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US 7,214,922 B2Granted
Semiconductor photosensor device and information apparatus with sensitivity region for wide dynamic range
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
InventorsYukiko Takiba, Hiroshi Suzunaga, Hideyuki Mori
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Abstract
A semiconductor photosensor device includes a plurality of photodiode sections, a switch, and an output section is provided. The plurality of photodiode sections have different illuminance-output characteristics. The switch selects any one of the plurality of photodiodes sections on the basis of an illuminance of incident light irradiated on the photodiode sections. The output section outputs an signal from the selected photodiode section through the switch.
Claims24
A semiconductor photosensor device comprising:
- a plurality of photodiode sections having different illuminance-output characteristics;
- a switch which selects any one of the plurality of photodiode sections on a basis of an illuminance of incident light irradiated on the photodiode sections;
- an output section which outputs an output signal from the selected photodiode section through the switch;
- a mode detecting circuit which compares output voltages from the photodiode sections with a first reference voltage to control the switch by a first logic signal based on a first comparison comparison result in the mode detecting circuit;
- a comparator circuit which compares an output signal from one of the photodiode sections selected by the switch with a second reference voltage to output a second logic signal based on a second comparison result in the comparator circuit;
- and
- a logic circuit connected to the mode detecting circuit and the comparator circuit and logically calculating the first logic signal and the second logic signal.
4 more elements
A semiconductor photosensor device comprising:
- a plurality of photodiode sections having different illuminance-output characteristics;
- a switch which selects any one of the plurality of photodiode sections on the basis of an illuminance of incident light irradiated on the photodiode sections;
- an output section which outputs an output signal from the selected photodiode section through the switch;
- a mode detecting circuit which compares output voltages from the photodiode sections with a first reference voltage to control the switch by a first logic signal based on a first comparison result in the mode detecting circuit;
- a comparator circuit which compares an output signal from one of the photodiode sections selected by the switch with second reference voltages which are different from each other to output a second logic signal consisting of a plurality of bits based on a second comparison result in the comparator circuit;
- and
- a logic circuit connected to the mode detecting circuit and the comparator circuit and logically calculating the first logic signal and the second logic signal.
4 more elements
An information apparatus incorporating a semiconductor photosensor device comprising:
- a plurality of photodiode sections having different illuminance-output characteristics;
- a switch which selects any one of the plurality of photodiode sections on a basis of an illuminance of incident light irradiated on the photodiode sections;
- an output section which outputs an output signal from the selected photodiode section through the switch;
- a mode detecting circuit which compares output voltages from the photodiode sections with a first reference voltage to control the switch by a first logic signal based on a first comparison result in the mode detecting circuit;
- a comparator circuit which compares an output signal from one of the photodiode sections selected by the switch with a second reference voltage to output a second logic signal based on a second comparison result in the comparator circuit;
- and
- a logic circuit connected to the mode detecting circuit and the comparator circuit, and logically calculating the first logic signal and the second logic signal.
4 more elements
An information apparatus incorporating a semiconductor photosensor device comprising:
- a plurality of photodiode sections having different illuminance-output characteristics;
- a switch which selects any one of the plurality of photodiode sections on a basis of an illuminance of incident light irradiated on the photodiode sections;
- an output section which outputs an output signal from the selected photodiode section through the switch;
- a mode detecting circuit which compares output voltages from the photodiode sections with a first reference voltage to control the switch by a first logic signal based on a first comparison comparison result in the mode detecting circuit;
- a comparator circuit which compares an output signal from one of the photodiode sections selected by the switch with a second reference voltage which are different from each other to output a second logic signal consisting of a plurality of bits based on a second comparison result in the comparator circuit;
- and
- a logic circuit connected to the mode detecting circuit and the comparator circuit, and logically calculating the first logic signal and the second logic signal.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.