Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Readout architecture for indirect time-of-flight sensing
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Application No.: US17513064Application Date: 2021-10-28
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Publication No.: US11770633B2Publication Date: 2023-09-26
- Inventor: Andreas Suess , Zheng Yang
- Applicant: OMNIVISION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- Applicant Address: US CA Santa Clara
- Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
- Current Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: US CA Santa Clara
- Agency: Perkins Coie LLP
- Main IPC: H04N25/75
- IPC: H04N25/75 ; H01L27/148 ; H01L27/146 ; H04N25/71 ; G01S17/894

Abstract:
A time-of-flight sensor includes a pixel array of pixel circuits. A first subset of the pixel circuits is illuminated by reflected modulated light from a portion of an object. A second subset of the pixel circuits is non-illuminated by the reflected modulated light. Each pixel circuit includes a floating diffusion that stores a portion of charge photogenerated in a photodiode in response to the reflected modulated light. A transfer transistor transfers the portion of charge from the photodiode to the floating diffusion in response to modulation by a phase modulation signal. A modulation driver block generates the phase modulation signal and is coupled to a light source that emits the modulated light to the portion of the object. The modulation driver block synchronizes scanning the modulated light emitted by the light source across the object with scanning of the first subset of the pixel circuits across the pixel array.
Public/Granted literature
- US20230137801A1 READOUT ARCHITECTURE FOR INDIRECT TIME-OF-FLIGHT SENSING Public/Granted day:2023-05-04
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