Abstract: Techniques of designing a sensing system for pseudo 3D mapping in robotic applications are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, an image system is designed to include at least two linear sensors, where these two linear sensors are positioned or disposed orthogonally. In one embodiment, the two linear sensors are a horizontal sensor and a vertical sensor. The horizontal sensor is used for the lidar application while the vertical sensor is provided to take videos, namely scanning the environment wherever the horizontal sensor misses. As a result, the videos can be analyzed to detect anything below or above a blind height in conjunction with the detected distance by the lidar.

Abstract: Designs of a sensor module with fewer number of pins are described. According to one aspect of the designs, a sensor module operates on a predefined number of clocks in a clock signal in contrast of rising or falling edges of clocks or pulses thereof commonly relied upon in a prior art sensor module, thus reducing considerably the requirements on the clock signals needed to support the sensor module. More importantly, the pins of the sensor module are far fewer than those in a prior art system. Subsequently, the complexity of supporting circuits for the sensor module in the sensor module of the present invention can be simplified.

Abstract: Designs of an anti-blooming sensing element or simply sensor are described. According to one aspect of the designs, each sensing element includes a photosensor, a pair of first and second circuits, a store device and a readout circuit. The first and second circuits, sandwiching the photosensor from a circuit perspective, are mirrored and balanced in impedance. The first circuit provides an inherent mechanism to discharge excessive charge accumulated on the photosensor before a predefined exposure time ends. Each of the two circuits includes two transistors.

Abstract: Techniques of designing an image sensor particularly useful in lidar applications are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, an image sensor is designed to take advantage of the architecture of CMOS sensor with correlated double sampling, or CDS, to avoid the sensing speed being halved in order to cancel background light interference. It is commonly known that a photosensor is read twice (i.e., first and second readouts) in CDS for removing the inherent noises from the photosensor itself. Instead of subtracting a pixel's dark or reference output level from an actual light-induced signal, a background image is managed to be captured before the second readout of the sensor and subtracted from an actual image, where the actual image is defined to include an target. As a result, the readout speed of an image sensor is maintained while the background light interference is removed.

Abstract: A focusing mechanism or module is designed to reduce the size of an optical lens-based focusing system that would be otherwise used in a portable device. According to one aspect of the present invention, the focusing mechanism includes a light guide with first and second sides. The light guide includes a plurality of light passages slanted inwardly formed evenly from the first side towards a center of the second side, wherein the light guide, disposed on top of the image sensor, collects a reflected light from a human body part and focuses the reflected light onto the image sensor, each of photosensors generates an proportional charge from the reflected light.

Abstract: Techniques to monitor multiple targets with a single camera are disclosed. In one embodiment, an image sensor is provided with two or more readout circuits, each operating independently and is designed to read out charges from a designated area of the image sensor. When two or more designated sensing areas in the image sensor are being focused onto different objects and read out respectively, such an image sensor is capable of monitoring multiple targets. When placed in traffic surveillance, a camera equipped with such an image sensor is able to monitor multiple forward and backward lanes in near or far field. Further with the control of the designated areas, different resolutions of the images may be produced.

Abstract: Designs of multi-band sensor array to generate multi-spectral images are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a multi-band sensor array includes one linear sensor configured to sense a scene in panchromatic spectrum to produce a panchromatic (PAN) sensing signal, and four color-band linear sensors to sense the same scene in different color bands to produce respective sensing signals. These sensors are packaged in a single module that is disposed on a single optical plane when used to scan a scene. A multi-spectral image is produced by combining these sensing signals. Further a unique packaging of the sensor array and a combination of soft and hard PCB are disclosed to withstand extremes in a harsh environment.

Abstract: A wafer-scale linear image sensor chip (WLISC) is proposed with gapless pixel line and signal readout circuit segments. The WLISC converts pixel line image (PLI) of length LPL into line image signal (LIS). The WLISC includes a linear array of sensor segments. Each sensor segment includes a gapless local pixel line segment (LPLSj) of sensing elements. The LPLSj converts portion of the PLI into a raw image segment signal set (RISSj). The LPLSj set forms a gapless global pixel line (GPL) corresponding to PLI. The sensor segment also includes readout circuit segment (RCSj) coupled to LPLSj for processing RISSj into a readout image segment signal set (ROSSj). The RCSj has a set of contact pads (CTPj) for off-chip interconnection. Upon off-chip interconnection of the CTPj set thus composing the ROSSj set into LIS, the WLISC functions as a key part of a linear image sensor system of image length LPL.

Abstract: A long-length industry camera image sensor (LICIS) is proposed for, expressed in X-Y-Z coordinates, converting a pixel line image (PLI) of length LPL along X-direction into a line image signal (LIS). The LICIS includes a full-width linear image sensor (FLIS) of length LIS along X-direction and displaced from the PLI along Z-direction by an imaging distance DIMG for converting an incident line image (ILI) impinging upon its FLIS top surface into the LIS. Where LIS is about equal to LPL. The LICIS also has a full-width linear rod lens (FLRL) of length LRL along X-direction and displaced from the PLI in Z-direction by a working distance DWKG. Where LRL is about equal to LPL and DWKG is selected such that the PLI gets focused by the FLRL into the ILI at the FLIS top surface with an imaging magnification factor of about 1:1.

Abstract: An areal active pixel image sensor (AAPS) with programmable row-specific gain is disclosed for converting hyper-spectral light image into video output signal (VOS). The AAPS includes: a) An areal active pixel sensor (APS) array each capable of photoelectrically converting and integrating an incident pixel light into a photoelectric signal through an integration time period TNT with a photoelectric signal gain GPE. b) A video output signal conditioner (VOSC), coupled to the APS array, for multiplexing and amplifying the photoelectric signals into the VOS with an electric signal gain GEE. c) The VOSC further programmably sets at least one of GPE and GEE to be row-specific. Consequently, the AAPS exhibits an overall photoelectric signal gain of GOA=GPE×GEE that is row-specific and it can compensate for image signal distortion caused by non-uniform spectral response of the APS elements during hyper-spectral imaging.

Abstract: A multi-lightguide document imaging device is proposed for scanning a document transported atop it. The device includes a line image sensor module having a top sensing area and built-in circuitry for converting an incident line image into video signal output; an intervening rod lens for focusing line image lights from the document onto the sensing area; a number or lightguides lightguide-j (j=1,2, . . . ,N) disposed below the document where each lightguide-j has its own built-in light sources, a transverse cross section spaced at a distance SPCj from the scan line an oriented angularly along a ?-coordinate so as to project a line-illumination aiming at the scan line; and an imager frame having a base for holding the line image sensor module, a multi-element support for holding the rod lens plus the lightguides and a scan line backing portion for backing the document.

Abstract: A contact image sensor (CIS) for scanning a document is disclosed. The CIS includes a housing having an opening, a first slide and a second slide, a light guide installed on the housing through the opening and the first slide for scanning the document and generating a reflective image, a rod lens installed on the housing through the opening and the second slide for receiving the reflective image and generating a focused image, a PCB installed on the housing and having a sensing array for transforming the focused image into an image signal, and a spring cover fixed on the opening for fixing the light guide and the rod lens in the housing to form the CIS.

Abstract: A sensor chip with an on-chip operational amplifier is described for the formation into a sensor array of a Contact Image Sensor (CIS) module. A number of extra on-chip bonding pads are provided which are electrically connected to the operational amplifier, the associated input resistor and the charge integration capacitor in a selective manner. A number of extra off-chip common conductor stripes are also provided on the substrate for the chip array. A set of wiring patterns are then used to selectively connect these on-chip bonding pads with their corresponding off-chip common conductor stripes resulting in a CIS module which provides both a variable gain of a selected single operational amplifier and an equivalent charge integration capacitance which is the summation of the capacitors from the individual sensor chips within the chip array. Additionally, the associated input resistors can be replaced with an MOS transistor whose control gate can be similarly programmed with the wiring pattern.

Abstract: This invention discloses an illumination device for use in image reading applications. The illumination device comprises a light guide and a light source attached to one end of the light guide, which consists of a rod-shaped body with two end light reflectors made of metal clips. The two lateral surfaces of the light guide causes total internal reflection of light rays impinging upon the surface from within the light guide. The curved top surface of the light guide serves the function of focusing. The narrow bottom surface along the light guide reflects the light with a series of highly reflective paint stripes of varying widths applied upon it. The light source comprises a plurality of light emitting elements and at least a center of the light emitting elements is placed along a normal line passing through a center of the reflection area when viewed in a longitudinal direction of the light guide.

Abstract: An image sensor system having very long Depth Of Focus (DOF) on the document plane and very short optical distance from the document plane to the image plane provides the advantages of both a lens reduction image sensor system and a contact type image sensor system. The inventive image sensor system thus provides a Long depth of Focus Contact type Image Sensor (Lf-cis) system that can be assembled in a compact and light weight module that is suitable for use in current image scanning systems (for example, flatbed type, paper feeder type, and handheld type). The invention also provides a compact and light weight flatbed type image scanning system. The CIS module may be modified such that two ends of the module higher than the rest of the module, a steel bracket holds the module and maintains the optical path in alignment, and a metal carriage having metal spring holds the module. The CIS module is self aligned to the bottom of the scanner glass.