Abstract: A switching power regulator provides for power regulation for a load, based at least in part on comparison of an output voltage with a reference voltage. The reference voltage may be changed, and in some cases changed dynamically, while regulated power is provided to the load. The switching power regulator may include a bypass switch for coupling ends of an output inductor.

Abstract: A switching power regulator provides for power regulation for a load, based at least in part on comparison of an output voltage with a reference voltage. The reference voltage may be changed, and in some cases changed dynamically, while regulated power is provided to the load. The switching power regulator may include a bypass switch for coupling ends of an output inductor.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of generating an output voltage, comprising: generating a regulated output voltage from a high voltage source; providing an inductor having a first terminal and a second terminal linked to a low voltage source by a capacitor, the second inductor terminal supplying the output voltage to a load; connecting the first inductor terminal exclusively either to the high voltage source or to the low voltage source or to the second inductor terminal, as a function of command signals to reduce a difference between the output voltage and a reference voltage lower than a high voltage supplied by the high voltage source; and generating a square binary control signal having a duty cycle substantially adjusted to the ratio of the output voltage to the high voltage; the first inductor terminal being connected to the high voltage source or to the low voltage source as a function of a binary state of the control signal.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of generating an output voltage from a high input voltage and a command signal, the method comprising: generating an output voltage from a high voltage source; providing an inductor having a first terminal and a second terminal linked to a low voltage source by a capacitor, the second inductor terminal supplying the output voltage to a load; generating command signals as a function of a high voltage supplied by the high voltage source and the output voltage, to reduce a difference between the output voltage and a reference voltage lower than the high voltage; and connecting the first inductor terminal exclusively either to the high input voltage or the low voltage or to the inductor second terminal, as a function of the command signals.

Abstract: Automatic transient control circuitry may be used to alleviate issues relating to large changes in power demands by a load in an integrated circuit. The transient control circuitry may inject current to or retract current from a load, for example charging or discharging a bypass capacitor associated with the load, when circuitry of the load is commanded to an operational state from a standby state or vice-versa, respectively.

Abstract: A digital color imager providing an extended luminance range, an improved color implementation and enabling a method for an easy transformation into another color space having luminance as a component has been achieved. Key of the invention is the addition of white pixels to red, green and blue pixels. These white pixels have either an extended dynamic range as described by (U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,852 to Levine et al.) or have a larger size than the red, green, or blue pixels used. The output of said white pixels can be directly used for the luminance values Y of the destination color space. Therefore only the color values and have to be calculated from the RGB values, leading to an easier and faster calculation. As an example chosen by the inventor the conversion to YCbCr color space has been shown in detail.

Abstract: A digital color imager providing an extended luminance range, an improved color implementation and enabling a method for an easy transformation into another color space having luminance as a component has been achieved. Key of the invention is the addition of white pixels to red, green and blue pixels. These white pixels have either an extended dynamic rang as described by (U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,852 to Levine et al.) or have a larger size than the red, green, or blue pixels used. The output of said white pixels can be directly used for the luminance values Y of the destination color space. Therefore only the color values and have to be calculated from the RGB values, leading to an easier and faster calculation. As an example chosen by the inventor the conversion to YCbCr color space has been shown in detail.

Abstract: A digital color imager providing an extended luminance range, an improved color implementation and enabling a method for an easy transformation into another color space having luminance as a component has been achieved. Key of the invention is the addition of white pixels to red, green and blue pixels. These white pixels have either an extended dynamic rang as described by U.S. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,852 to Levine et al.) or have a larger size than the red, green, or blue pixels used. The output of said white pixels can be directly used for the luminance values Y of the destination color space. Therefore only the color values and have to be calculated from the RGB values, leading to an easier and faster calculation. As an example chosen by the inventor the conversion to YCbCr color space has been shown in detail.

Abstract: An imaging system provides a serial video signal that is indicative of the intensity of the light. The imaging system has an array of pixel image sensors arranged in rows and columns. A control circuit is in communication with the rows of the array and the plurality of column switches. The control circuit generates reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals for each selected row for controlling resetting, integration of photoelectrons generated from the light impinging upon the array of pixel image sensors, charge transfer of the photoelectrons from the photosensing devices to the charge storage device, and to activate the photoelectron sensing devices on each row to generate output signals from each of the pixel image sensors on a selected row. The control circuit generates the column selection signals for transfer of the output signals from selected rows to form a serial video output signal.

Abstract: An apparatus controls operation of an array of color multiple sensor pixel image sensors to provide a global shuttering for one half of the color multiple sensor pixel image sensors and a rolling shuttering for all color multiple sensor pixel image sensors of the array. The apparatus includes a row control circuit and a column clamp, sample, and hold circuit. The row control circuit generates the necessary reset control signals, transfer gating signals, and row selecting signals for providing the global shuttering and the rolling shuttering color multiple sensor pixel image sensors. The column clamp, sample and hold circuit generates an output signal representative of a number of photons impinging upon each color multiple sensor pixel image sensor of the row of selected color multiple sensor pixel image sensors. The control apparatus further includes an analog to digital converter which converts the read out signal to a digital image signal.

Abstract: An image processing system for interpolating image data is comprised of a shift invariant point determining device, an illumination averager, a second order differentiator, and color data calculator. The shift invariant point determining device ascertains shift invariant points within the mosaic color element array pattern. The illumination averager determines average illumination values of clusters of a plurality of pixels. The second order differentiator determines a second order derivative of the average illumination values of the clusters of the plurality of pixels. The color data calculator determines color data for each of the plurality of pixels from the image data and second order derivative. A second order derivative scaler multiplies the second order derivative by a scaling factor for selectively smoothing and sharpening the second order derivative. A color data averager averages color data values of adjacent pixels to a resolution of the image data.

Abstract: An image processing system interpolates image data of an image array by ascertaining shift invariant points and non-shift invariant points within the array. The average illumination and the second order derivative are determined for the shift invariant locations. The second order derivative and the intensity at the non-shift invariant locations for each of the non-shift invariant points are estimated. The color data for each color element is determined from the image data and second order derivative. The second order derivative is multiplied by a scaling factor for selectively smoothing and sharpening the second order derivative. The color data values of adjacent color element to enhance a resolution of the image data.

Abstract: An apparatus controls operation of an array of color multiple sensor pixel image sensors to provide a global shuttering for one half of the color multiple sensor pixel image sensors and a rolling shuttering for all color multiple sensor pixel image sensors of the array. The apparatus includes a row control circuit and a column clamp, sample, and hold circuit. The row control circuit generates the necessary reset control signals, transfer gating signals, and row selecting signals for providing the global shuttering and the rolling shuttering color multiple sensor pixel image sensors. The column clamp, sample and hold circuit generates an output signal representative of a number of photons impinging upon each color multiple sensor pixel image sensor of the row of selected color multiple sensor pixel image sensors. The control apparatus further includes an analog to digital converter which converts the read out signal to a digital image signal.

Abstract: An apparatus controls operation of an array of color multiple sensor pixel image sensors to provide a global shuttering for one half of the color multiple sensor pixel image sensors and a rolling shuttering for all color multiple sensor pixel image sensors of the array. The apparatus includes a row control circuit and a column clamp, sample, and hold circuit. The row control circuit generates the necessary reset control signals, transfer gating signals, and row selecting signals for providing the global shuttering and the rolling shuttering color multiple sensor pixel image sensors. The column clamp, sample and hold circuit generates an output signal representative of a number of photons impinging upon each color multiple sensor pixel image sensor of the row of selected color multiple sensor pixel image sensors. The control apparatus further includes an analog to digital converter which converts the read out signal to a digital image signal.

Abstract: An image processing system for interpolating image data is comprised of a shift invariant point determining device, an illumination averager, a second order differentiator, and color data calculator. The shift invariant point determining device ascertains shift invariant points within the mosaic color element array pattern. The illumination averager determines average illumination values of clusters of a plurality of pixels. The second order differentiator determines a second order derivative of the average illumination values of the clusters of the plurality of pixels. The color data calculator determines color data for each of the plurality of pixels from the image data and second order derivative. A second order derivative scaler multiplies the second order derivative by a scaling factor for selectively smoothing and sharpening the second order derivative. A color data averager averages color data values of adjacent pixels to a resolution of the image data.

Abstract: An imaging system provides a serial video signal that is indicative of the intensity of the light. The imaging system has an array of pixel image sensors arranged in rows and columns. A control circuit is in communication with the rows of the array and the plurality of column switches. The control circuit generates reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals for each selected row for controlling resetting, integration of photoelectrons generated from the light impinging upon the array of pixel image sensors, charge transfer of the photoelectrons from the photosensing devices to the charge storage device, and to activate the photoelectron sensing devices on each row to generate output signals from each of the pixel image sensors on a selected row. The control circuit generates the column selection signals for transfer of the output signals from selected rows to form a serial video output signal.

Abstract: An image processing system for interpolating image data is comprised of a shift invariant point determining device, an illumination averager, a second order differentiator, and color data calculator. The shift invariant point determining device ascertains shift invariant points within the mosaic color element array pattern. The illumination averager determines average illumination values of clusters of a plurality of pixels. The second order differentiator determines a second order derivative of the average illumination values of the clusters of the plurality of pixels. The color data calculator determines color data for each of the plurality of pixels from the image data and second order derivative. A second order derivative scaler multiplies the second order derivative by a scaling factor for selectively smoothing and sharpening the second order derivative. A color data averager averages color data values of adjacent pixels to a resolution of the image data.

Abstract: An imaging system provides a serial video signal that is indicative of the intensity of the light. The imaging system has an array of pixel image sensors arranged in rows and columns. A control circuit is in communication with the rows of the array and the plurality of column switches. The control circuit generates reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals for each selected row for controlling resetting, integration of photoelectrons generated from the light impinging upon the array of pixel image sensors, charge transfer of the photoelectrons from the photosensing devices to the charge storage device, and to activate the photoelectron sensing devices on each row to generate output signals from each of the pixel image sensors on a selected row. The control circuit generates the column selection signals for transfer of the output signals from selected rows to form a serial video output signal.

Abstract: A method for forming a pixel image sensor that has a high shutter rejection ratio for preventing substrate charge leakage and prevents generation of photoelectrons within a floating diffusion storage node and storage node control transistor switches of the pixel image sensor. The pixel image sensor that prevents substrate charge leakage of photoelectrons from pixel image sensor adjacent to the pixel image sensor. The pixel image sensor is fabricated on a substrate with an isolation barrier and a carrier conduction well. The isolation barrier formed underneath the floating diffusion storage node allows effective isolation by draining away the stray carriers and preventing them from reaching the floating diffusion storage node. The carrier conduction well in combination with the deep N-well isolation barrier separates the pinned photodiode region from the deep N-well isolation barrier that is underneath the floating diffusion storage node.

Abstract: A photo-sensor image resolution adjustment apparatus is in communication with an array of image photo-sensors that are organized in columns and rows and have multiple sensor types arranged in a pattern such as a Bayer pattern to detect light. The photo-sensor image resolution adjustment apparatus has a photo-sensor array decimation circuit to partition the array of image photo-sensors into a plurality of sub-groups. A column averaging circuit averages the light conversion electrical signals from common color photo-sensors within the sub-groups. A row averaging circuit averages the common color adjacent light conversion electrical signals from color adjacent rows within the sub-groups in high light intensity condition. In low light conditions, a row binning circuit integrates the common color adjacent light conversion electrical signals from color adjacent rows within the sub-groups.