# US 11,115,613 B2 · Readout arrangement for an image sensor, image sensor system and method for reading out an image sensor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,115,613 B2 - Document ID: US11115613B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/515,418 - Filed: 2019-07-18 - Published: 2019-11-07 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2017-01-18 - Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. - Applicants: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. - Inventors: Jens Doege - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115613B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/445: by skipping some contiguous pixels within the read portion of the array - H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters - H04N 25/00: Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof - H04N 25/47: Image sensors with pixel address output; Event-driven image sensors; Selection of pixels to be read out based on image data - H04N 25/61: the noise originating only from the lens unit, e.g. flare, shading, vignetting or "cos4" - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A readout arrangement for an image sensor is configured to receive from a plurality of column leads of the image sensor in parallel a plurality of image sensor analog signals describing in an analog manner brightness values detected by the image sensor. The readout arrangement is configured to select which subset of a plurality of analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or based on the image sensor analog signals is to be stored in an analog memory for further processing, and to cause storage of the selected analog values in the analog memory, or to store the selected analog values in the analog memory. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A readout arrangement for an image sensor, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to receive from a plurality of column leads of the image sensor in parallel a plurality of image sensor analog signals describing in an analog manner brightness values detected by the image sensor, and wherein the readout arrangement is configured to select which subset of a plurality of analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or based on the image sensor analog signals is to be stored in an analog memory for further processing, and to cause storage of the selected analog values in the analog memory, or to store the selected analog values in the analog memory, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, based on an evaluation of the image sensor analog signals, decide which subset of a plurality of analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or based on the image sensor analog signals is to be stored in the analog memory for further processing. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to detect if a course of an image sensor analog signal belonging to a respective image column comprises across a plurality of image rows a course that fulfils a specified condition, and wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, in response to detecting that a course of an image sensor analog signal belonging to a respective image column comprises across a plurality of image rows a course that fulfills a specified condition, cause storage of analog values describing the course in the analog memory. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to perform analog preprocessing of the image sensor analog signals in order to acquire preprocessed signals, and wherein the readout arrangement is configured to select analog values, which are represented by the preprocessed signals, based on the image sensor analog signals for storage in the analog memory. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, in response to an image sensor analog signal or a signal based on an image sensor analog signal passing a specified threshold value in a first direction and/or in a second direction, decide that an analog value represented by the respective image sensor analog signal or based on the respective image sensor analog signal is to be stored in the analog memory for further processing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The readout arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, upon passing the specified threshold value, additionally store digital information carrying information as to which row of the image sensor is being read out when passing the specified threshold value has been detected. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to decide column-individually or separately for different columns or separately for different groups of columns whether an analog value represented by an image sensor analog signal of a respective column lead, or an analog value based on the image sensor analog signal of the respective column lead, is to be stored in the analog memory for further processing. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to acquire configuration information that separately determines for different columns from which image rows analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or analog values based on the image sensor analog signals are to be stored in the analog memory for further processing. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to cause storage of the analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or based on the image sensor analog signals without prior checking whether the analog values are to be acquired for further processing, and wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, if the readout arrangement determines that the analog value stored without prior checking is not to be stored for further processing, cause an overwrite of the analog values stored without prior checking. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to successively store successive analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or based on the image sensor analog signals in an analog memory region that is driven or configured as a ring buffer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The readout arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, in response to detecting that analog values stored in the ring buffer are to be stored for further processing, prevent overwriting. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The readout arrangement according to claim 10, wherein detecting that analog values stored in the ring buffer are to be stored for further processing is performed based on detecting a local or absolute maximum of a brightness value on the basis of an image sensor analog signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, in response to detecting that analog values are to be stored for further processing, store a fixed number of analog values for further processing, or wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, in response to detecting that analog values are to be stored for further processing, store depending on the analog values a variable number of analog values for further processing. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to selectively store analog values in the analog memory that fulfil a specified condition. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to store information describing which subset of the plurality of analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or based on the image sensor analog signals was stored in the analog memory for further processing. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to vary an assignment between an image column and columns of the analog memory in which analog values belonging to the image column are stored. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, upon storing in the analog memory, rearrange analog values, that are assigned to image points. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to store the analog values into the analog memory such that signals read out from the analog memory and the image sensor analog signals are compatible with respect to a signal level. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to perform analog arithmetic operations based on signals read out from the analog memory. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The readout arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to perform analog arithmetic operations in which image sensor analog signals and signals read out from the analog memory are combined. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) An image sensor system comprising: an image sensor; a readout arrangement according to claim 1; and an analog-to-digital converter; and a digital processer; wherein the analog-to-digital converter is configured to digitize analog values stored in the analog memory or analog values derived therefrom, and wherein the digital processer is configured to analyze image information based on digital signals provided by the analog-to-digital converter. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The image sensor system according to claim 20, wherein the analog-to-digital converter is configured to digitize the analog values stored in the analog memory or analog values derived therefrom in a separate readout process downstream of a readout of the image sensor. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The image sensor system according to claim 20, wherein the digital processer is configured to, based on the digital signals provided by the analog-to-digital converter, detect a position of a line in an image detected by the image sensor. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The image sensor system according to claim 20, wherein the digital processer is configured to evaluate information describing which subset of the plurality of analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or based on the image sensor analog signals was stored in the analog memory for further processing. ### Claim 24 (depends on 20) The image sensor system according to claim 20, wherein the image sensor system is configured to determine a position of a light line along a respective column of the image sensor for different columns of the image sensor. ### Claim 25 (depends on 20) The image sensor system according to claim 20, wherein the image sensor system is configured to selectively store analog values in the analog memory that are present upon a significant change of an image sensor analog signal or a signal based on an image sensor analog signal. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The image sensor system according to claim 25, wherein the image sensor system is configured to, based on the selectively stored analog values, perform an evaluation of a white light interferometry. ### Claim 27 A method for reading out an image sensor, wherein the method comprises parallelly receiving from a plurality of column leads of the image sensor a plurality of image sensor analog signals describing in an analog manner brightness values detected by the image sensor, and wherein the method comprises selecting which subset of a plurality of analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or based on the image sensor analog signals is stored in an analog memory for further processing, wherein, based on an evaluation of the image sensor analog signals, it is decided which subset of a plurality of analog values represented by the image sensor analog signals or based on the image sensor analog signals is to be stored in an analog memory for further processing; and wherein the method comprises storing the selected analog values in the analog memory. ### Claim 28 A readout arrangement for an image sensor, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to receive from a plurality of column leads of the image sensor in parallel a plurality of image sensor analog signals describing in an analog manner brightness values detected by the image sensor, and wherein the readout arrangement is configured to vary an assignment between an image column and columns of an analog memory in which analog values belonging to the image column are stored so that analog values belonging to an image column are stored in different memory columns of the analog memory, and such that analog values describing a line running diagonally across the image sensor are stored in a rectangular memory region of the analog memory. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The readout arrangement according to claim 28, wherein the readout arrangement is configured to, upon storing in the analog memory, rearrange analog values assigned to image points.