, DSLR body is going to be almost 90% digital and 10% mechanical~ XD
Don Cox
5 months ago |Fewer moving parts is always good.
Jesse Lim
5 months ago |Definitely~ XD
Vlad
5 months ago |Unless they start taking out dials and buttons
totalreader
5 months ago |Hurrahhhh!!!
Foveon-like Sony sensor is commin!!!
let’s wait… until 2037
WTH
5 months ago |Thank you Sony!!!!
I really like the X3 Sensor, just need some sort of phase detection on sensor and some cool tech to handle low light and the market is yours for the picking.
Walt
5 months ago |One should also consider if Sony is just filing these patents to preclude someone else doing it that way. Seem pretty vague in their descriptions, ideas, not products they have tested by the look of it.
Remember, Sony is the one that killed themselves on Beta video by not allowing anyone else to use it. So everyone else just went around them.
Don Cox
5 months ago |Patents are always a bit vague in their description. The idea is to block the other guy from making the same device, while also being unhelpful about exactly how it works.
Guest #2342
5 months ago |I believe in whatever Sony says. Remember when they said no Live View until they get it right? They came up with Live View + PDAF. No video? Bamm, 60p full HD.
Global electronic shutter? by 2013, mechanical shutter will be just an optional feature.