Patents Examined by Monica T Taba
  • Patent number: 11569396
    Abstract: An optical sensor package includes an IC die including a light sensor element, an output node, and bond pads including a bond pad coupled to the output node. A leadframe includes a plurality of leads or lead terminals, wherein at least some of the plurality of leads or lead terminals are coupled to the bond pads including to the bond pad coupled to the output node. A mold compound provides encapsulation for the optical sensor package including for the light sensor element. The mold compound includes a polymer-base material having filler particles including at least one of infrared or terahertz transparent particle composition provided in a sufficient concentration so that the mold compound is optically transparent for providing an optical transparency of at least 50% for a minimum mold thickness of 500 ?m in a portion of at least one of an infrared frequency range and a terahertz frequency range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Enis Tuncer
  • Patent number: 11561131
    Abstract: A determination method determines a difference voltage between a breakdown voltage and a bias voltage. A temperature compensation unit provides temperature compensation for the gain of the APD by controlling the bias voltage based on the difference voltage. The bias voltage is “Vr”, and the gain of the APD to which the bias voltage is applied is “M”. The slope and intercept of the regression line having “(1/M)×(dM/dVr)” as an objective variable and “M” as an explanatory variable in data indicating the correlation between the bias voltage and the gain are obtained. “?V” calculated by substituting the slope into “a” in the Equation (1), substituting the intercept into “b” in the Equation (1), and substituting a gain to be set in an avalanche photodiode of a light detection device into “Md” in the Equation (1) is determined as the difference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventor: Hironori Sonobe
  • Patent number: 11552201
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optical package assembly. The optical package assembly includes a substrate (100), a light sensor chip (200), and a protection portion. The protection portion and the light sensor chip (200) both are fixed to the substrate (100), the light sensor chip (200) is packaged in the protection portion, a plane on which the light sensor chip (200) is located intersects with a plane of the substrate (100), and the protection portion includes a light entering region. Further disclosed is a mobile terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: VIVO MOBILE COMMUNICATION CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Wanglai Yang
  • Patent number: 11543293
    Abstract: A GePD having uniform sensitivity in C and L bands is provided and a photodetector in which deterioration of a common-mode rejection ratio is curbed is provided. A photodetector according to an embodiment includes one or a plurality of sets of two photodiodes to which a differential signal is input, a monitor connected to each of the two photodiodes and configured to measure a photocurrent, and a voltage supply configured to control a voltage applied to each of the two photodiodes, and the voltage supply controls the voltage applied to each of the two photodiodes so that the photocurrent measured by the monitor connected to one of the two photodiodes is equal to the photocurrent measured by the monitor connected to another one of the two photodiodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kotaro Takeda
  • Patent number: 11543291
    Abstract: An analog front-end circuit includes an array of pixel circuits. Each pixel circuit includes an event counter and a power consumption circuit. The event counter is configured to count photons incident at the pixel circuit. The power compensation circuit includes an event rate circuit and a current sink circuit. The event rate circuit is configured to determine a rate of photon detection events at the pixel circuit. The current sink circuit is configured to pass a compensation current selected based on the rate of photon detection events at the pixel circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Rakul Viswanath, Sachin Aithal
  • Patent number: 11543292
    Abstract: Low-frequency Noise Cancellation Method for Optical Measurement Systems. The present disclosure provides a low frequency noise cancellation method for optical measurement system, An optical measurement system has a transmitter to drive an LED and a receiver connected to a photodiode. The LED driver will generate a pulse signal to drive the LED and act as the radiation source for the optical measurement. Consequently, the receiver will convert the received photo-diode current to a voltage signal. The signal will then be digitized by an ADC for further processing. A current DAC circuit IDAC is added at the front of the receiver and has the same timing control with the LED driver to cancel the DC portion of the received current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Analog Devices International Unlimited Company
    Inventors: Jinhua Ni, Hui Shen
  • Patent number: 11530947
    Abstract: Described herein is an electronic device, including a pixel and a turn-off circuit. The pixel includes a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) having a cathode coupled to a high voltage node and an anode selectively coupled to ground through an enable circuit, and a clamp diode having an anode coupled to the anode of the SPAD and a cathode coupled to a turn-off voltage node. The turn-off circuit includes a sense circuit coupled between the turn-off voltage node and ground and configured to generate a feedback voltage, and a regulation circuit configured to sink current from the turn-off voltage node to ground based upon the feedback voltage such that a voltage at the turn-off voltage node maintains generally constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited
    Inventor: John Kevin Moore
  • Patent number: 11525707
    Abstract: A linear rotary encoder includes a pair of rotational surfaces. A contact belt has a first end coupled to a first rotational surface in the pair and a second end coupled to a second rotational surface in the pair. The contact belt is driven to rotate around the pair of rotational surfaces by a driving force applied to media to move the media from the first end toward the second end. An encoding scale is coupled to an inner surface of the contact belt. A reader is positioned to read the encoding scale as the contact belt rotates around the pair of rotational surfaces. The reader generates an output signal indicating a position of the media based on reading of the encoding scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING, INC.
    Inventor: John Peter Duffield
  • Patent number: 11523069
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses an N×M terahertz detector array imaging system based on a Schottky contact rasterization structure. The rasterization is introduced into the Schottky barrier diode, so that the rasterized Schottky contact resonates with the terahertz waves, the plasma resonance effect is enhanced, and the detection sensitivity of the array unit can be further improved. Moreover, there is no need to use an antenna, which can effectively avoid the problems such as large loss of the on-chip antenna, low gain efficiency, and difficulty in verifying through DRC design rules; and the chip area is greatly reduced, which greatly reduces the production cost. Finally, by adjusting the rasterization structure parameters of the array detector unit during the design process, the detector array can realize monochromatic array imaging or multicolor array imaging, which provides a new solution for the realization of low-cost, high-performance terahertz array cameras and terahertz imagers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Guangdong University of Technology
    Inventors: Jianguo Ma, Shaohua Zhou
  • Patent number: 11519782
    Abstract: There is provided an optical power measurement method, an offset calibration method and an optical power meter that is adapted to apply the offset calibration method. The optical power measurement method, the offset calibration method and the optical power meter are characterized in that two temperature sensors are used for more accurate predictions of the optical power offset. A first temperature sensor is positioned to read a temperature of the photodiode and a second temperature sensor is positioned to read a temperature of the PCB ground plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Nelu Radu
  • Patent number: 11520019
    Abstract: A light signal detection device includes a light receiving optical system configured to receive a reflection signal reflected from an object when irradiation light emitted from an irradiation unit hits the object and reflects from the object; and circuitry configured to binarize the received reflection signal using a first threshold value, based on a determination of whether the reflection signal is equal to or greater than the first threshold value; binarize the received reflection signal using a second threshold value set with a given value similar to a noise signal value, based on a determination of whether the reflection signal is equal to or greater than the second threshold value; and measure a time difference between a time of emitting the irradiation light from the irradiation unit and a time of receiving a reflection signal equal to or greater than the first threshold value or the second threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuma Matsuura, Yuuta Yoshino, Takefumi Takizawa, Soichiro Yokota, Jun Kishiwada, Hiroyoshi Sekiguchi, Tadashi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11509322
    Abstract: A light sensor circuit, which comprising a photodiode and a voltage follower. By setting the voltage follower to reduce the influence from the junction capacitance of the photodiode, a required time of a repeat integration module will not be influenced by the photodiode to efficiently keep the performance and the accuracy of the analog to digital converting device when the light sensor circuit is used to the analog to digital converting device in repeat operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Sensortek Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Jer-Hau Hsu, Ming-Huang Liu, Kian-Fu Wong
  • Patent number: 11486741
    Abstract: The invention relates to a detector device having pixels in a two-dimensional arrangement, the detector device comprising row pixels, a row readout wiring for each row of said row pixels and a column select wiring for each column of said row pixels, as well as column pixels, a column readout wiring for each column of said column pixels and a row select wiring for each row of said column pixels. Analog-to-digital converters adapted for row-parallel and column-parallel operation are connected to the readout wirings, and simultaneously one or more columns of row pixels for row parallel readout and one or more rows of column pixels for column parallel readout can be selected. The invention further relates to a positioning code and to a position detecting method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: PreciLabs SA
    Inventors: Péter Masa, István Masa
  • Patent number: 11486760
    Abstract: A receiving circuit includes a first input terminal and a second input terminal, an input circuit that includes a first node, a second node, a first inductor, a second inductor, a first variable resistive element, and a second variable resistive element. The first variable resistive element is electrically connected between the first node and the second input terminal, and the second variable resistive element is electrically connected between the second node and the first input terminal. The receiving circuit further includes a differential amplifier configured to generate a differential voltage signal in accordance with a differential current signal. The receiving circuit still further includes a control circuit configured to perform detection of an amplitude of the differential voltage signal and change a resistance value of the first variable resistive element and a resistance value of the second variable resistive element based on a result of the detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Seiji Kumagai, Yoshiyuki Sugimoto, Keiji Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11480465
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a quenching bias circuit device capable of operating without a time difference even in a variance in single photon avalanche diode (SPAD). The quenching bias circuit device includes: a light receiving element; a feedback current mirror circuit arranged between a supply voltage and the light receiving element and configured to induce a passive quenching operation so as to maintain a current flowing in the light receiving element to be constant; and a bias quenching circuit connected to a sensing node of the light receiving element and configured to perform an active quenching operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA CORPORATION, SOGANG UNIVERSITY RESEARCH & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Kyoung-Chun Kweon, Him-Chan Park, Jin-Wook Burm
  • Patent number: 11482549
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes an imaging element group in which imaging elements each having a photoelectric conversion portion 10 formed on or above a semiconductor substrate 70 and further having a wire grid polarizer 91 and an on-chip microlens 15 are arrayed in a two-dimensional matrix, and a first interlayer insulating layer 83 and a second interlayer insulating layer 84 provided on a light incident side of the photoelectric conversion portions 10. The wire grid polarizer 91 is provided between the first interlayer insulating layer 83 and the second interlayer insulating layer 84, and the on-chip microlens 15 is provided on the second interlayer insulating layer 84. The first interlayer insulating layer 83 and the second interlayer insulating layer 84 include an oxide material or a resin material, and the on-chip microlens includes SiN or SiON.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Yanagita, Tomohiko Asatsuma
  • Patent number: 11478634
    Abstract: An optical sensor, especially an artificial retina, that includes at least one photosensitive cell. Each cell includes a integration capacitor, a read circuit the operation of which depends on the charge of the integration capacitor, at least one MOS transistor operating subthreshold, and the drain-source current of which influences the charge on the integration capacitor, and at least one photodiode operating in photovoltaic mode and connected to the gate of this transistor, such that the drain-source current of the MOS transistor depends on the optical power received by the photodiode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignees: ÉCOLE CENTRALE DE LILLE, UNIVERSITÉ POLYTECHNIQUE HAUTS-DE-FRANCE, CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE, YNCREA HAUTS DE FRANCE, UNIVERSITE DE LILLE
    Inventors: Alain Cappy, Francois Danneville, Virginie Hoel, Christophe Loyez, Ilias Sourikopoulos
  • Patent number: 11468699
    Abstract: An electronic device has a photosensitive element, a charge storage element, and a node. The photosensitive element generates a current in response to illumination thereon. The charge storage element is coupled to the photosensitive element and is used to store charge in response to the current generated by the photosensitive element. The signal reading circuit is coupled to the photosensitive element, and the node is coupled between the photosensitive element and the charge storage element. The charge storage element and the photosensitive element are coupled in series, and the node is coupled to an end of the signal reading circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: InnoLux Corporation
    Inventors: Tao-Sheng Chang, Hui-Ching Yang, Te-Yu Lee
  • Patent number: 11462581
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming a color image of a scene and a method for utilizing that apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus includes a plurality of pixel sensors. Each pixel sensor includes a first photodetector includes first main photodiode and a first floating diffusion node. The first main photodiode is characterized by a first light conversion efficiency as a function of wavelength of a light signal incident thereon. The first floating diffusion node includes a parasitic photodiode characterized by a second light conversion efficiency as a function of the wavelength. The second light conversion efficiency is different from the first light conversion efficiency as a function of wavelength. A controller generates an intensity of light in each of a plurality of wavelength bands for the pixel sensor utilizing a measurement of the light signal by each of the first main photodiode and the first parasitic photodiode in that photodetector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: BAE Systems Imaging Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: John W. Ladd, James E. Crouch, Alberto M. Magnani
  • Patent number: 11463054
    Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit containing a transimpedance amplifier for converting two input currents into two output voltages, having a first amplifier part containing a first input, to which a first input voltage is applied, and into which a first input current flows, and having a second amplifier part containing a second input, to which a second input voltage is applied and into which a second input current flows, wherein the first amplifier part and the second amplifier part are connected to a common supply voltage, the first amplifier part and the second amplifier part are connected to a common current source, the input of the first amplifier part and the input of the second amplifier part have a differing direct voltage, and the first amplifier part and the second amplifier part are designed such that an output voltage of the first amplifier part is proportional to the input current of the first amplifier part and an output voltage of the second amplifier part is proportional to an input current of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: SICOYA GMBH
    Inventors: Johann Christoph Scheytt, Sergiy Gudyriev