Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Heesung Chae

Yunhwan Jung

Kyung-Min Kim

Yunhong Kim

Sunyool Kang

Yongjun Cho

Sukki Yoon

Kyungtae Kim

Haesick Sul

Jaeyoung Bae

Jinwoo Kim

Kyungmin Kim

Mooyoung Kim

Jungho Lee

Seunghoon Jung

Provided are analog-digital converting circuits including a comparator, and an image sensor. The analog-digital converting circuit include a counter and a comparator, the comparator including a first P-type transistor including a gate connected to a first input node of the comparator, a second P-type transistor including a gate connected to a second input node of the comparator, a first N-type transistor including a gate connected to the first input node and a drain connected to the first P-type transistor, a second N-type transistor including a gate connected to the second input node and a drain connected to the second P-type transistor, and a transistor including a gate connected to the drain of the first N-type transistor and a source to which ground voltage or power supply voltage is applied.

Analog-digital converting circuit including comparator, and image sensor including the analog-digital converting circuit

Disclosed is an image sensor device which includes an image pixel that outputs a reset voltage and a first data voltage through a data line, and a voltage hold circuit that is connected with the data line, stores a first voltage based on the reset voltage, and provides the data line with a second voltage based on the first voltage.

Image sensor device and operation method thereof

An image sensor may include a pixel array a pixel array including an active pixel and an optical black pixel, the active pixel configured to generate a first pixel signal, and the optical black pixel configured to generate a second pixel signal, a first biasing circuit configured to bias the first pixel signal based on a first bias voltage, a first analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the biased first pixel signal into a first digital signal, a second biasing circuit configured to bias the second pixel signal based on a second bias voltage, and a second analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the biased second pixel signal into a second digital signal, the second digital signal configured to generate smaller random noise than the first analog-to-digital converter.

Image sensor including pixel array

An image sensor for sampling a pixel signal a plurality of times during a readout time includes an analog comparator configured to compare a signal level of the pixel signal with a signal level of a target ramp signal that is any one of a plurality of ramp signals, a counter configured to output counting data based on a comparison result of the analog comparator, and a digital comparing circuit configured to compare a binary value of a target reference code corresponding to the target ramp signal with a binary value of the counting data and determine whether to output a digital signal corresponding to the counting data to a data output circuit based on a result of the comparison between the binary value of the counting data and the binary value of the target reference code.

Image sensor sampling pixel signal multiple times and an operating method of the image sensor

An image sensor includes a first amplifier comparing and amplifying a first voltage signal received from a first column line, and a ramp signal; a second amplifier amplifying an output of the first amplifier; a third amplifier comparing and amplifying a second voltage signal received from a second column line, and the ramp signal; and a fourth amplifier amplifying an output of the third amplifier, wherein the second amplifier and the fourth amplifier output a decision signal at different points in time by dummy switch control split.

Image sensor, image device having the same, and operating method thereof

An image sensor includes a substrate including an active pixel region and an inactive pixel region, having a smaller area than the active pixel region; a plurality of active pixels in the active pixel region, each of the plurality of active pixels including a first transfer transistor, a first reset transistor, a first driving transistor, and a first selection transistor; and a plurality of inactive pixels in the inactive pixel region, each of the plurality of inactive pixels including a second transfer transistor, a second reset transistor, a second driving transistor, a second selection transistor, and a switch transistor connected to a node between the second driving transistor and the second select transistor. The plurality of switch transistors, included in the plurality of inactive pixels, are connected to each other by a connection wiring.

Image sensor

An image sensing system includes a pixel array, an analog-to-digital converter circuit, and an average calculator. The analog-to-digital converter circuit converts a first pixel signal to first pixel data and converts a second pixel signal to second pixel data. The average calculator generates a first average bit based on a first bit of the first pixel data and a first bit of the second pixel data during a first time and generates a second average bit based on a second bit of the first pixel data and a second bit of the second pixel data during a second time.

Image sensing system and operating method thereof

An image sensor, including a pixel array including a plurality of pixels connected to row lines extending in a first direction and column lines extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction; a ramp voltage generator configured to output a ramp voltage; a sampling circuit including a plurality of comparators, each comparator of the plurality of comparators having a first input terminal connected to a column of the column lines and a second input terminal configured to receive the ramp voltage; and an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert an output of the plurality of comparators to a digital signal, wherein the plurality of comparators include a first comparator connected to a first column line, and a second comparator connected to a second column line adjacent to the first column line in the first direction, wherein each of the first comparator and the second comparator includes a first transistor and a second transistor disposed sequentially in the second direction, and wherein a gap between the first transistor of the first comparator and the second transistor of the first comparator is different from a gap between the first transistor of the second comparator and the second transistor of the second comparator.

Image sensor having reduced parasitic capacitance

An image sensor compensates for noise. The image sensor includes a pixel array that includes a common monitor output line, a first monitoring pixel outputting a first monitoring signal, a second monitoring pixel outputting a second monitoring signal, and an active pixel configured to output a sensing signal based on an incident light. The image circuit also includes a binning circuit that receives the first and second monitoring signals through the common monitor output line and generates an average monitoring signal by performing binning on the first and second monitoring signals, and an analog-to-digital converter that detects an alternating current (AC) component of the average monitoring signal and couples the sampled AC component of the average monitoring signal to the sensing signal, thereby compensating for noise.

An electronic circuit is provided. The electronic circuit includes a first current generating circuit configured to output a first operating current based on a first operating voltage; and an input circuit configured to: receive a first current corresponding to a first input voltage and a second current corresponding to a second input voltage, wherein the first current and the second current are based on the first operating current; receive a third current and a fourth current that are generated based on the first operating voltage; and generate a fifth current corresponding to the second input voltage based on a second operating current. The electronic circuit is configured to generate an output voltage that is associated with a difference between the first input voltage and the second input voltage based on the second current, the fourth current and the fifth current, and the fourth current corresponds to the third current.

Electronic circuit for configuring amplifying circuit configured to output voltage including low noise

Image sensing system using average pixel data and operating method thereof

An image sensor includes a pixel array including pixels that are arranged in a matrix and respectively generate pixel signals, a row driver to drive the plurality of pixels row by row, a timing generator to generate a clock signal and address signals, a column driver to generate a plurality of column selection signals sequentially activated in response to the clock signal and the address signals, and a column array to receive the pixel signals through a plurality of column lines, perform an analog-to-digital conversion on the pixel signals, and sequentially output pixel data values through an output buffer. The column driver may include a clock tree including first delay elements and second delay elements to generate a plurality of delay clock signals, and a decoding circuit to generate the plurality of column selection signals.

Image sensor, address decoder including clock tree, and image processing system including the image sensor

An analog to digital converting circuit includes a correlated double sampling circuit (CDS) that compares a pixel signal with a ramp signal, and outputs a comparison signal, a timing amplifier that increases an active time of the comparison signal 'N' times, and outputs an extended signal, wherein the 'N' is a positive integer, and a counter that outputs a digital signal corresponding to the pixel signal in response to the extended signal and a first clock signal.

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Seoul, South Korea

Heesung Chae