Stmicroelectronics (research & Development) Limited

Stmicroelectronics Gmbh

Stmicroelectronics (grenoble 2) Sas

Ewan Findlay

Colin Campbell

Andrew Harvey

Gonzalo Muyo

Bertrand Lucotte

Mads Demenikov

Stuart McLeod

Eric Saugier

Jonathan Ephriam David Hurwitz

Mathieu Reigneau

Keith Findlater

Adam Caley

Sara Pellegrini

Hazel McInnes

Lindsay Grant

Colin McGarry

Stuart Brodie

Douglas Stuart Brodie

Gilles Dufaure De Lajarte

Giles Dufaure De Lajarte

James Downing

Andrew Murray

Gemma Ramsey

Colin Mcgarry

An optical navigation device for use with mobile telephones and the like is disclosed, which has a reduced height as compared with current designs. The navigation device comprises a laser such as a VCSEL laser, an exposed user surface and two other surfaces that provide for total internal reflection of the incident laser beam. The surfaces are constructed with shallower than normal angles, preserving the basic functionality of the device while reducing the height.

Lensless optical navigation device for directing radiation via reflection by three total internal surfaces

A radiation sensor is provided comprising: one or more first pixels and one or more second pixels. A first optical element is provided over the first and second pixels, having a first field of view. A second optical element is provided over the one or more second pixels, having a second field of view. The second optical element is positioned between the first optical element and the one or more second pixels, wherein the first field of view is substantially narrower than, and lies substantially within, the second field of view.

Radiation sensor

An image sensor includes a pixel array and an image sensor objective optical element. The element is formed by a lenslet array. Each lenslet in the array directs incoming radiation onto a different specific pixel or sub-array of pixels in the pixel array. The lenslets in the array are shaped such that fields of view of next-but-one neighboring ones of the lenslets (i.e., two lenslets spaced from each other by another lenslet) do not overlap until a certain object distance away from the lenslet array.

Multi-channel image sensors

The internal propagation of radiation between a radiation source and radiation detector mounted within a sensor package is prevented by the use of an optical isolator. The optical isolator is formed by the combination of a baffle mounted between the source and detector and a groove formed in an upper surface of the sensor package between the source and detector. A bottom of the groove is positioned adjacent to an upper edge of the baffle.

Proximity sensor

An image assembly may include a substrate having a face, a first optical layer and at least one spacer member. The imaging assembly may also include an anti-reflection structure. The at least one spacer member may be arranged between the substrate and the first optical layer to define an air gap therebetween. The anti-reflection structure may be coupled to at least part of the face and at least one of the first optical layer and the at least one spacer member. The anti-reflection structure may also include a plurality of projections having dimensions smaller than a wavelength of radiation to be imaged by the imaging assembly.

Imaging assembly

An optical navigation device for a computer application includes a radiation source capable of producing a beam of radiation, a sensor for receiving an image, and an optical element for identifying movement of the feature to thereby enable a computer action to be carried out. The optical element is formed from a single piece and includes at least one frustrated total internal reflection (F-TIR) surface capable of affecting frustrated total internal reflection of the beam of radiation in the presence of the feature to thereby generate the image.

Optical input using internal reflection surfaces

A proximity sensor includes a sensor package having an attachment pad with a radiation source and a radiation detector housed within the sensor package. The source and the detector are held in a fixed relation to the attachment pad, and are mounted by one of a direct or indirect attachment to the attachment pad. A portion of the attachment pad is adapted to form a baffle which forms at least part of an optical isolator. The optical isolator is adapted to substantially prevent the internal propagation of radiation between the source and the detector within the sensor package.

Compact proximity sensor suppressing internal reflection

A radiation sensor includes first and second pixels with a radiation absorption filter positioned over the first pixel and an interference filter positioned over both the first and second pixels. The combined spectral response of the absorption filter and the first pixel has a first pixel pass-band and a first pixel stop-band. The interference filter has a first interference filter pass-band substantially within the first pixel pass-band and a second interference filter pass-band substantially within the first pixel stop-band.

An optical navigation device includes an optical transmission element, operable in use to transmit light from an illumination source to a sensor via a mousing surface, and a housing unit. The optical transmission element may have an alignment shaft. Ideally the optical transmission element and housing unit are assembled to a substrate by snap-fit. The alignment shaft ensures that the optics are properly aligned to the substrate and the light source and sensor thereon.

Optical navigation device with snap fit optical transmission element

A radiation sensor includes first and second pixels with a radiation absorption filter positioned over the first pixel and an interference filter positioned over both the first and second pixels. The combined spectral response of the absorption filter and the first pixel has a first pixel pass-band and a first pixel stop-band. The spectral response of the interference filter has an interference filter pass-band which is substantially within the first pixel pass-band for radiation incident on the interference filter at a first angle of incidence, and substantially within the first pixel stop-band for radiation incident on the interference filter at a second angle of incidence greater than the first angle of incidence.

A sensor array microchip apparatus includes a substrate and a lens positioned over the substrate. A plurality of radiation sensor elements are formed on the substrate in an array format and spatially separated from each other. The substrate further includes power supply circuitry (generating power for the radiation sensor elements) and processing circuitry (operable to control and process information from the radiation sensor elements). The power supply circuitry and said processing circuitry are positioned on the substrate within the array between two or more of the radiation sensor elements. The lens, in combination with the spatial separation of the radiation sensor elements in the array format, defines a relatively wide (30-80 degrees) field of regard for the sensor.

Sensor array microchip

An optical image stabilization (OIS) system may be used in a camera having an optical system which includes a motion compensating optical element driven by an actuator. The system may include a motion sensor providing a motion signal, a frequency detector for detecting a dominant frequency being that frequency within the motion signal which may produce the most significant motion blurring in the image produced by the camera, and a tunable high-pass filter for filtering the motion signal and supplying the filtered motion signal as an actuator control signal. The tunable high pass filter may be tuned based upon the dominant frequency to a filter characteristic which provides a phase lead substantially canceling a phase lag of the actuator at that frequency.

Optical image stabilization

PSF coding has become well known in recent years. Although it enables significant increases in the depth of field, defocus introduces artifacts in images that are a major detraction from the final image quality. A method is described that enables the deduction or defocus and consequently the removal of these artifacts. The principle of the disclosed techniques involves iteratively adjusting the restoration algorithm according to a chosen image or artifact metric and choosing the defocus parameter that yields the image the lowest level of artifact.

Artifact removal from phase encoded images

A zoom lens system includes a variator lens group, a compensator lens group and a third lens group. The compensator lens group is arranged to only partially compensate for movement of the variator group. In order to provide further compensation for the zoom lens, an image enhancer implement wavefront coding and artifact reduction techniques. The compensator group may be fixed or alternatively, its movement relative to the variator may be effected by a simple cam mechanism.

Compact optical zoom

An imaging assembly for an image sensor may include a lens, a transparent substrate and two aspherical optical coatings on each side of the substrate. The imaging assembly can also incorporate an opaque coating with an opening in-line with the lens to form an aperture, an anti-reflection coating, and an infrared filter coating.

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Dollar, United Kingdom

Ewan Findlay