On-chip time-based digital conversion of pixel outputs
US7889257B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 17, 2008 |
| Grant date | Feb 15, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 18, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S17/894
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An integrated sensor chip comprises at least one pixel. The at least one pixel comprises: one or several integration regions for receiving and storing photogenerated charges; a modulation region that moves the photogenerated charges to be stored in the at least two integration regions; and sense nodes, in which each of the sense nodes is associated with one of the integration regions, into which the photogenerated charges are moved from the integration regions during a readout stage. The chip comprises: at least one function generator for generating a time-varying function that is applied to the integration regions during the readout cycle to move the photogenerated changes to the sense nodes; a counter generates a count during the generation of the time-varying function; and registers, in which each of the registers is associated with one of the sense nodes during read out, for storing digital values; wherein the registers store the count in response to the associated sense node receiving photogenerated charges from the associated integration regions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.