Abstract: Switching circuitry comprising a bank of actuatable switches connected in parallel between a supply terminal and a decoding terminal, each switch being connected in series with a component which, when the switch is actuated, applies to the second terminal an analog signal having a value unique to that switch.

Abstract: An image stabilization apparatus includes accelerometers, a proximity sensor and a processor. Each accelerometer determines acceleration along an axis of a plane parallel to a focal plane of an image capture device. The accelerometers output respective acceleration data to the processor. The proximity sensor obtains a measurement of the distance between the focal plane of the image capture device and an object plane. The proximity sensor outputs distance data to the processor. The processor processes the distance data and the acceleration data to produce correction data to correct image data captured during motion of the image capture device.

Abstract: An image sensor power distribution arrangement includes a sensing portion having a first contact at a first edge thereof and a second contact at a second edge thereof, and a control portion. A first power supply supplies power to the sensing portion via the first contact. A second power supply supplies power to the sensing portion via the second contact, and to the control portion.

Abstract: A control device including a means for capturing an image of a display; means for determining from said captured image, information defining a desired position on said display; and means for sending a signal having the determined information. Embodiments of the present disclosure have many applications such as with television to for example select stations or control settings of the televisions, computers, DVDs, videos, MPEG players or the like. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be used with video players or recorders. It should be noted that video player/recorders can deal with video data stored or to be recorded on tape, discs such as DVDs or CDs, removable memory such as a memory stick or a memory internal to the device.

Abstract: A pixel structure includes two different photosensitive portions. One portion is shielded from incident light and the signals from both are fed into an op amp so that the differential signal is output as the pixel output, thereby cancelling dark current.

Abstract: A column current source for an image sensor includes an array of pixels arranged in rows and columns, a reference current source, a transistor connected as a source follower to the reference current source and forming one half of a current mirror, and a plurality of current sources each connected to a column of pixels and with each current source forming the other half of the current mirror, thereby mirroring the reference current source. The current sources are connected to a first common node. A resistor is connected between the first common node and a second common node. One or more resistors are connected in series between the second common node and the transistor drain, and two or more switches are selectively operable to short circuit the resistors allowing the current sources to provide more than two current levels, thereby optimizing the image sensor current consumption for mobile devices.

Abstract: A vignetting-type chromatic error, particularly found in image sensors having pixel dimensions of a few microns, may be corrected by applying to each color channel a gain factor which increases with the radial position of the pixel.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a pixel array, and a correlated double sample circuit coupled to one of the pixels in the pixel array. The correlated double sample circuit includes first and second inputs, and first and second sample capacitors respectively coupled to the first and second inputs. The first input is for receiving an analog signal from a pixel, and the second input is for receiving a time varying reference signal. The analog signal varies during a pixel readout period, and has a first level during a first reset period and a second-level during a second read period. A comparator circuit compares the time varying reference signal and the analog signal. The analog signal and the time varying reference signal are constantly read onto one of the first and second sample capacitors during both the first reset period and the second read period.

Abstract: A light-sensitive pixel array has an active area and an additional area of optically shielded pixels. A “noise figure” is derived as a measure of the prevalence of noise in the image signal without being affected by the presence of moving detail in the image. The noise figure is derived by measuring the difference in output between the pixels of at least one pair of pixels in the optically shielded area in one frame, repeating this measurement in a subsequent frame, and then subtracting one pixel pair difference from the other to give a difference of differences. In a preferred form, four pairs of pixels are used. The noise figure may be used to control digital signal processing of the image signal, such as be smoothing.

Abstract: An image sensor may have a power supply voltage regulator controlled by a feedback loop. The feedback signal may be derived by applying the supply voltage at a point distant from the voltage regulator to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which may be a spare channel of an ADC provided for the output of the pixel array. The digital feedback loop may be controlled via a chip I2C bus.

Abstract: An imaging system is disclosed comprising a plurality of pixels; a pixel readout means for producing a plurality of first image frames; a image output means for producing a plurality of second image frames and operable to produce a second image frame from more than one of the first image frames, wherein the pixel readout means is enabled to produce the first images frames at a rate faster than the image output means produces the second image frames. Through combining first image frames, by averaging or other statistical combinations, the photon shot noise of second image frames can be reduced. Photon shot noise affects images with high light levels more than those with low light levels and, as such, the invention also discloses altering the rate of first image frames dependent on the current light levels.

Abstract: A system is provided in which a first circuit is protected by security features provided by a second circuit. The first circuit comprises a processor which retrieves content from a memory. Initially, the contents of the memory are authenticated using security features of the second circuit to check that the processor is accessing authenticated content. To maintain security during use, the second circuit checks that the processor is accessing content from valid regions of the memory, being those that have been authenticated, and re-checks the authenticity of the content of the valid regions of memory. The combination of checking that the processor is accessing from valid regions of the memory and authenticating the content stored in the valid regions maximizes the security of the system. If any of the checking or authentication steps fail then operation of the system is impaired. The first circuit is thus protected by security features provided by the second circuit.

Abstract: A focussing device for a lens, including a frame, a lens carrier movable relative to the frame from a first position along an optical axis, a motor for driving the lens carrier along the optical axis, and at least one biasing member adapted to bias the lens carrier towards the first position. The biasing member may include one or more bending members.

Abstract: A presentation system includes a display for displaying data, and an input device for generating a distinctive mark on the display. The distinctive mark has pulse width modulation characteristics. A processor carries out an action determined by the distinctive mark. An image capture device remote from the display detects the distinctive mark on the display. The image capture device is coupled to the processor, and includes a detector. The detector detects the distinctive mark on the display, determines location of the distinctive mark relative to the display, and determines the pulse width modulation characteristics of the distinctive mark corresponding to the action to be carried out by the processor.

Abstract: A lens assembly for an imaging device includes a lens for focusing external radiation towards an image sensor of the imaging device. A mounting member is between the lens and the image sensor so that the lens is spaced a set distance from the image sensor. An adjustment member varies position of the mounting member relative to the image sensor so that the set distance is varied.

Abstract: A charge pump includes a transistor of the charge pump modified to regulate a supply voltage to substantially reduce noise from the supply voltage when charging the capacitor of the charge pump and subsequently reduces noise at the voltage output. The charge pump may have a regulating transistor for charging or for pumping or for both. The regulating transistor requires a regulated bulk voltage and a modulated gate voltage to enable regulation of the supply voltage. The regulated bulk voltage may be supplied by a small regulator.

Abstract: A method for estimating the white Gaussian noise level that corrupts a digital image by discriminating homogeneous blocks from blocks containing a textured area and skipping these last blocks when evaluating the noise standard deviation.

Abstract: The method is for controlling a charge pump of the type where two flying capacitors charge and discharge to a reservoir capacitor in sequence. Part of the switching is carried out in parallel, lengthening the charging pulse at the expense of the conventional comparatively long discharge pulse, thus providing operation at higher frequencies than previously possible.

Abstract: A video frame buffer may enable a high resolution image sensor video stream to be transmitted on a standard communication link at a high frame rate. The buffer may include an image stream input for receiving image frames from the image sensor, and a memory for buffering image frames. A frame processor manipulates portions of each image frame before passing the modified image frame to the memory which selectively buffers the frames before outputting the frames to a communication output. The video frame buffer may be implemented in a FPGA along with a DDR SDRAM memory. The communication link may be a USB2 communication link.

Abstract: An analogue to digital converter (ADC) comprises a digital ramp generator (700, an analogue voltage comparator (106), a digital to analogue converter (DAC) (110) and a data storage device (108). The digital ramp generator (700) comprises first and second counters (704, 706). An output (714) of the first counter (704) outputs an incremental code (INC) to an input (720) of the second counter (706) such that the output code (RAMP) of the second counter (706) varies by said incremental code (INC). The second counter (706) outputs a digital ramp code (RAMP) to respective inputs of the DAC (110) and the data storage device (108). The DAC (110) outputs an analogue voltage to an input of the analogue voltage comparator (106) which switches logic states when the output analogue voltage of the DAC (110) equals an input voltage received at its second.