Abstract: The present invention introduces an arrangement for enhancing the performance of an electronic circuit comprising a phototransistor (Q). Either a common-collector or a common-emitter connected phototransistor (Q) has a main resistor (RL), and at least one external bias resistors (RL2, RL3, RL4), each in parallel to one another. The microcontroller may directly control the voltage outputs or act via respective switches (S1, S2) regarding each respective resistor. When the electronic circuit with the phototransistor (Q) is switched on, at least one of the external bias resistors (RL2, RL3, RL4) are switched on. The voltage output rise time is short, and when the bias has been set, the external bias resistor(s) are disconnected functionally. This means that during the actual measurement with the electric circuit, only the main resistor (RL) is used in the connection.

Abstract: An optical sensor arrangement comprises a photodiode and a converter arrangement including an integration amplifier, a comparator amplifier, an integration capacitor and a comparator capacitor. An offset of the integration amplifier is corrected in that the integrator output signal is compared with a high and a low comparison voltage to repetitively adjust an offset trim value. The use of two comparison thresholds creates noise immunity.

Abstract: An optical sensing circuit includes a first, a second, and a third optical sensing element and a sampling circuit. The first sensing element provides a first current from a first node to a second node according to an ambient light and a sensing signal. The second optical sensing element drains a second current from the second node to the first node according to the ambient light and the sensing signal. The third optical sensing element is coupled between the first node and the second node. The third optical sensing element receives a first color light, and transmits the first current to the second node or transmits the second current to the first node according to the first color light. The sampling circuit is turned on according to the sampling signal to output a detection signal based on the voltage level of the second node.

Abstract: In embodiment, a measurement circuit forms a compensation signal that is representative of disturbances that are received while the measurement circuit is not receiving a signal to be measured, then the circuit removes the compensation signal from the measurement signal before measuring the value of the measurement signal.

Abstract: A semiconductor device may include an array of single-photon avalanche diode pixels. The single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) pixels may include a SPAD coupled to a supply voltage terminal via first and second reset paths. The first reset path may be a fast reset path that provides the SPAD with a short recovery time. The second reset path may be a slower reset path that provides the SPAD with a longer recovery time, but is used to ensure the SPAD is quenched even when the quench resistance associated with the first reset path is low. Logic circuitry may selectively activate the first or the second resets to quench and reset the SPAD. A SPAD pixel may also include one or more switches that keep nodes in the SPAD pixel at a constant voltage when the SPAD pixel is inactive.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a device and a method for detecting a light intensity. The device includes a photosensor, an input circuit, an amplification circuit, a feedback circuit, a storage circuit, and an output circuit. The photosensor is coupled to a first voltage signal terminal and a first node. The input circuit provides a first voltage signal to the first node according to an input signal. The amplification circuit provides, to a second node, a second voltage signal from a second voltage signal terminal according to the voltage of the first node. The feedback circuit couples the first node to the second node according to a reset signal. The storage circuit stores a voltage difference between the first node and the second node. The output circuit reads the voltage of the second node according to a read signal.

Abstract: Systems and methods for autofocusing an objective lens in a microscope system. A self-calibrating autofocus system includes a light source, a decentered aperture, and image-capturing device. The system may be connected to the microscope system so that the light source generates a light on an optical path that includes the objective lens and a plate having a reference surface proximal to a sample holding component. The image capturing device images a reflection of light from the reference surface as the objective lens moves to a series of z-positions. A reference calibration slope is generated for the objective lens by determining positions of the images taken at the z-positions of the objective lens. At least one image having a particular attribute corresponds to a best focus position. The objective lens is moved to predicted best focus or preferred offset from calibrated best focus using the reference calibration slope.

Abstract: A photosensitive transistor or voltage-mode device which comprises a gate electrode, a layer of ambipolar two-dimensional material such as graphene and a layer of photoactive semiconducting material forms a junction with the ambipolar two-dimensional material. The photoactive semiconducting material and the ambipolar two-dimensional material are configured so that there is a non-screening gate voltage interval where an interface voltage at the junction between the photoactive semiconducting layer and the ambipolar two-dimensional material can be changed by applying to the gate electrode a gate voltage which falls within the non-screening gate voltage interval. The non-screening gate voltage interval comprises a flat-band gate voltage at which the interface voltage is zero. An electrical shutter can be operated at this gate voltage.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method determining a spatial light distribution in an environment. The method comprising: acquiring (602) a spatially resolved light data set (100) by collecting light from the environment (202) using a camera, wherein the light data set (100) comprises a plurality of data elements of a first type (106), each data element of the first type (106) being associated with a vertical angle span and a horizontal angle span, wherein the vertical angle span and the horizontal angle span pertain to angles from which light from the environment (202) is incident on the camera, and each data element of the first type (106) comprising data pertaining to an amount of incident light within a first spectral range; and determining (604), based on the light data set (100), a vertical spatial distribution (122) of the light within the first spectral range. The measurement is taken with a RGB camera and the pixel intensities of row are summed up and averaged.

Abstract: A buffered direct injection pixel can be operated such that it is automatically zeroed. The operation includes: during a normal operating mode, controlling a gate voltage of an injection transistor with the output of an amplifier to control a bias of photo-current source, an inverting input of the amplifier being connected to input of the injection transistor through a nulling capacitor; during a nulling operation, closing a first switch to connect the nulling capacitor directly to an output of the amplifier; during the nulling operation, closing a second switch to directly couple the input of the injection transistor to a bias voltage causing the nulling capacitor to store a difference between an output of the amplifier and the bias voltage; and after the nulling operation, providing the voltage stored on the nulling capacitor to the inverting input by opening the first and second switches.

Abstract: A method for light-to-frequency conversion comprises generating a photocurrent by means of a photodiode and converting the photocurrent into a digital comparator output signal in a charge balancing operation depending on a first clock signal. From the digital comparator output signal an asynchronous count is determined and comprises an integer number of counts depending on the first clock signal. From the digital comparator output signal a fractional time count is determined and depends on a second clock signal. Finally, from the asynchronous count and from the fractional time count a digital output signal is calculated which is indicative of the photocurrent generated by the photodiode. The method may be carried out by an exemplary light-to-frequency converter equipped with a photodiode.

Abstract: A device is provided. The device includes one or more of a plurality of sensor/light source groups, each including a sensor, a first light source of a first color, and a second light source of a second color, arranged in sequence along an expected direction of travel of an object. The device also includes a device to track objects, coupled to the plurality of sensor/light source groups, and configured to drive first light sources in response to playback of a stored sequence and drive second light sources in response to received active sensor outputs from sensors of the plurality of sensor/light source groups.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a pair of pixel sharing circuits, a second reset transistor, an amplifier transistor, a readout transistor and a control circuit. The pair of pixel sharing circuits connected to a floating diffusion node, each including a photon device, a first reset transistor, a capture transistor, a holding transistor, a capacitor and a sharing transistor. The control circuit is configured to control the first reset transistor, the first capture transistor, the first holding transistor and the sharing transistor of each of the pair of sharing pixel circuits to be turned on or off.

Abstract: A receiver module includes: a photodiode; a carrier configured to mount the photodiode; a base having a surface on which the carrier is mounted; a conductive pattern provided on the carrier, being conductively joined to a cathode electrode of the photodiode; a transimpedance amplifier having a first terminal connected to the conductive pattern through a bonding wire and a second terminal electrically connected to an anode electrode of the photodiode; and a capacitor having a first end electrically connected to the conductive pattern through a conductor having inductance smaller than inductance of the bonding wire and a second end electrically connected to the surface of the base.

Abstract: An image sensor is disclosed. The image sensor includes: a pixel circuit in a first die, the pixel circuit including a pixel for sensing an incident light to generate a result; and a correlated double sampling (CDS) readout circuit in a second die different from the first die; wherein the first die is coupled to the second die, and the result sensed by the pixel circuit is read out by the CDS readout circuit. A semiconductor structure is also disclosed. The semiconductor structure includes: said image sensor, wherein the first die is stacked on the second die; and an interconnector between the first die and the second die, the interconnector electrically connecting the pixel circuit and the CDS readout circuit.

Abstract: A scale attachment device configured to attach a tape scale for a linear encoder includes a fixing block and housing members. The fixing block fixes the central part of the tape scale in the lengthwise direction by pressing the central part onto a target object. The housing members include a groove to house a remaining part of the scale on both sides of the fixing block. The tape scale is inserted into the groove in the lengthwise direction with its back surface facing the bottom surface of the groove of the housing member, and thus housed in the groove. The width dimension of the opening of the groove is smaller than the width dimension of the scale.

Abstract: A light sensor device is provided. It is controlled with a dual-mode master-and-slave microcontroller unit (MCU) application. An MCU is embedded into a light sensor chip. The original dual-mode master-and-slave dual-CPU architectures are combined to be operated as a single-CPU architecture. Since the original circuit pin design is followed, it is possible to be compatible with the old circuit design. The present invention uses a single-CPU architecture to directly control light sensors. Through the configuration of RAM, an inter-integrated circuit bus (I2C I/F) can be redirected to an internal non-volatile memory to switch the operational mode of the light sensor chip from a slave machine to a host machine which switches off the interrupt pin and, then, turns to a GPIO pin. Thus, the present invention provides a simple single-CPU architecture with easy use and effectively-lowered cost.