Patent · US Expired

Method for detecting brightness signals from a multiplicity of light-sensitive sensor elements

US6850276B1 · kind B1 · utility

1Cited by

11References

7Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH · DE

Inventors

Armin Dobusch · Ingolstadt, DE
Holger Jordan · Hamberg, DE
Wolfgang Schmid · Regensburg, DE
Armin Steiner · Wiesendangen, CH

Key dates

Filing date	Jul 14, 2000
Grant date	Feb 1, 2005
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Mar 16, 2023

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH04N25/78
WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method is described for detecting brightness signals from a multiplicity of light-sensitive sensor elements, in particular CCD lines or arrays, in which the brightness signals are amplified in such a way that an A/D converter which digitizes the amplified brightness signals works in its permissible working range. For the brightness signal of a predetermined sensor element, the gain is reduced in steps, preferably in binary steps, from a maximum gain factor down to a working value at which the A/D converter works in the permissible working range. For each following sensor element, the working value of the respective preceding sensor element is used as the maximum gain factor. The number of changeover operations of the amplifier is considerably reduced and thus the detection time is shortened.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.