Double talk detection for echo suppression in power domain
Granted: July 9, 2019
Patent Number:
10348887
Apparatuses and Methods of double talk detection for echo suppression in the power domain are disclosed herein. An example method includes comparing a power echo estimate signal to a microphone power signal, determining if the power echo estimate signal is greater than or less than the microphone power signal by a first threshold, based on the power echo estimate signal being greater than or less than the microphone power signal by the first threshold, disabling adaptation of filter…
Wide-angle lens system for ultra-short and large field-of-view camera module
Granted: July 2, 2019
Patent Number:
10338352
A wide-angle lens system comprises a first lens having a concave aspheric surface and a planar surface, a second lens having a convex aspheric surface and a planar surface, a substrate, wherein the planar surface of the first lens is adjacent to a first side of the substrate and the planar surface of the second lens is adjacent to a second side of the substrate, a third lens behind the second lens having a concave aspheric surface and a planar surface, and a stop disposed between the…
Pixel array with embedded split pixels for high dynamic range imaging
Granted: June 25, 2019
Patent Number:
10334191
A pixel cell includes a second photodiode laterally surrounding a first photodiode in semiconductor material. The first and second photodiodes are adapted to photogenerate image charge in response to incident light. A floating diffusion is disposed in the semiconductor material proximate to an outer perimeter of the second photodiode. A first transfer gate is disposed proximate to the semiconductor material over a first channel region between the first and second photodiodes. The first…
Dynamic output level correction by monitoring speaker distortion to minimize distortion
Granted: June 25, 2019
Patent Number:
10333482
A speaker system featuring automatic volume adjustment to avoid excess distortion includes a first converter for converting an input signal to an input frequency domain signal; and a second converter for converting a microphone signal to an environmental frequency domain signal. A distortion analyzer receives output of the first and second converter and determines at least one distortion level and provides at least one gain adjustment signal used to control a corrector to adjust gain of…
Structure light module using vertical cavity surface emitting laser array
Granted: June 25, 2019
Patent Number:
10333277
A structure light module comprises: a VCSEL substrate comprising a VCSEL array comprising a plurality of individual VCSELs; a first spacer disposed on the VCSEL substrate; a wafer level lens comprising a glass substrate and at least a replicated lens on a first surface of the glass substrate disposed on the first spacer; a second spacer disposes on the wafer level lens; a DOE disposed on the second spacer, where a structure light is projected from the DOE on a target surface for 3D…
Comparator for double ramp analog to digital converter
Granted: June 18, 2019
Patent Number:
10326958
Apparatuses and method for an image sensor with increased analog to digital conversion range and reduced noise are described herein. An example method may include disabling a first auto-zero switch of a comparator, the first auto-zero switch coupled to auto-zero a reference voltage input of the comparator, adjusting an auto-zero offset voltage of a ramp voltage provided to the reference voltage input of the comparator, and disabling a second auto-zero switch of the comparator, the second…
Image sensor readout circuitry including analog-to-digital conversion with hybrid counter structure
Granted: June 18, 2019
Patent Number:
10326955
A readout circuit for use with an image sensor includes a comparator coupled to compare a ramp signal from a ramp generator with an output signal from a pixel of a pixel array. A counter is coupled to the comparator to count until the comparator detects that a ramp signal value has reached an output signal value. The counter includes K cascade-coupled dynamic flip-flop circuits to generate the K least significant bits (LSBs) of the N-bit output of the counter. The counter also includes…
Circuitry and method for readout of hybrid bonded image sensors
Granted: June 11, 2019
Patent Number:
10321078
A hybrid bonded image sensor has a photodiode die with macrocells having at least one photodiode and a bond contact; a supporting circuitry die with multiple supercells, each supercell having at least one macrocell unit bonded to the bond contact of a macrocell of the photodiode die. Each macrocell unit has a reset transistor adapted to reset photodiodes of the photodiode die macrocell. Each supercell has a differential amplifier configurable to receive a noninverting input from a…
Method to make LCOS oxide alignment layer by offset print
Granted: June 11, 2019
Patent Number:
10317733
An alignment layer for a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display includes a nano-particle layer. In a particular embodiment the nano-particle layer includes a lower nano-layer and an upper nano-layer, each formed onto oxide layers of the LCOS display. In a more particular embodiment, the lower nano-layer and the upper nano-layer are offset printed onto the oxide layers.
Imaging system having four image sensors
Granted: June 4, 2019
Patent Number:
10313643
An imaging system having four image sensors comprises a first dichroic filter, a second dichroic filter, and a third dichroic filter. The first dichroic filter reflects light having a first wavelength band and a second wavelength band toward a second dichroic filter, and transmits light having a third wavelength band and a fourth wavelength band toward the third dichroic filter. The second dichroic filter reflects light having the first wavelength band toward the first image sensor, and…
Imaging system having dual image sensors
Granted: June 4, 2019
Patent Number:
10313642
An imaging system for capturing an image of an object comprises a first lens, a dichroic beam splitter, which transmits light of a color band and reflects light of all colors outside the color band, a first image sensor for capturing an image formed by the transmitted light in the color band, a second image sensor for capturing an image formed by the reflected light outside the color band. The first image sensor is a monochrome image sensor and the second image sensor is a color image…
Self-biasing integrated oscillator without bandgap reference
Granted: June 4, 2019
Patent Number:
10312887
An integrated oscillator has an R-S flipflop; a first and second capacitor; a current source transistor; first and second current-steering transistors, each having a source coupled to the current source transistor, with drains coupled to the first and second capacitor respectively. The first current-steering transistor has gate coupled to a first output of the R-S flipflop, and the second current-steering transistor has gate coupled to a second output of the R-S flipflop. The oscillator…
Apparatus and method for single-photon avalanche-photodiode detectors with reduced dark count rate
Granted: June 4, 2019
Patent Number:
10312391
An avalanche photodiode has a first diffused region of a first diffusion type overlying at least in part a second diffused region of a second diffusion type; and a first minority carrier sink region disposed within the first diffused region, the first minority carrier sink region of the second diffusion type and electrically connected to the first diffused region. In particular embodiments, the first diffusion type is N-type and the second diffusion type is P-type, and the device is…
Image sensor package to limit package height and reduce edge flare
Granted: June 4, 2019
Patent Number:
10312276
An image sensor package, comprising a silicon substrate; an image sensor pixel array that is formed on the silicon substrate; a peripheral circuit region that is formed around the image sensor pixel array on the silicon substrate; a redistribution layer (RDL) that is electrically coupled to the peripheral circuit region; at least one solder ball that is electrically coupled to the RDL; and a cover glass that is coupled to the RDL. No part of the RDL is located directly above or below the…
Wafer-level liquid-crystal-on-silicon projection assembly, systems and methods
Granted: June 4, 2019
Patent Number:
10310285
A wafer-level liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) projection assembly includes a LCOS display for spatially modulating light incident on the LCOS display and a polarizing beam-separating (PBS) layer for directing light to and from the LCOS display. A method for fabricating a LCOS projection system includes disposing a PBS wafer above an active-matrix wafer. The active-matrix wafer includes a plurality of active matrices for addressing liquid crystal display pixels. The method, further…
Backside metal grid and metal pad simplification
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10304891
An image sensor includes a semiconductor material including a plurality of photodiodes disposed in the semiconductor material. The image sensor also includes a first insulating material disposed proximate to a frontside of the semiconductor material, and an interconnect disposed in the first insulating material proximate to the frontside of the semiconductor material. A metal pad extends from a backside of the semiconductor material through the first insulating material and contacts the…
Source follower device for enhanced image sensor performance
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10304882
An image sensor includes a photodiode disposed in a semiconductor material to generate image charge in response to incident light, and a floating diffusion disposed in the semiconductor material proximate to the photodiode. A transfer transistor is coupled to the photodiode to transfer the image charge from the photodiode into the floating diffusion in response to a transfer signal applied to a transfer gate of the transfer transistor. A source follower transistor is coupled to the…
1-16 and 1.5-7.5 frequency divider for clock synthesizer in digital systems
Granted: May 21, 2019
Patent Number:
10298382
A frequency divider unit has a digital frequency divider configured to divide by an odd integer, and a dual-edge-triggered one-shot coupled to double frequency of an output of the digital frequency divider. The frequency divider unit is configurable to divide an input frequency by a configurable ratio selectable from at least non-integer ratios of 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5. In embodiments, the frequency divider unit relies on circuit delays to determine an output pulsewidth, and in other…
Chip scale package for an image sensor
Granted: May 21, 2019
Patent Number:
10297627
A chip scale package (CSP) structure for an image sensor comprises an image sensor chip, wherein the image sensor chip comprises a semiconductor substrate having a top surface to receive light, a plurality of color filters disposed over the top surface, and a plurality of micro lenses disposed on the plurality of color filters. A low refractive index material is disposed over the image sensor chip, wherein the low refractive index material covers the plurality of micro lenses, and…
Memory with pattern oriented error correction code
Granted: May 14, 2019
Patent Number:
10289486
Apparatuses and methods for parity generations in error-correcting code (ECC) memory to reduce chip areas and test time in imaging system are disclosed herein. Memory tests are needed to catch hard failures and soft errors. Random and nondestructive errors are soft errors and are undesirable. Soft errors can be detected and corrected by the disclosed ECC which is based on Hamming code. Before data are written into memory, the first parity generator based on the disclosed ECC generates…
