Prophesee

Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas

Prophesee Sa

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Institut National De La Sante Et De La Recherche Medicale

Robert Boschgmbh

Sorbonne Université

Prophesse

Pixium Vision, Universite Pierre Et Marie Curie

Chronocam

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique-cnrs

Pixium Vision

Inserm

Christoph Posch

Daniel Matolin

Thomas Finateu

Xavier Lagorce

Teresa Serrano Gotarredona

Amos Sironi

Marc Rousseau

Stephane Valente

Ryad Benosman

Guillaume Chenegros

Jochen Marx

Oliver Lange

Bernabé Linares Barranco

Benjamin R Benosman

Gaspard Florentz

Manuele Brambilla

Francesco Gallupi

Geoffrey F Burns

Michael Pfeiffer

Spiros Nikolaidis

Massimiliano Giulioni

Benjamin Ryad Benosman

A pixel circuit is provided for use in an event sensor. In one implementation, the pixel circuit includes a photosensitive element configured to generate a current signal in response to brightness of light impinging on the photosensitive element, a first N-type transistor, a second N-type transistor, a first P-type transistor including a gate connected to a first bias voltage, a second P-type transistor including a gate connected to a second bias voltage, the second bias voltage being an adjustable DC bias voltage that is adjusted according to at least one of a sensed temperature or a fabrication process variation of the pixel circuit, and a voltage output that varies in response to the brightness of light impinging on the photosensitive element. An adjustment of the second bias voltage causes a DC level of the voltage output to shift up or down without changing the overall gain of the pixel circuit. The pixel circuit may also include one or more additional N-type transistors for increasing performance by optimizing contrast sensitivity. The pixel circuit may further include a converter, a capacitor electrically coupled to the converter, and an amplifier electrically coupled to the capacitor. Further, the pixel circuit may be implemented in a stacked wafer configuration and one or more interconnects between wafers.

Event sensor pixel with sensitivity and dynamic range optimization

The present disclosure generally relates to image sensors and methods for image sensing. More specifically, and without limitation, this disclosure relates to systems and methods for providing super-pixels, and implementing and using image sensors with super-pixels. In one implementation, an image sensor includes a plurality of super-pixels. Each super-pixel may include a first photosensitive element; a detector electrically connected to the first photosensitive element and configured to generate a trigger signal when an analog signal proportional to brightness of light impinging on the first photosensitive element matches a condition; a second photosensitive element; an exposure measurement circuit electrically connected to the second photosensitive element and configured to convert an analog signal proportional to brightness of light impinging on the second photosensitive element to a digital signal; and a logic circuit electrically connected to the detector and the exposure measurement circuit and configured to enable the exposure measurement circuit in response to the trigger signal and to disable the exposure measurement circuit when the digital signal is read out from the exposure measurement circuit.

Image sensor with a plurality of super-pixels

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for imaging and sensing vibrations of an object. In one implementation, a system is provided for detecting vibrations that comprises a sensor with a plurality of pixels, each pixel including at least one photosensitive element. The sensor is configured to output signals related to illumination on each pixel. The system also includes at least one processor configured to receive the output signals from the sensor and detect, based on the output signals, one or more polarities. The at least one processor is also configured to determine timestamps associated with the output signals, analyze the timestamps and the polarities to detect vibrations of an object in the field of view of the sensor, and determine one or more frequencies of the detected vibrations.

Systems and methods for imaging and sensing vibrations

For processing a signal from an event-based sensor having an array of sensing elements facing a scene, the method comprises: receiving the signal including, for each sensing element, successive events originating from said sensing element depending on variations of incident light from the scene; analyzing the signal to detect a frequency pattern in a light profile sensed by at least one sensing element; and extracting information from the scene in response to detection of the frequency pattern.

Method and apparatus of processing a signal from an event-based sensor

A system () for detecting dynamic secondary objects () that have a potential to intersect the trajectory () of a moving primary object (), comprising a vision sensor () with a light-sensitive area () that comprises event-based pixels (), so that a relative change in the light intensity impinging onto an event-based pixel () of the vision sensor () by at least a predetermined percentage causes the vision sensor () to emit an event () associated with this event-based pixel (), wherein the system () further comprises a discriminator module () that gets both the stream of events () from the vision sensor () and information () about the heading and/or speed of the motion of the primary object () as inputs, and is configured to identify, from said stream of events (), based at least in part on said information (), events () that are likely to be caused by the motion of a secondary object (), rather than by the motion of the primary object (). Vision sensors () for use in the system (). A corresponding computer program.

Fast detection of secondary objects that may intersect the trajectory of a moving primary object

An image sensor includes a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a photosensitive element, and a photo-signal converter adapted to provide, on a first output, a current signal linearly proportional to the intensity of light impinging on the photosensitive element and to provide, on a second output, a voltage signal logarithmic with the intensity of light impinging on the photosensitive element. Each pixel further includes a detector adapted to generate a trigger signal when a signal of the detector proportional to the voltage signal of the second output of the photo-signal converter exceeds a threshold, and a light-to-time converter adapted to measure and encode, in the time domain, light intensity on the photosensitive element. A light-to-time conversion cycle may be initiated by the light-to-time converter in response to receipt of the trigger signal.

Systems and methods for asynchronous, time-based image sensing

An event-based image sensor is provided that includes a plurality of pixel circuits. Each pixel circuit includes a photoreceptor circuit with a light-sensitive element configured for delivering at an output a photoreceptor current, an analog bus, and a bank of current memory cells connected to the analog bus. An output of the photoreceptor circuit is selectively connected to the analog bus. Each current memory cell is adapted to store an electric current flowing in the analog bus and to deliver an electric current stored within the current memory cell. Each pixel circuit may further include a current comparator including a current sign detector connected to the analog bus and configured for comparing a value of a compared electric current resulting from a difference between the photoreceptor current and a previous photoreceptor current stored in a current memory cell. At least one storage cell may also be provided that has a state conditioned by the output of the current sign detector.

Event-based image sensor and operating method thereof

The invention relates to pixel circuit and an operating method thereof, comprising&#x2014;a front-end circuit () comprising a single photodiode (PD) and having an output (), said front-end circuit () being configured for delivering on said output a photoreceptor signal derived from a light exposure of said single photodiode (PD);&#x2014;a transient detector circuit () configured for detecting a change in said photoreceptor signal delivered on said output ();&#x2014;an exposure measurement circuit () configured for measuring said photoreceptor signal delivered on said output () upon detection by the transient detector circuit () of a change in the photoreceptor signal. The invention also relates to an image sensor comprising a plurality of pixel circuits

Dynamic, single photodiode pixel circuit and operating method thereof

A circuit includes a selection circuit electrically coupled to pixels of a line of an event vision sensor. The selection circuit is configured to receive an activation signal from an active pixel of the line, generate an acknowledge signal in response to receiving the activation signal, and send the acknowledge signal to the pixels of the line. The circuit also includes a control circuit that is electrically coupled to a pixel having a largest distance to the selection circuit among the pixels of the line. The control circuit is configured to receive the acknowledge signal from the selection circuit, and generate a process-reading signal in response to receiving the acknowledge signal. The circuit also includes an interface circuit electrically coupled to the pixels of the line and configured to cause a reset of the selection circuit, the control circuit, and the pixels of the line after receiving the process-reading signal.

Event array readout control of event-based vision sensing

This invention relates to a pixel circuit comprising a photo-sensor stage () comprising a photodiode () delivering a photoreceptor current (I), a comparison stage () configured for detecting a change in a signal voltage (V) derived from said photoreceptor current, a sample-and-hold circuit () connected to the converting stage () and to the comparison stage (), said comparison stage () configured to output an input signal for the sample-and-hold circuit (), and for emitting a sampling signal to a control terminal of the sample-and-hold circuit () when a change is detected in the signal voltage (V).

Sample and hold based temporal contrast vision sensor

A pixel circuit for detecting time-dependent visual data includes a photo sensing device detecting a light intensity and generating a signal representing the detected light intensity. The pixel circuit further includes: a voltage amplifier configured for amplifying the signal representing the detected light intensity and generating an amplified signal, the amplified signal being generated by taking into account a control signal which shifts an input voltage offset of the voltage amplifier; a hysteresis comparing module configured for comparing the amplified signal to at least one threshold value and to a reference value and for generating at least one output signal based on the comparison; and a feedback control module configured for generating the control signal of the voltage amplifier based on the at least one output signal generated by the hysteresis comparing module.

Pixel circuit for detecting time-dependent visual data

The invention relates to pixel circuit and an operating method thereof, comprising The invention also relates to an image sensor comprising a plurality of pixel circuits.

A pixel cell circuit comprises an electrode, one or more main photosensitive elements electrically coupled to the electrode for outputting a stimulation signal to the electrode responsive to light illumination, and a shunt arrangement comprising a shunt switch electrically coupled in parallel across the one or more photosensitive elements, and a control arrangement operatively coupled to the shunt switch and configured for placing the shunt switch in an open state responsive to incident light received at the pixel cell and placing the shunt switch in a closed state if no incident light is received at the pixel cell.

Growing community of inventors

Bad Fischau, Austria

Christoph Posch