Analog front end (AFE) device for light-receiving sensor and method of controlling the same
AssigneeSolidvue, Inc.
InventorsHyeong Seok Seo, Jun Hee Cho
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided are an analog front end (AFE) device for a light-receiving sensor and a method of controlling the AFE device. The AFE device includes a plurality of first signal processors implemented with a n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) and a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) on a substrate and configured to output detection signals of photo-detecting devices, and a plurality of second signal processors arranged in a position where the plurality of second signal processors are spaced apart from the plurality of first signal processor, on the substrate and configured to control a dead time of the light-receiving devices.
Claims11
An analog front end (AFE) device comprising:
- a first signal processor implemented using only one type of a n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) or a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) on a substrate and configured to output a detection signal of a photo-detecting device;
- and
- a second signal processor disposed in a position where the second signal processor is spaced apart from the first signal processor, on the substrate and configured to control a dead time of the photo-detecting device,
- wherein the first signal processor is disposed on a pixel-by-pixel basis one-to-one mapping with the photo-detecting device,
- each of the second signal processors is arranged outside an array of the photo-detecting devices, and is connected to a plurality of the first signal processors arranged in each column or each row of the array of the photo-detecting devices,
- wherein each of the first signal processors comprises:
- a signal detector configured to detect and output a voltage of an output terminal of the photo-detecting device;
- and
- a recharge unit configured to drop the voltage of the output terminal of the photo-detecting device in response to a control signal received from the second signal processor after the detection signal is output and to convert the photo-detecting device into an operable state.
An analog front end (AFE) device comprising:
- a first signal processor implemented using only one type of a n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) or a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) on a substrate and configured to output a detection signal of a photo-detecting device;
- a second signal processor disposed in a position where the second signal processor is spaced apart from the first signal processor, on the substrate and configured to control a dead time of the photo-detecting device;
- a signal detector configured to detect and output a voltage of an output terminal of the photo-detecting device;
- and
- a recharge unit configured to drop the voltage of the output terminal of the photo-detecting device in response to a control signal received from the second signal processor after the detection signal is output and to convert the photo-detecting device into an operable state,
- wherein the signal detector is disposed on a pixel-by-pixel basis one-to-one mapping with the photo-detecting device, and the recharge unit is commonly disposed on a column-by-column basis or on a row-by-row basis in an array of photo-detecting devices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.