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US 10,122,952 B2Granted
Anti-eclipse circuitry with tracking of floating diffusion reset level
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorEspen A. Olsen
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Abstract
Imagers and associated devices and systems are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an imager includes a pixel array and control circuitry operably coupled to the pixel array. The pixel array includes an imaging pixel configured to produce a reset signal and a non-imaging pixel configured to produce a nominal reset signal. The control circuitry is configured to produce an output signal based at least in part on one of (a) the nominal reset signal when distortion at the imaging pixel exceeds a threshold and (b) the reset signal when distortion does not exceed the threshold.
Claims11
An imager, comprising:
- a pixel array including a plurality of imaging pixels, a first non-imaging pixel configured to produce a first nominal reset signal, and a second non-imaging pixel configured to produce a second nominal reset signal having a different signal level than the first nominal reset signal, wherein the imaging pixels and the first and second non-imaging pixels are formed in a common semiconductor substrate, and wherein the first and second nominal reset signals have different signals levels;
- control circuitry operably coupled to the pixel array and configured to—
- output image signals based on reset signals produced by corresponding ones of the imaging pixels,
- adjust a signal level of a reset signal of one of the imaging pixels proximate the first-non-imaging pixel based at least in part on the first nominal reset signal, and
- adjust a signal level of a reset signal of another one of the imaging pixels proximate the second-non-imaging pixel based at least in part on the second nominal reset signal.
2 more elements
An imager, comprising:
- a pixel array including an imaging pixel having a first floating diffusion node, and a dark pixel having a second floating diffusion node, wherein each of the imaging and the dark pixels includes a light sensitive element and a transfer transistor switchably coupling the light-sensitive element to the corresponding floating diffusion node of the imaging pixel and the dark pixel;
- and
- control circuitry operably coupled to the first and second floating diffusion nodes and configured to produce an output signal based at least in part on—
- charge stored at the first floating diffusion node, and
- charge stored at the second floating diffusion node during an eclipse condition at the first floating diffusion node.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.