# US 2024/0201338 A1 · Photodetection device and distance measurement system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2024/0201338 A1 - Document ID: US20240201338A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/555,485 - Filed: 2022-03-02 - Published: 2024-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-04 - Assignees: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Applicants: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Inventors: Shuhei Otsuki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20240201338A1 ## CPC - G01S 7/4816: {of receivers alone} - G01S 7/4863: Detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates - G01S 7/4865: Time delay measurement, e.g. time-of-flight measurement, time of arrival measurement or determining the exact position of a peak (peak detection in noise, signal conditioning G01S7/487) - G01S 7/497: Means for monitoring or calibrating - G01S 17/10: using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32) - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - H04N 25/683: by defect estimation performed on the scene signal, e.g. real time or on the fly detection - H04N 25/705: Pixels for depth measurement, e.g. RGBZ - H04N 25/79: Arrangements of circuitry being divided between different or multiple substrates, chips or circuit boards, e.g. stacked image sensors - G01J 1/0228: {Control of working procedures; Failure detection; Spectral bandwidth calculation} - G01J 2001/442: {Single-photon detection or photon counting} - G01J 2001/4466: {Avalanche} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) ## Abstract There is provided a photodetection device that includes: a light reception unit (502) that includes a pixel array unit (510) including a plurality of light reception elements (512) aligned in a matrix; a control signal generation unit (576) that generates a control signal; a control unit (570) that is electrically connected with the light reception unit via a control line and controls the light reception unit based on the control signal; a processing unit (530) that is electrically connected with the light reception unit via a signal line and processes an output signal from the light reception unit; and a failure determination unit (534) that detects a failure, and the failure determination unit detects a failure of the control line from the output signal from the light reception unit controlled based on a failure detection control signal having a predetermined pattern. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A photodetection device comprising: a light reception unit that includes a pixel array unit including a plurality of light reception elements aligned in a matrix; a control signal generation unit that generates a control signal; a control unit that is electrically connected with the light reception unit via a control line and controls the light reception unit based on the control signal; a processing unit that is electrically connected with the light reception unit via a signal line and processes an output signal from the light reception unit; and a failure determination unit that detects a failure, wherein the failure determination unit detects a failure of the control line from the output signal from the light reception unit controlled based on a failure detection control signal having a predetermined pattern. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The photodetection device according to claim 1, wherein the light reception element includes an avalanche photodiode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The photodetection device according to claim 1, wherein the light reception unit includes a driving switch that is provided for each of the light reception elements and drives the light reception element, an output switch that is provided for each of the light reception elements and controls output of an output signal from the light reception element, and a logical add circuit that provides an output according to the output signal from each of the light reception elements and an output signal from another light reception element. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The photodetection device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit includes a horizontal control unit that controls the light reception elements in units of columns, and a vertical control unit that controls the light reception elements in units of rows. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The photodetection device according to claim 4, wherein the control line includes a first control line that electrically connects the vertical control unit and the driving switch, a second control line that electrically connects the vertical control unit and the output switch, a third control line that electrically connects the horizontal control unit and the driving switch, a fourth control line that electrically connects the horizontal control unit and the output switch, and a fifth control line that electrically connects the vertical control unit and the logical add circuit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The photodetection device according to claim 5, wherein the processing unit includes a downsampling circuit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The photodetection device according to claim 6, wherein the control signal generation unit outputs the failure detection control signal while a frame synchronization signal is inactive. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The photodetection device according to claim 7, wherein a processing unit failure detection signal for detecting a failure of the processing unit, and a control line failure detection signal for detecting the failure of the control line are included in order in the failure detection control signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The photodetection device according to claim 8, wherein, before or after the control line failure detection signal, a light reception unit failure detection signal for detecting a failure of the light reception unit is included in the failure detection control signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The photodetection device according to claim 9, wherein the control line failure detection signal includes a first signal for detecting a failure of the fifth control line. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The photodetection device according to claim 10, wherein the control line failure detection signal includes a second signal for detecting failures of the second and fourth control lines. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The photodetection device according to claim 11, wherein the control line failure detection signal includes a third signal for detecting failures of the first and third control lines. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The photodetection device according to claim 12, wherein the control line failure detection signal includes a fourth signal for detecting a failure of the downsampling circuit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The photodetection device according to claim 13, wherein the control line failure detection signal includes each of the first signal, the second signal, the third signal, and the fourth signal in order. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The photodetection device according to claim 1, wherein the failure determination unit outputs a predetermined signal to an output terminal or a host computer when a failure is detected. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The photodetection device according to claim 1, wherein photodetection device is formed by a first substrate on which the pixel array unit is provided, and a second substrate that is stacked on the first substrate and provided with the control unit, the processing unit, and the failure determination unit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The photodetection device according to claim 16, wherein the control line is provided on the second substrate. ### Claim 18 A distance measurement system comprising: a lighting device that emits irradiation light; and a photodetection device that receives reflected light obtained when the irradiation light is reflected by a subject, wherein the photodetection device includes: a light reception unit that includes a pixel array unit including a plurality of light reception elements aligned in a matrix; a control signal generation unit that generates a control signal; a control unit that is electrically connected with the light reception unit via a control line and controls the light reception unit based on the control signal; a processing unit that is electrically connected with the light reception unit via a signal line and processes an output signal from the light reception unit; and a failure determination unit that detects a failure, and the failure determination unit detects a failure of the control line from the output signal from the light reception unit controlled based on a failure detection control signal having a predetermined pattern.