US 2022/0286640 A1 · SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MITIGATING GLOBAL EVENT POWER SURGE IN IMAGE SENSORS

Abstract

An image sensor may include a pixel array, row control circuitry, and column readout circuitry. The row control circuitry may operate the pixel array in a global shutter mode of operation. In particular, timing control circuitry may provide global timing clock signals associated with a global photodiode reset event and a global photodiode charge transfer event to row driver circuitry providing control signals to each row in the array. Each driver circuitry may include a time delay circuit that delays the global timing clock signal by different amounts across the rows. Therefore, these global events may be offset on a per-row or per-row group basis, thereby mitigating power surges associated with global events. Further, by offsetting the global photodiode reset and charge transfer events using the same delay for a given row, the same global integration time may be preserved across different rows.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An image sensor comprising:

an image sensor pixel array;
and
row control circuitry coupled to the image sensor pixel array, the row control circuitry including:
a first control signal driver circuit coupled to a pixel row in the image sensor pixel array;
a second control signal driver circuit coupled to the pixel row;
timing control circuitry coupled to the first and second control signal driver circuits;
and
a time delay circuit coupled between the first control signal driver circuit and the timing control circuitry and coupled between the second control signal driver circuit and the timing control circuitry.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems and methods for mitigating global event power surge in image sensors

Life of this patent

Systems and methods for mitigating global event power surge in image sensors

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20