Two stage gray code counter with a redundant bit
Granted: May 19, 2020
Patent Number:
10659055
An N bit counter includes a lower counter having a first output having M bits that operates a first counting frequency. An upper counter having a second output having N?M+L bits operates a second counting frequency. The second counting frequency is equal to the first counting frequency divided by 2(M-L). An error correction controller is coupled to receive the first and second outputs and perform operations that include comparing the L least significant bits (LSBs) of the second output…
Buffer-aware transmission rate control for real-time video streaming system
Granted: May 5, 2020
Patent Number:
10645448
Systems and methods for buffer-aware transmission rate control for real-time video streaming are disclosed herein. An example method includes transmitting a first video packet at a transmission rate based on a buffer fill ratio of a buffer, where the transmission rate is adjusted in response to changes of the buffer fill ratio, selectively retransmitting a second video packet in response to a negative acknowledgement packet, where selectively retransmitting the second video packet is at…
Source follower contact
Granted: May 5, 2020
Patent Number:
10644057
An image sensor includes a photodiode disposed in a first semiconductor material to absorb photons incident on the image sensor and generate image charge. A floating diffusion is disposed in the first semiconductor material and positioned to receive the image charge from the photodiode, and a transfer transistor is coupled between the photodiode and the floating diffusion to transfer the image charge out of the photodiode into floating diffusion in response to a transfer signal. A source…
Anti-reflective coating with high refractive index material at air interface
Granted: May 5, 2020
Patent Number:
10644048
An optical element comprising a transparent substrate and an anti-reflective coating, wherein the anti-reflective coating further comprises at least a transparent, high refractive index layer and a transparent, low refractive index layer, wherein the high refractive index layer is in contact with the low refractive index layer; and wherein the high refractive index layer is situated at an interface between the anti-reflective coating and air. Further, the low refractive index layer may…
Counter design with various widths for image sensor
Granted: April 28, 2020
Patent Number:
10638075
Counters with various widths for an image sensor. An image sensor includes a plurality of image pixels arranged in rows and columns of a pixel array. A plurality of memory cells are individually coupled to corresponding columns of the pixel array. The memory cells are arranged in a memory bank. The memory bank includes a first memory cell coupled to a first column of the pixel array. The first memory cell includes a first counter having a first width. A second memory cell is coupled to a…
Local exposure sensor and method for operating the same
Granted: April 21, 2020
Patent Number:
10630922
A high dynamic range imaging sensor includes a pixel array of pixel cells, a readout circuitry, a function logic and a control circuitry. Each pixel cell comprises one of a normal pixel and a base pixel, and each M rows by N columns pixels defines a pixel subarray. Each pixel subarray includes at least three normal pixels and at least one base pixel. The readout circuitry is coupled to read image data out from a plurality of pixels of the pixel array. The readout circuitry includes an…
Liquid crystal on silicon packaging
Granted: April 14, 2020
Patent Number:
10620491
A method of fanning an electrical connection in a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device, comprising: providing a silicon substrate including a first surface and a second surface, wherein the silicon substrate includes an conductive pad at the first surface; providing a cover glass panel that includes a cover glass, a transparent electrode layer formed upon the cover glass, and a first sealing material layer formed upon the transparent electrode layer; forming a second sealing material…
Yardless lens assemblies and manufacturing methods
Granted: April 7, 2020
Patent Number:
10611108
A wafer-level method for manufacturing yardless lenses includes (a) depositing light-curable lens resin between a mold and a first side of a transparent substrate, wherein the first side of the transparent substrate has an opaque coating with a plurality of apertures respectively aligned with a plurality of lens-shaped recesses of the mold, and (b) exposing a second side of the transparent substrate, facing away from the first side, to light, thereby illuminating portions of the…
Dual conversion gain high dynamic range readout for comparator of double ramp analog to digital converter
Granted: April 7, 2020
Patent Number:
10615190
A method includes coupling a low gain input of a dual stage comparator to establish a low conversion gain mode. An analog-to-digital (ADC) operation is performed to determine a low gain reset voltage. A low gain input is decoupled in response to a DCG control signal. A high gain input is coupled to establish a high conversion gain mode in response to the DCG control signal. The ADC operation is performed with the high gain input to determine a high gain reset voltage. The ADC operation…
Liquid-crystal-on-silicon device and associated method for preventing dark-banding therein
Granted: April 7, 2020
Patent Number:
10613387
A method for preventing dark banding in a liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) device, comprising illuminating, during a first timeframe, a transparent conductive layer of the LCoS device with a first illumination, the LCoS device including liquid-crystal layer between the transparent conductive layer and a reflective pixel-array. The method also includes illuminating, during a second timeframe, the transparent conductive layer with a second illumination, the second timeframe following both…
Combined visible and infrared image sensor incorporating selective infrared optical filter
Granted: March 31, 2020
Patent Number:
10609309
A pixel array comprise a green pixel comprising a first green optical filter and a first clear filter, a red pixel comprising a red optical filter and a first special filter, a blue pixel comprising a blue optical filter and a second special filter, and an IR pixel comprising an IR optical filter and one of a second green optical filter and a second clear filter, where the first special filter suppresses a transmission of IR at a stopband centered at 850 nm at a first IR minimum…
Embedded multimedia systems with adaptive rate control for power efficient video streaming
Granted: March 24, 2020
Patent Number:
10602139
A system includes an image sensor and a sending controller. The image sensor to generate video data at a source bit rate. The sending controller is coupled to the image sensor to transmit communication data representative of the video data. The sending controller includes one or more processors coupled to memory. The memory includes instructions, which when executed by the sending controller causes the system to perform operations. The operations include determining a first bit rate to…
Self-alignment of a pad and ground in an image sensor
Granted: March 10, 2020
Patent Number:
10586825
An image sensor includes a plurality of photodiodes disposed in a semiconductor material to convert image light into image charge, and a metal grid, including a metal shield that is coplanar with the metal grid, disposed proximate to a backside of the semiconductor material. The metal grid is optically aligned with the plurality of photodiodes to direct the image light into the plurality of photodiodes, and a contact pad is disposed in a trench in the semiconductor material. The contact…
Communication screen editing and previewing
Granted: March 3, 2020
Patent Number:
10582346
A method for communicating from a mobile platform includes arranging a plurality of regions in a communication screen on a first mobile platform. Each one of the plurality of regions in the communication screen is populated with communication data. The communication data includes at least one or more of text data, image data, and video data. The communication screen is sent from the first mobile platform to a second mobile platform. A display of the communication screen on the second…
Systems and methods for active depth imager with background subtract
Granted: March 3, 2020
Patent Number:
10582178
An active depth imaging system and method of operating the same captures illuminator-on and illuminator-off image data with each of a first and second imager. The illuminator-on image data includes information representing an imaged scene and light emitted from an illuminator and reflected off of objects within the imaged scene. The illuminator-off image data includes information representing the imaged scene without the light emitted from the illuminator. For each image set captured by…
Image demosaicer and method
Granted: February 25, 2020
Patent Number:
10572974
A method for demosaicing a raw image includes: (1) horizontally-interpolating a green channel formed of primary pixel-values Bg(x,y)g to yield a horizontally-interpolated green channel that includes both Bg(x,y)g and non-primary pixel-values Igh(x,y)r,b; (2) modifying each Igh(x,y)r,b, by horizontally-neighboring pixel-values, to yield a refined horizontally-interpolated green channel; (3) vertically-interpolating the green channel to yield a vertically-interpolated green channel that…
Four-surface near-infrared wafer-level lens systems
Granted: February 25, 2020
Patent Number:
10571654
A four-surface, near-infrared wafer-level lens system for imaging a scene onto an image plane includes (a) a first wafer-level lens having a first convex lens surface facing the scene and a second concave lens surface facing the image plane, and (b) a second wafer-level lens disposed between the first wafer-level lens and the image plane and including a third concave lens surface facing the scene and a fourth aspheric convex lens surface facing the image plane. The four-surface,…
Variably biased isolation structure for global shutter pixel storage node
Granted: February 18, 2020
Patent Number:
10566359
A pixel cell includes a photodiode disposed in a semiconductor material to accumulate image charge in response to incident light and a global shutter gate transistor coupled to the photodiode to selectively deplete the image charge from the photodiode. A storage transistor is disposed in the semiconductor material to store the image charge. An isolation structure is disposed in the semiconductor material proximate to the storage transistor to isolate a sidewall of the storage transistor…
Image sensor with dual trench isolation structures at different isolation structure depths
Granted: February 18, 2020
Patent Number:
10566380
An image sensor includes a plurality of photodiodes disposed in a semiconductor material to convert image light into image charge. A floating diffusion is disposed proximate to the plurality of photodiodes to receive the image charge from the plurality of photodiodes. A plurality of transfer transistors is coupled to transfer the image charge from the plurality of photodiodes into the floating diffusion in response to a voltage applied to the gate terminal of the plurality of transfer…
Resonant-filter image sensor and associated fabrication method
Granted: February 18, 2020
Patent Number:
10566364
A resonant-filter image sensor includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixels and a microresonator layer above the pixel array. The microresonator layer includes a plurality of microresonators formed of a first material with an extinction coefficient less than 0.02 at a free-space wavelength of five hundred nanometers. Each of the plurality of pixels may have at least one of the plurality of microresonators at least partially thereabove. The resonant-filter image sensor may…
