Managing power consumption by sampling circuit current sources
US6897429B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 10, 2003 |
| Grant date | May 24, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 13, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N25/78
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An image sensor includes a plurality of pixel sensors arranged in at least one row and a plurality of columns. Each pixel sensor includes a photosensor to generate a photosensor output signal nominally indicative of an intensity of light incident on the photosensor. Each pixel sensor is configured to provide a signal corresponding to the photosensor output signal at an output of the pixel sensor. For each column, a column line couples together the outputs of the pixel sensors belonging to that column and terminates in a column node for that column. Column output circuitry associated with each column provides to image sensor sampling circuitry a signal corresponding to the column node for that column, based on an asserted state of a column enable signal for that column. Power consuming circuitry is associated with each column and is controllable between at least a normal power mode and a minimal power mode such that, when the power consuming circuitry associated with a particular column is in the minimal power mode, signals representing photosensor output signals generated by photosensors of that column's pixel sensors are prevented from being reliably sampled by the image sensor sa…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.