Patents Assigned to OmniVision Technologies
  • Patent number: 10425597
    Abstract: An image sensor system, comprising a pixel array that includes at least a first type pixel and a second type pixel, wherein each first type pixel is configured to sense light of a first optical spectral range; and each second pixel is configured to sense light of a second optical spectral range; an optical filter located above the pixel array, said optical filter configured to pass a third optical spectral range and a fourth optical spectral range that is different from the third optical spectral range, wherein the fourth optical spectral range is less than the second optical spectral range; a light source that emits light in a fifth optical spectral range, wherein the fifth optical spectral range at least overlaps with the fourth optical spectral range; and a controller that controls the image sensor system to selectively operate in a first mode that uses said first optical spectral range, and a second mode that uses said second optical spectral range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Chen-Wei Lu, Ping-Hsu Chen, Yin Qian, Eiichi Funatsu
  • Patent number: 10425599
    Abstract: A method for generating an HDR image includes (i) generating, from a plurality of single-exposure images of a scene, having a respective one of a plurality of exposure values, a sharpness map of sharpness values of the single-exposure images, and (ii) generating, from the plurality of single-exposure images, an exposure-value map of composite exposure values of the single-exposure images. The method also includes (iii) determining an optimal exposure value from the sharpness map and the exposure-value map, and (iv) generating the HDR image by combining a reference image of the scene, captured with the optimal exposure value, and at least two of the plurality of single-exposure images. An exposure selector for generating an HDR image, from the plurality of single-exposure images, includes a memory and a microprocessor. The memory stores non-transitory computer-readable instructions and is adapted to store the plurality of single-exposure images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sarvesh Swami, Donghui Wu
  • Patent number: 10418408
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of photodiodes arranged in an array and disposed in a semiconductor material to receive light through a first surface of the semiconductor material. At least part of the semiconductor material is curved. A carrier wafer is attached to a second surface, opposite the first surface, of the semiconductor material, and a polymer layer is attached to the carrier wafer, so that the carrier wafer is disposed between the polymer layer and the semiconductor material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuanwei Zheng, Chia-Chun Miao, Gang Chen, Yin Qian, Duli Mao, Dyson H. Tai, Lindsay Grant
  • Patent number: 10411063
    Abstract: A single-exposure high dynamic range (HDR) image sensor includes a first photodiode and a second photodiode, with a smaller full-well capacity than the first photodiode, disposed in a semiconductor material. The image sensor also includes a first floating diffusion disposed in the semiconductor material and a first transfer gate coupled to the first photodiode to transfer first image charge accumulated in the first photodiode into the first floating diffusion. A second floating diffusion is disposed in the semiconductor material and a second transfer gate is coupled to the second photodiode to transfer second image charge accumulated in the second photodiode into the second floating diffusion. An attenuation layer is disposed between the second photodiode and image light directed towards the single-exposure HDR image sensor to block a portion of the image light from reaching the second photodiode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Dajiang Yang, Oray Orkun Cellek, Duli Mao, Xianfu Cheng, Xin Wang, Bill Phan, Dyson Tai
  • Patent number: 10409078
    Abstract: A lensed beam-splitter prism array includes a beam-splitter substrate with a plurality of planar and parallel thin-film coatings each spanning a top substrate surface and a bottom substrate surface, and making an oblique angle therebetween, and a lens form layer formed on the top surface and having a plurality of lens forms, each lens form being above one of the plurality of coatings. A method for fabricating a lensed beam-splitter prism includes bonding a plurality of substrates to form a substrate stack having a coating between each adjacent substrate pair. The method also includes forming a stack slice by applying a plurality of parallel cuts at an oblique angle with respect to each coating. Each coating spans a first stack-slice surface and a second stack-slice surface opposing the first stack-slice surface. The method also includes forming a lens form layer on the first stack-slice surface spanning one or more coatings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jau-Jan Deng, Regis Fan, Yi-Wei Liu
  • Patent number: 10393999
    Abstract: A six-aspheric-surface lens has six coaxially aligned lenses including, in order, a positive first lens, a negative second lens, a negative third lens, a negative fourth lens, a negative fifth lens, and a plano-gull-wing sixth lens. The six-aspheric-surface lens also includes a first biplanar substrate between the first lens and the second lens, a second biplanar substrate between the third lens and the fourth lens, and a third biplanar substrate between the fifth lens and the sixth lens. The first lens may have an Abbe number exceeding 48, the second lens and the third lens each may have an Abbe number less than 35. The first lens may have a focal length f1 and the second lens may have a focal length f2 such that ?0.27<f1/f2<?0.17. The six-aspheric-surface lens may have an effective focal length feff and a total track length T such that 0.9<T/feff<1.1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Chuen-Yi Yin, Jau-Jan Deng
  • Patent number: 10375338
    Abstract: 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 having a bond contact coupled to the bond contact of a macrocell of the photodiode die. Each macrocell unit lies within a supercell and has a reset transistor adapted to reset photodiodes of the macrocell of the photodiode die. Each supercell has at least one common source amplifier adapted to receive signal from the bond contact of a selected macrocell unit of the supercell, the common source amplifier coupled to drive a column line through a selectable source follower. In embodiments, the common source amplifiers of several supercells drive the selectable source follower through a distributed differential amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Zheng Yang, Hiroaki Ebihara, Chun-Ming Tang, Chao-Fang Tsai, Rui Wang, Tiejun Dai
  • Patent number: 10360952
    Abstract: Multiport memory architecture is disclosed herein. An example memory includes an input port, a memory array, and an output port. The input port is coupled to receive data blocks and includes first and second buffers coupled to temporarily store alternate data blocks, and the output port is coupled to provide data blocks from the memory array. The memory array is partitioned into first and second partitions, with the first partition coupled to receive data blocks from the first buffer and the second partition coupled to receive data blocks from the second buffer, and the input port and the memory array are coupled to receive control signals to simultaneously receive a first data block at the first buffer, transfer a second data block from the second buffer to a first address in the second partition, and provide a third data block stored at a third address of the first partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Taehyung Jung, Jongsik Na, Sunny Ng
  • Patent number: 10359609
    Abstract: A spacer wafer for a wafer-level camera, a wafer-level camera including the spacer wafer and a method of manufacturing a spacer wafer include a layer of photoresist being formed over a substrate, the layer of photoresist being exposed to radiation through a mask that defines a spacer geometry for at least one wafer-level camera element. The layer photoresist is developed, such that the layer of photoresist is the spacer wafer for the wafer-level camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: George Barnes, Goran Rauker
  • Patent number: 10360662
    Abstract: A multiple camera imaging system, comprising a first camera image sensor configured to obtain a first image of a scene from a first vantage perspective point; a second camera image sensor configured to obtain a second image of the scene from a second vantage perspective point; and an image signal processor (ISP), configured to process the first image and the second image by performing the following steps: producing a first monotone image from the first image, and a second monotone image from the second image; projecting the first monotone image to produce a first one-dimensional profile; and projecting the second monotone image to produce a second one-dimensional profile; extracting a matching information from the first and second one-dimensional profiles by matching the second one-dimensional profile to the first one dimensional profile; using the matching information produce a first processed two-dimensional image, and a second processed two-dimensional image that is aligned with the first processed two-dim
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Xinting Gao, Shan Xu, Shimiao Li, Ying Zhou, Guansong Liu, Lu Chang
  • Patent number: 10356351
    Abstract: A method includes reading a first analog reference signal from a first storage node in a dual conversion gain pixel, and converting the first analog reference signal to a first digital reference signal using a comparator coupled to the dual conversion gain pixel. The method also includes reading a first analog image signal from the first storage node, and converting the first analog image signal to a first digital image signal using the comparator. A second analog image signal may be read from the first storage node and a second storage node in the dual conversion gain pixel, and the second analog image signal may be converted to a second digital image signal. A second analog reference signal may be read from the first storage node and the second storage node, and the second analog reference signal may be converted to a second digital reference signal using the comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Ebihara, Rui Wang, Yandong Chen, Eiichi Funatsu
  • Patent number: 10348887
    Abstract: 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 coefficients of an adaptive filter of an echo suppressor, and based on the power echo estimate signal not being greater than or less than the microphone power signal by the first threshold, enabling adaptation of filter coefficients of an adaptive filter of an echo suppressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Dong Shi, Chung-An Wang
  • Patent number: 10338352
    Abstract: 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 first lens and the substrate. The planar surface of the third lens is secured to an outermost surface of an image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Chuen-Yi Yin, Jau-Jan Deng, Ting-Yu Cheng
  • Publication number: 20190196284
    Abstract: A liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) panel comprises: a silicon substrate having silicon circuit within the silicon substrate; a plurality of metal electrodes disposed on the silicon substrate, where the plurality of metal electrodes are periodically formed on the silicon substrate; a dielectric material disposed in and filling gaps between adjacent metal electrodes; and an oxide layer disposed on the plurality of metal electrodes and the dielectric material in the gaps between adjacent metal electrodes; where the refractive index of the dielectric material is higher than the refractive index of the oxide layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ming Zhang, Libo Weng, Cheng Zhao, Yin Qian, Chia-Chun Miao, Zhiqiang Lin, Dyson H. Tai
  • Patent number: 10334191
    Abstract: 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 transfer gate is coupled to transfer the image charge from the first photodiode to the second photodiode. A second transfer gate is disposed proximate to the semiconductor material over a second channel region between the second photodiode and the floating diffusion. The second transfer gate is coupled to transfer the image charge from the second photodiode to the floating diffusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Dajiang Yang, Zhiyong Zhan, Chen-wei Lu, Duli Mao, Xin Wang, Keiji Mabuchi
  • Patent number: 10333482
    Abstract: 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 a speaker driver. The system performs a method of reducing distortion by automatically adjusting volume in each of a plurality of frequency bands including converting an input signal to a frequency domain input signal; converting a microphone signal to an environmental frequency domain signal; determining a distortion level; generating a gain adjustment signal; and adjusting gain of a signal provided to a speaker driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Dong Shi, Chung-An Wang, Cheng-Lun Hu
  • Patent number: 10333277
    Abstract: 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 imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsung-Wei Wan, Wei-Ping Chen
  • Patent number: 10326958
    Abstract: 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 auto-zero switch coupled to auto-zero a bitline input of the comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Ebihara, Zheng Yang
  • Patent number: 10326955
    Abstract: 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 N-K cascade-coupled static flip-flop circuits to generate the N-K most significant bits (MSBs) of the N-bit output of the counter. A latch is coupled to the counter to store a count value generated by the counter after the ramp signal value has reached the output signal value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yingkan Lin, Charles Wu, Yu-Shen Yang
  • Patent number: 10317733
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ming Zhang, Yin Qian, Libo Weng, Oray Orkun Cellek, Dyson Hsin-Chih Tai, Lequn Liu, Dominic Massetti