# US 10,455,178 B2 · Optical sensor device and method for operating a time-of-flight sensor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,455,178 B2 - Document ID: US10455178B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/472,340 - Filed: 2017-03-29 - Published: 2017-11-16 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-13 - Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG - Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG - Inventors: Henning Feick - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10455178B2 ## CPC - G01S 7/4914: of detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates - H04N 25/767: Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers - G01S 17/00: Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems - G01S 17/894: Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar - H04N 25/77: Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components - H04N 25/778: comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself - H10F 39/80373: {characterised by the gate of the transistor} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract An optical sensor device, which may be a time-of-flight sensor, comprises a pixel array having a plurality of pixels. Moreover, the optical sensor device comprises a read-out node configured to provide photo-generated charge carriers from a first pixel and a second pixel for read-out and a first transfer gate configured to enable a read-out of the first pixel using the read-out node and a second transfer gate to disable a read-out of the second pixel during read-out of the first pixel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical sensor device, comprising: a pixel array having at least three pixels; a first read-out node configured to provide first photo-generated charge carriers from the at least three pixels for read-out; a second read-out node configured to provide second photo-generated charge carriers successively from one or more of the at least three pixels for read-out; a first transfer gate configured to enable a read-out of a first pixel, of the at least three pixels, using the first read-out node; a second transfer gate configured to disable a read-out of a second pixel, of the at least three pixels, via the first read-out node during the read-out of the first pixel; a third transfer gate configured to disable a read-out of a third pixel, of the at least three pixels, via the first read-out node during the read-out of the first pixel; and a controller configured to control the first transfer gate, the second transfer gate, and the third transfer gate to perform a successive read-out of the at least three pixels, the optical sensor device being a time-of-flight sensor, and each remaining pixel, of the at least three pixels, being disabled for read-out via the first read-out node when one of the at least three pixels is enabled for read-out via the first read-out node. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor device is further configured to: conduct a phase sensitive demodulation of the first photo-generated charge carriers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein the first transfer gate is further configured to: provide the first photo-generated charge carriers from a storage region of the first pixel to the first read-out node based on the first pixel being in a read-out mode; and disable a transfer of the first photo-generated charge carriers from the storage region of the first pixel to the first read-out node based on the first pixel being in a sensing mode, the storage region of the first pixel being configured to store the first photo-generated charge carriers of the first pixel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein the second transfer gate is further configured to: provide the first photo-generated charge carriers from a storage region of the second pixel to the first read-out node based on the second pixel being in a read-out mode; and disable a transfer of the first photo-generated charge carriers from the storage region of the second pixel to the first read-out node based on the second pixel being in a sensing mode, the storage region of the second pixel being configured to store the first photo-generated charge carriers of the second pixel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein the first read-out node is further configured to: provide the first photo-generated charge carriers from a first storage region of the first pixel; and provide the first photo-generated charge carriers from a second storage region of the first pixel, the second storage region being configured to store the first photo-generated charge carriers derived from an electromagnetic signal having a first phase, and the first storage region being configured to store the first photo-generated charge carriers derived from the electromagnetic signal having a second phase. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein the one of the at least three pixels further comprises: a control electrode configured to: provide an electrical field into a conversion region of the optical sensor device such that an electromagnetic signal having a particular phase is converted into the first photo-generated charge carriers, and provide the first photo-generated charge carriers to a storage region. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The optical sensor device of claim 6, wherein the control electrode is a first control electrode; wherein the electrical field is a first electrical field; wherein the particular phase is a first phase; wherein the storage region is a first storage region; and wherein the one of the at least three pixels further comprises: a second control electrode configured to: provide a second electrical field into a conversion region of the optical sensor device such that an electromagnetic signal having a second phase is converted into the second photo-generated charge carriers, and provide the second photo-generated charge carriers to a second storage region. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: control a read-out of the one or more of the at least three pixels through the second read-out node. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: control the first transfer gate such that the first transfer gate obtains a first electric potential based on the first pixel being in a read-out mode, and control the first transfer gate such that the first transfer gate obtains a second electric potential based on the first pixel being in a sensing mode, the first electric potential being different from the second electric potential. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: control transfer gates of the at least three pixels such that a transfer of the first photo-generated charge carriers to the first read-out node is disabled for each remaining pixel, of the at least three pixels, based on the transfer of the first photo-generated charge carriers to the first read-out node being enabled for the one of the at least three pixels. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein each of the at least three pixels include transfer gates. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, further comprising: a control electrode arranged at least partly covering a storage gate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein each remaining pixel, of the at least three pixels, are in a sensing mode when the one of the at least three pixels is enabled for read-out. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The optical sensor device of claim 1, wherein the first transfer gate is further configured to: provide the second photo-generated charge carriers from a storage region of the first pixel to the second read-out node based on the first pixel being in a read-out mode; and disable a transfer of the second photo-generated charge carriers from the storage region of the first pixel to the second read-out node based on the first pixel being in a sensing mode, the storage region of the first pixel being configured to store the second photo-generated charge carriers of the first pixel. ### Claim 15 A method for operating a time-of-flight sensor, comprising: providing, by a device via a first read-out node, first photo-generated charge carriers from a plurality of pixels for read-out, the plurality of pixels including at least three pixels; providing, by the device via a second read-out node, second photo-generated charge carriers successively from one or more of the plurality of pixels for read-out; enabling, by a first transfer gate of the device, a read-out of a first pixel, of the plurality of pixels, using the first read-out node; disabling, by a second transfer gate of the device, a read-out of a second pixel, of the plurality of pixels, via the first read-out node during the read-out of the first pixel; disabling, by a third transfer gate of the device, a read-out of a third pixel, of the plurality of pixels, via the first read-out node during the read-out of the first pixel; and controlling, by the device, the first transfer gate, the second transfer gate, and the third transfer gate to perform a successive read-out of the plurality of pixels, each remaining pixel, of the plurality of pixels, being disabled for read-out via the first read-out node when one of the plurality of pixels is enabled for read-out via the first read-out node. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: conducting a phase sensitive demodulation of the first photo-generated charge carriers. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: providing the first photo-generated charge carriers from a storage region of the first pixel to the first read-out node based on the first pixel being in a read-out mode; and disabling a transfer of the first photo-generated charge carriers from the storage region of the first pixel to the first read-out node based on the first pixel being in a sensing mode, the storage region of the first pixel being configured to store the first photo-generated charge carriers of the first pixel. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: providing the second photo-generated charge carriers from a storage region of the second pixel to the second read-out node based on the second pixel being in a read-out mode; and disabling a transfer of the second photo-generated charge carriers from the storage region of the second pixel to the second read-out node based on the second pixel being in a sensing mode, the storage region of the second pixel being configured to store the second photo-generated charge carriers of the second pixel. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: providing an electrical field into a conversion region of the device such that an electromagnetic signal having a particular phase is converted into the first photo-generated charge carriers, and providing the first photo-generated charge carriers to a storage region. ### Claim 20 An optical sensor device, comprising: a pixel array having at least three pixels; a first read-out node configured to provide first photo-generated charge carriers from the at least three pixels for read-out; a second read-out node configured to provide second photo-generated charge carriers from the at least three pixels for read-out, the second photo-generated charge carriers being different from first the photo-generated charge carriers, each pixel, of the at least three pixels, comprising a first transfer gate configured to provide the first photo-generated charge carriers from a first storage region of each of the at least three pixels to the first read-out node, each pixel, of the at least three pixels, comprising a second transfer gate configured to provide the second photo-generated charge carriers from a second storage region of each of the at least three pixels to the second read-out node, the first storage region being configured to store the first photo-generated charge carriers derived from an electromagnetic signal having a first phase, and the second storage region being configured to store the second photo-generated charge carriers derived from the electromagnetic signal having a second phase; and a controller configured to control transfer gates of the at least three pixels connected to the first read-out node such that when one of the at least three pixels connected to the first read-out node is enabled for read-out, remaining pixels, of the at least three pixels, connected to the first read-out node are disabled for read-out to perform a successive read-out of the at least three pixels connected to the first read-out node.