# US 12,002,247 B2 · Vision sensors, image processing devices including the vision sensors, and operating methods of the vision sensors > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,002,247 B2 - Document ID: US12002247B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/341,968 - Filed: 2023-06-27 - Published: 2023-10-19 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-26 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Jongseok Seo; Hyunku Lee; Heejae Jung - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12002247B2 ## CPC - G06V 10/147: Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses (fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19) - G06F 18/243: relating to the number of classes - G06T 5/70: Denoising; Smoothing - G06T 7/20: Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) - G06T 7/70: Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) - G06V 10/22: by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition - G06V 10/25: Determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI] - H04N 23/61: based on recognised objects - H04N 23/667: Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes - H04N 23/80: Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof - H04N 25/40: Extracting pixel data from image sensors by controlling scanning circuits, e.g. by modifying the number of pixels sampled or to be sampled - H04N 25/47: Image sensors with pixel address output; Event-driven image sensors; Selection of pixels to be read out based on image data - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A vision sensor includes a pixel array comprising pixels arranged in a matrix, an event detection circuit, an event rate controller, and an interface circuit. Each pixel is configured to generate an electrical signal in response to detecting a change in incident light intensity. The event detection circuit detects whether a change in incident light intensity has occurred at any pixels, based on processing electrical signals received from one or more pixels, and generates one or more event signals corresponding to one or more pixels at which a change in intensity of incident light is determined to have occurred. The event rate controller selects a selection of one or more event signals corresponding to a region of interest on the pixel array as one or more output event signals. The interface circuit communicates with an external processor to transmit the one or more output event signals to the external processor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vision sensor, comprising: a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, each pixel of the plurality of pixels configured to generate one or more electrical signals in response to a change in intensity of incident light; an event detection circuit configured to process one or more electrical signals received from the plurality of pixels, and generate event signals corresponding to the plurality of pixels, at which the change in intensity of the incident light is determined to have occurred; and an event rate controller configured to adjust an event detection threshold value based on illuminance information associated with an object or an external region including the object. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vision sensor of claim 1, wherein the vision sensor is configured to transmit a portion of the event signals to an external processor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vision sensor of claim 2, wherein the event detection circuit is configured to control the generation of the event signals or the transmission of the portion of the event signals when an amount of event signals exceed a threshold amount. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The vision sensor of claim 3, wherein the vision sensor is configured to transmit the portion of the event signals corresponding to a region of interest set on the pixel array to the external processor in packet units or frame units. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The vision sensor of claim 4, wherein each pixel of the plurality of pixels includes: a boosting circuit including a first transistor and a second transistor; and a photodiode connected to the boosting circuit, wherein a gate node of the first transistor is connected to a source node of the second transistor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vision sensor of claim 5, wherein the pixel further includes a converter circuit connected to a gate node of the second transistor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vision sensor of claim 6, wherein the pixel further comprising an amplification transistor connected to the gate node of the first transistor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vision sensor of claim 7, wherein the vision sensor transmits the event signals to a processor non-periodically. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The vision sensor of claim 7, wherein the vision sensor transmits the event signals to a processor periodically. ### Claim 10 A vision sensor, comprising: a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, each pixel of the plurality of pixels configured to generate one or more electrical signals in response to a change in intensity of incident light; and an event detection circuit configured to process one or more electrical signals received from the plurality of pixels, and generate event signals corresponding to the plurality of pixels, at which the change in intensity of the incident light is determined to have occurred, and control the generation of the event signals or transmission of the event signals when an amount of event signals exceed a threshold amount. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The vision sensor of claim 10, wherein the vision sensor is configured to transmit the event signals to a processor non-periodically. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vision sensor of claim 11, wherein the vision sensor is configured to transmit the event signals to the processor in packet units or frame units. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vision sensor of claim 12, wherein the pixel array is configured to be scanned in column units. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The vision sensor of claim 12, wherein the pixel array is configured to be scanned in row units. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The vision sensor of claim 12, wherein the vision sensor is configured to transmit a portion of the event signals to an external processor. ### Claim 16 A vision sensor, comprising: a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, each pixel of the plurality of pixels configured to generate one or more electrical signals in response to a change in intensity of incident light; an event detection circuit configured to process one or more electrical signals received from the plurality of pixels, and generate event signals corresponding to the plurality of pixels, at which the change in intensity of the incident light is determined to have occurred; and an event rate controller configured to adjust an event detection threshold value based on an amount of event signals. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The vision sensor of claim 16, wherein the vision sensor is configured to transmit the event signals to a processor non-periodically. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The vision sensor of claim 16, wherein the vision sensor is configured to transmit the event signals to a processor periodically. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The vision sensor of claim 17, wherein the vision sensor is configured to transmit the event signal to the processor in packet units or frame units.