Abstract: A pair of identical, specially-shaped, and specially-sized flow diverters is provided. In order to concentrate the flow of water passing over a waterfall, such as an ornamental backyard spa or swimming pool waterfall, a first flow diverter is attached adjacent a first sidewall of the waterfall structure, and a second flow diverter is attached adjacent a second sidewall of the waterfall structure. Water passing by the sidewalls is directed inwardly away from the sidewalls, thereby narrowing the flow of water over the fall and reducing overspray and reducing mineral build up and scale problems. In one novel aspect, an assemblage (a saleable product) includes a product container, the pair of flow diverters disposed in the container, a tube of silicone adhesive disposed in the container, and a set of printed usage instructions disposed in the container.

Abstract: A pair of identical, specially-shaped, and specially-sized flow diverters is provided. In order to concentrate the flow of water passing over a waterfall, such as an ornamental backyard spa or swimming pool waterfall, a first flow diverter is attached adjacent a first sidewall of the waterfall structure, and a second flow diverter is attached adjacent a second sidewall of the waterfall structure. Water passing by the sidewalls is directed inwardly away from the sidewalls, thereby narrowing the flow of water over the fall and reducing overspray and reducing mineral build up and scale problems. In one novel aspect, an assemblage (a saleable product) includes a product container, the pair of flow diverters disposed in the container, a tube of silicone adhesive disposed in the container, and a set of printed usage instructions disposed in the container.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described that detect and correct for over-saturation lighting conditions in a CMOS Image Sensor.

Abstract: A CMOS image sensor circuit having a distributed amplifier is disclosed. The CMOS image sensor circuit is constructed using a photo sensor that converts light intensity to into voltage, a reset transistor to charge the photo sensor, and a distributed amplifier to detect and read out the voltage value created by the photo sensor. The distributed amplifier is distributed in the sense that portions of the amplifier circuitry reside within individual pixel circuits that form a CMOS image sensor array. The remainder of the amplifier resides in a column read out circuit that is at the bottom of the CMOS image sensor array.

Abstract: A CMOS image sensor circuit includes an array of sensing elements which integrate electrical charge according to the light intensity thereon. In order to measure the accumulated charge voltage at the individual sensing elements, and thus obtain the image data from the array, a sampling circuit is provided. The sampling circuit operates using a high-gain amplification stage and an auto-zero amplifier to perform correlated double sampling, which enables non-linear influences which may arise in the array to be reduced in the measuring process. The sampling circuit can also include a sample and hold circuit arranged to account for a feed-through effect arising from pre-charge circuitry in the sensing elements. The sample and hold circuit can be included within the feed-back loop of the high-gain amplification stage for further increases in linear performance.

Abstract: According to the principles of this invention, an improved CMOS image sensor is disclosed. The improved CMOS image sensor comprises a pair of controllable column and row decoders, a signal conditioning circuit and a pixel processor in addition to an array of photo sensors. With the pair of controllable column and row decoders, photo sensors can selectively and dynamically accessed to improve signal throughput for applications that do not require the full set of signals from the array of photo sensors. The digitized signals from the selected photo sensors can be processed in the pixel processor for auto focus, pixel signals decimation and interpolation, data conversation and compression. Consequently, the design complexity of an overall imaging system using the disclosed CMOS image sensor is considerably reduced and the performance thereof is substantially increased.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described that detect and correct for over-saturation lighting conditions in a CMOS Image Sensor.

Abstract: A CMOS image sensor circuit having a distributed amplifier is disclosed. The CMOS image sensor circuit is constructed using a photo sensor that converts light intensity to into voltage, a reset transistor to charge the photo sensor, and a distributed amplifier to detect and read out the voltage value created by the photo sensor. The distributed amplifier is distributed in the sense that portions of the amplifier circuitry reside within individual pixel circuits that form a CMOS image sensor array. The remainder of the amplifier resides in a column read out circuit that is at the bottom of the CMOS image sensor array.

Abstract: A CMOS image sensor circuit having a distributed amplifier is disclosed. The CMOS image sensor circuit is constructed using a photo sensor that converts light intensity to into voltage, a reset transistor to charge the photo sensor, and a distributed amplifier to detect and read out the voltage value created by the photo sensor. The distributed amplifier is distributed in the sense that portions of the amplifier circuitry reside within individual pixel circuits that form a CMOS image sensor array. The remainder of the amplifier resides in a column read out circuit that is at the bottom of the CMOS image sensor array.

Abstract: The noise in the photo information extracted from an active pixel sensor cell is reduced by resetting the voltage on the photodiode of the cell to the power supply voltage, and by reading the cell immediately before and after the cell is reset. The voltage on the photodiode is reset to the power supply voltage by applying a reset voltage to the gate of the reset transistor conventionally used to reset the photodiode where the reset voltage is sufficiently larger than the power supply voltage to cause the voltage on the photodiode to be pulled up to the power supply voltage.

Abstract: Integrated circuits suitable for high-performance applications, especially mixed signal products that have analog and digital sections, are fabricated from a semiconductor structure in which lower buried regions of opposite conductivity types are situated along a lower semiconductor interface between a semiconductive substrate and an overlying lower semiconductive layer. An upper buried region of a selected conductivity type is situated along an upper semiconductor interface between the lower semiconductive layer and an overlying upper semiconductive layer. Another upper buried region of opposite conductivity type to the first-mentioned upper buried region is preferably situated along the upper semiconductor interface. The upper semiconductive layer contains P-type and N-type device regions in which transistor zones are situated. The semiconductor structure is configured so that at least one of each of the P-type and N-type device regions is electrically isolated from the substrate.

Abstract: Integrated circuits suitable for high-performance applications, especially mixed signal products that have analog and digital sections, are fabricatable from a semiconductor structure having two levels of buried regions. In a typical embodiment lower buried regions of opposite conductivity types are situated along a lower semiconductor interface between a semiconductive substrate and an overlying lower semiconductive layer. Upper buried regions of opposite conductivity type are similarly situated along an upper semiconductor interface between the lower semiconductive layer and an overlying upper semiconductive layer. The upper semiconductive layer contains P-type and N-type device regions in which transistor zones are situated. The semiconductor structure is normally configured so that at least one of each of the P-type and N-type device regions is electrically isolated from the substrate. Complementary bipolar transistors can be integrated with complementary field-effect transistors in the structure.

Abstract: A multistage pipelined analog to digital converter architecture that significantly reduces non-linearity by a novel control switching technique is introduced. A first aspect of the present invention embraces a sample and hold circuit that includes a logic circuit, a plurality of reference signal nodes, an input signal node, an output signal node, a sample signal node, a first switching node, a second switching node, a circuit reference node, a first capacitor, a second capacitor, a signal routing circuit, and amplifier, which are inter-coupled to provide an output analog residue signal. At each stage of the pipelined architecture the sample and hold switch control logic alternately samples and amplifies signals inputted thereto and effectively reduce capacitor mismatch errors. This has the advantageous result of reducing non-linearity. According to a second aspect, the sample and hold circuit uses a differential amplifier having an inverting input and a non-inverting input.

Abstract: A programmable delay for the gate signal output of the differentiator in a data analyzing circuit is provided. A data signal is produced by a low pass filter, and a differentiator (high pass filter) produces a gate signal. The cutoff frequency of the low pass filter is controlled by a first control circuit, and a second control circuit is provided to separately control the cutoff frequency of the high pass filter. The second control circuit produces a variation from the base frequency determined by the first control circuit. Thus, the cutoff frequency of the high pass filter will always be proportional to that of the low pass filter.

Abstract: A CMOS high gain strobed comparator comprising a cascoded input differential stage with current mirror loads. The DC biasing for the input stage cascode devices is set by a replica biasing technique. The loads to the input differential stage are simple current mirrors which drive a set of cross-coupled devices that form a latch. The high gain of the comparator is realized in the second stage. The differential output of the comparator drives a second latch. This second cross-coupled latch stores and maintains the comparator data even after the strobe signal destroys the data of the differential output.

Abstract: A CMOS Class AB power amplifier is disclosed wherein supply-to-supply voltage swings across low resistive loads are efficiently and readily handled. A high gain input stage including a differential amplifier driving a common source amplifier drives unity gain push-pull output stage. Included in the invention is circuitry to control the DC bias current in the output driver devices in the event of an offset between the push-pull unity gain amplifiers.

Abstract: A circuit for producing a compensated output signal includes a first and second stage of amplification (18) and (20) and a compensation circuit (16). The first stage of amplification (18) has a signal input, a signal output and a control input. The second stage of amplification (20) also has a signal input, a signal output and a control input with the signal input of the second stage (20) connected to the signal output of the first stage (18). A passive feedback network comprised of a series connected resistor (R.sub.F) and capacitor (C.sub.F) is connected between the signal input and the signal output of the second stage (20). The combination of the passive feedback network, the first stage (18) and the second stage (20) provide a gain and frequency response that is defined by three poles and one zero. The zero overlaps one of the poles thereby providing an extended frequency response. The passive feedback network varies the frequency response in response to manufacturing process variations.