US 2019/0379844 A1Published application

Pixel cell with multiple photodiodes

AssigneeFacebook Technologies, LLC

InventorsSong CHEN, Xinqiao LIU

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Abstract

In one example, a method comprises: transmitting a first signal to transfer a first portion of a first charge from a first photodiode to a first charge sensing unit to obtain a first measurement result and transmitting a second signal to transfer a second portion of the first charge from the first photodiode to a second charge sensing unit to obtain a second measurement result. The timing of transmission of the first signal and the second signal are based on the indirect time-of-flight measurement operation. The method further comprises performing the indirect time-of-flight measurement operation based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result; transmitting a third signal to transfer a second charge from a second photodiode to the second charge sensing unit via the first photodiode to obtain a third measurement result; and performing a 2D sensing operation based on the third measurement result.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a first photodiode;
a second photodiode;
a first charge sensing unit;
a second charge sensing unit;
a first polysilicon gate;
a second polysilicon gate;
and
a controller configured to:
enable the first photodiode to generate a first charge;
enable the second photodiode to generate a second charge;
transmit, via the first polysilicon gate, a first signal to transfer a first portion of the first charge from the first photodiode to the first charge sensing unit to obtain a first measurement result, a timing of transmission of the first signal being based on an indirect time-of-flight measurement operation;
transmit, via the second polysilicon gate, a second signal to transfer a second portion of the first charge from the first photodiode to the second charge sensing unit to obtain a second measurement result, a timing of transmission of the second signal being based on the indirect time-of-flight measurement operation;
perform the indirect time-of-flight measurement operation based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result;
transmit, via the second polysilicon gate, a third signal to transfer the second charge from the second photodiode to the second charge sensing unit via the first photodiode to obtain a third measurement result;
and
perform a 2D sensing operation based on the third measurement result.

13 more elements

A method comprising:

enabling a first photodiode to generate a first charge;
enabling a second photodiode to generate a second charge;
transmitting a first signal to transfer a first portion of the first charge from the first photodiode to a first charge sensing unit to obtain a first measurement result, a timing of transmission of the first signal being based on an indirect time-of-flight measurement operation;
transmitting a second signal to transfer a second portion of the first charge from the first photodiode to a second charge sensing unit to obtain a second measurement result, a timing of transmission of the second signal being based on the indirect time-of-flight measurement operation;
performing the indirect time-of-flight measurement operation based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result;
transmitting a third signal to transfer the second charge from the second photodiode to the second charge sensing unit via the first photodiode to obtain a third measurement result;
and
performing a 2D sensing operation based on the third measurement result.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/436,049Filed 10 Jun 2019
Priority: 11 Jun 2018
Published: 12 Dec 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

H04N 25/70
Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof: sSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
H10F 39/1847
Infrared image sensors: multispectral infrared image sensors having a stacked structure, e.g. NPN, NPNPN or multiple quantum well [MQW] structures
H04N 25/705
SSIS architectures incorporating pixels for producing signals other than image signals: pixels for depth measurement, e.g. RGBZ
H04N 25/77
Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors: pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components

Family

Application62/683,573Us provisional application · filed 11 Jun 2018
US 11,089,241 B2Related patent
US 2019/0379844 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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