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US 6,606,122 B1Granted
Single chip camera active pixel sensor
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsTimothy Shaw, Bedabrata Pain, Brita Olson, Robert H. Nixon, Eric R. Fossum, Roger A. Panicacci, Barmak Mansoorian
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A totally digital single chip camera includes communications to operate most of its structure in serial communication mode. The digital single chip camera include a D/A converter for converting an input digital word into an analog reference signal. The chip includes all of the necessary circuitry for operating the chip using a single pin.
Claims6
A single-chip camera apparatus, comprising:
- a substrate, having integrated thereon a sensor array of photosensitive elements;
- an A to D converter circuit, operating to convert outputs of said sensor array to a digital value;
- timing and control and support circuitry, including a serial communication network,
- said substrate including an external periphery with a plurality of sides, including connection pins extending from said periphery to circuitry inside said periphery, said chip being capable of operation with only power, ground, serial, clock, and output pins, wherein all of said necessary pins are located on one of said sides of said periphery, wherein said support circuitry includes an analog reference voltage associated therewith, wherein a digital word is input to said input pin indicating said analog reference, and said support circuitry includes a digital-to-analog converter, located on said substrate, for producing said analog reference.
1 more element
A totally digital single-chip camera apparatus, comprising:
- a substrate, having integrated thereon a sensor array of photosensitive elements;
- an A to D converter circuit, on said substrate, operating to convert outputs of said sensor array to a digital value as an output;
- and
- timing and control and support circuitry, on said substrate, including a serial communication network, receiving digital values as input,
- wherein at least one circuit on said substrate includes an analog reference voltage associated therewith, wherein a digital word is input indicating said analog reference, and said support circuitry includes a digital-to-analog converter, on said substrate chip, for producing said analog reference based on said digital word.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.