# US 11,122,259 B2 · Image sensor with voltage buffer for self-test

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- Number: US 11,122,259 B2
- Document ID: US11122259B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/793,345
- Filed: 2020-02-18
- Published: 2021-08-19
- Granted: 2021-09-14
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-18
- Assignees: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
- Applicants: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Zhiyong Zhan; Tongtong Yu; Xin Wang; Liang Zuo; Kenny Geng
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122259B2

## CPC

- H04N 17/002: {for television cameras}
- G01R 31/56: Testing of electric apparatus (testing of transformers G01R31/62; testing of connections G01R31/66)
- H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters
- G01R 31/2829: {Testing of circuits in sensor or actuator systems (testing of apparatus for measuring electric or magnetic variables G01R35/00; testing of indicating or recording apparatus G01D; in airbag systems B60R21/0173; checking gas analysers G01N33/007; monitoring or fail-safe circuits for electromagnets H01F7/1844)}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)

## Abstract

A test voltage sample and hold circuitry is disclosed in a readout circuitry of an image sensor. This circuitry samples a voltage at demand value based on a ramp voltage shared by the ADC comparators of the readout circuitry. The value of the sampled voltage is controlled by a control circuitry which is able to predict and calculate at what time a ramp generator may carry the demand voltage value. The sampled voltage is held by a hold capacitor during readout of one row and is accessed during the next row by the control circuitry as test data to drive a device under test (DUT) which may be any portion of the image sensor to be tested. Measured data out of the DUT is compared with expected data. Based on the result of the comparison, a signal indicates the pass or fail of the self-test concludes a self-test of the DUT.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A voltage buffer for self-test in an image sensor, comprising:
a ramp voltage supply line, wherein the ramp voltage supply line is driven by a ramp generator;
a first sample and hold (SH) switch, wherein a first terminal of the first SH switch is coupled to the ramp voltage supply line, and wherein a second terminal of the first SH switch is coupled to a control circuitry;
a first voltage hold capacitor coupled between the second terminal of the first SH switch and a circuit ground;
an input buffer coupled between the ramp voltage supply line and the first terminal of the first SH switch; and
an output buffer coupled between the second terminal of the first SH switch and the control circuitry, wherein the input buffer and the output buffer are source followers or operational amplifiers with unity gain.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The voltage buffer of claim 1, wherein the first SH switch is controlled by the control circuitry.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The voltage buffer of of claim 1, further comprising:
a second sample and hold (SH) switch, wherein a first terminal of the second SH switch is coupled to the first terminal of the first SH switch, and wherein a second terminal of the second SH switch is coupled to the control circuitry;
a second voltage hold capacitor coupled between the second terminal of the second SH switch and the circuit ground;
a first selection switch, wherein a first terminal of the first selection switch is coupled to the second terminal of the first SH switch, and wherein a second terminal of the first selection switch is coupled to the control circuitry; and
a second selection switch, wherein a first terminal of the second selection switch is coupled to the second terminal of the second SH switch, and wherein a second terminal of the second selection switch is coupled to the control circuitry.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The voltage buffer of claim 3, wherein the first SH switch, the second SH switch, the first selection switch, and the second selection switch are controlled by the control circuitry.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The voltage buffer of of claim 3, further comprises an output buffer coupled between the second terminal of the first selection switch and the control circuitry, wherein the second terminal of the second selection switch connects to the second terminal of the first selection switch.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The voltage buffer of of claim 5, wherein the input buffer and the output buffer are source followers.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The voltage buffer of of claim 5, wherein the input buffer and the output buffer are operational amplifiers with unity gain.

### Claim 8

A method of self-testing a device under test (DUT) in alternate rows, comprising:
driving a short voltage pulse to turn a sample and hold (SH) switch on and off to sample a test voltage with a demanded value provided by a ramp voltage supply line and holding the test voltage to a voltage hold capacitor during a readout period of a current row j, wherein j is an integer;
providing the test voltage from the voltage hold capacitor to a control circuitry during a readout period of a next row j+1;
injecting a driving voltage from the control circuitry to an injecting input of the DUT based on the test voltage;
if the row j+1 of the image frame has reached the last row of the subject image frame, comparing measured image values from the DUT with expected values and providing a concluding signal to indicate a pass or fail status to end the self-test; and
if the row j+1 is not the last row of a subject image frame, advancing a next row to be row j+2 and continuing to issue the short voltage pulse to turn the SH switch on and off to sample a test voltage.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of self-testing of claim 8, wherein comparing the measured image values from the DUT with expected values takes place in a function logic.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of self-testing of claim 8, wherein the short voltage pulse to turn the SH switch on and off is generated by the control circuitry when the ramp voltage supply line reaches the demanded voltage value to be sampled and held as the test voltage.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of self-testing of claim 8, wherein the control circuitry issues a test enable signal to allow the driving voltage to be injected to the injecting input of the DUT through a 2-to-1 mux.

### Claim 12

A method of self-testing a device under test (DUT) in all rows, comprising:
issuing a first short voltage pulse to turn a first sample and hold (SH) switch on and off to sample a first test voltage with a demanded value provided by a ramp voltage supply line and holding the first test voltage to a first voltage hold capacitor during a readout period of a current row j, wherein j is an integer;
providing a second test voltage from a second voltage hold capacitor to a control circuitry;
injecting a first driving voltage from the control circuitry to an injecting input of the DUT based on the second test voltage;
advancing the readout period from the row j to a row j+1;
issuing a second short voltage pulse to turn a second SH switch on and off to sample a second test voltage with a demanded value provided by a ramp voltage supply line and holding the second test voltage to a second voltage hold capacitor;
providing a first test voltage from a first voltage hold capacitor to the control circuitry; and
injecting a second driving voltage from the control circuitry to the injecting input of the DUT based on the first test voltage.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of self-testing of claim 12, further comprising:
determining whether the row j+1 is the last row of a subject image frame;
if the row j+1 of the image frame has reached the last row of the subject image frame, comparing measured image values from the DUT with expected values and providing a concluding signal to indicate a pass or fail status to end the self-test; and
if the row j+1 of the image frame is not the last row of a subject image frame, advancing a next row to be row j+2 and continuing to issue the first short voltage pulse to turn the first SH switch on and off to sample a first test voltage.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of self-testing all rows of claim 13, wherein comparing the measured image values with expected values takes place in a function logic.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of self-testing all rows of claim 12, wherein the first short voltage pulse to turn the first SH switch on and off is generated by the control circuitry when the ramp voltage supply line reaches the demanded voltage value to be sampled and held as the first test voltage, and wherein the second short voltage pulse to turn the second SH switch on and off is generated by the control circuitry when the ramp voltage supply line reaches the demanded voltage value to be sampled and held as the second test voltage.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method of self-testing all rows of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry issues a test enable signal to allow the driving voltage to be injected to the injecting input of the DUT through a 2-to-1 mux.

### Claim 17

A self-test image sensing system, comprising:
a pixel array including a plurality of pixels;
a control circuitry coupled to the pixel array to control operation and test of the pixel array;
a readout circuitry controlled by the control circuitry and coupled to the pixel array through a plurality of bitlines to read out analog image data from the pixel array, wherein the readout circuitry comprises
a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) to convert analog image data to digital image data,
a ramp generator to generate a ramp voltage on a ramp voltage supply line that drives the plurality of ADCs,
a test voltage sample and hold circuitry, wherein the test voltage sample and hold circuitry comprises
a first sample and hold (SH) switch, wherein a first terminal of the first SH switch is coupled to the ramp voltage supply line, and wherein a second terminal of the first SH switch is coupled to the control circuitry;
a first voltage hold capacitor coupled between the second terminal of the first SH switch and a circuit ground; and
an input buffer coupled between the ramp voltage supply line and the first terminal of the first SH switch; and
a function logic coupled to receive digital image data from the readout circuitry and to receive expected data from the control circuitry.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The self-test image sensing system of claim 17, wherein the first SH switch is controlled by the control circuitry.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The self-test image sensing system of claim 17, further comprises an output buffer coupled between the second terminal of the first SH switch and the control circuitry.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The self-test image sensing system of claim 17, wherein the input buffer and the output buffer are source followers.

### Claim 21 (depends on 17)

The self-test image sensing system of claim 17, wherein the input buffer and the output buffer are operational amplifiers with unity gain.

### Claim 22 (depends on 17)

The self-test image sensing system of claim 17, further comprising:
a second sample and hold (SH) switch, wherein a first terminal of the second SH switch is coupled to the first terminal of the first SH switch, and wherein a second terminal of the second SH switch is coupled to the control circuitry;
a second voltage hold capacitor coupled between the second terminal of the second SH switch and the circuit ground;
a first selection switch, wherein a first terminal of the first selection switch is coupled to the second terminal of the first SH switch, and wherein a second terminal of the first selection switch is coupled to the control circuitry; and
a second selection switch, wherein a first terminal of the second selection switch is coupled to the second terminal of the second SH switch, and wherein a second terminal of the second selection switch is coupled to the control circuitry.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The self-test image sensing system of claim 22, wherein the first SH switch, the second SH switch, the first selection switch, and the second selection switch are controlled by the control circuitry.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The self-test image sensing system of claim 22, further comprises an output buffer coupled between the second terminal of the first selection switch and the control circuitry, wherein the second terminal of the second selection switch connects to the second terminal of the first selection switch.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The self-test image sensing system of claim 24, wherein the input buffer and the output buffer are source followers.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The self-test image sensing system of claim 24, wherein the input buffer and the output buffer are operational amplifiers with unity gain.