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US 2020/0221040 A1Published application
Global Shutter in Pixel Frame Memory
AssigneeInsightness AG
InventorsRaphael Berner, Christian Brändli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an image sensor, some pixels in an array contain a sampling circuit to sample the light intensity and a capacitor to store an analog value representing the intensity at that pixel. Alternatively, a group of pixel circuits will be equipped with such sampling and capacitor circuits. This allows simple redundancy-reducing computations with a relatively simple pixel architecture.
Claims19
A sensor comprising,
- one or more pixels, each of the one or more pixels comprising:
- a photodiode which can convert light which is incident on the photodiode into an output, a capacitor having a first and second terminal, and a sampling circuit which is provided between the photodiode and the first terminal of the capacitor and which is configured such that it can be selectively operated to, electronically connect the first terminal of the capacitor to the output of the photodiode, or, to provide an open circuit between the first terminal of the capacitor and the output of the photodiode, a reset circuit which is configured such that it can be selectively operated to, electronically connect the second terminal of the capacitor to a first voltage source which can provide a predefined reference voltage, or, to provide an open circuit between the second terminal of the capacitor and said first voltage source.
A sensing method, comprising,
- converting light into an electrical output;
- connecting the output to a first terminal of a capacitor;
- disconnecting the output from the first terminal of the capacitor to provide an open circuit between the first terminal of the capacitor and the output;
- and
- selectively resetting a second terminal of the capacitor to a predefined reference voltage.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.