Fraunhofer-gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.v.

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Thomson Licensing

Michael Schanz

Bedrich J Hosticka

Werner Brockherde

Olaf Schrey

Christian Nitta

Markus Schwarz

Andreas Teuner

Hakan Kisak&uuml;rek

Reiner Wertheimer

Amer Aslam

Su-Birm Park

A device for reading out image data of a sub-range of an image captured by an image sensor is described, the image sensor including a plurality of image sensor elements which can be read out by an activation signal sequentially appliable to same according to a predetermined clock signal, wherein the image sensor elements outputting the image data for the sub-range can be determined by means of an activation pattern. The device comprises a plurality of branch blocks connected in series storing the activation pattern, wherein each of the branch blocks, depending on the activation pattern, applies the activation signal received to one or several image sensor elements associated with a branch block or passes same on to a subsequent branch block or a terminating element. The activation pattern is stored in the branch blocks substantially simultaneously to the activation signal. No delay or latency times, respectively, occur in the sensor readout.

Method and device for reading out image data of a sub-range of an image

For detecting a change between pixel signals which chronologically follow one another, a current pixel value is first deteced and, subsequently, the difference between the detected pixel signal and a reference value is determined. Depending on the difference, it is determined whether there is a change of the detected pixel value in comparison with the preceding pixel values, the reference signal being produced from two or more pixel values preceding the detected pixel value.

Method and device for detecting a change between pixel signals which chronologically follow one another

An optical detector has at least one image sensor element that generates an image sensor element output signal according to the illumination incident on the element. A readout amplifier for the one or each image sensor element is switchable between a plurality of amplification stages for amplifying the respective image sensor element output signal. An amplification switch is provided for comparing the image sensor element output signal with at least one given threshold value before the signal is amplified by the readout amplifier and for switching between the amplification stages of the readout amplifier depending on the result of the comparison. The optical detector has a first output signal indicating the amplified image sensor element output signal and a second output signal indicating the amplification stage to which the amplifier is switched.

Device and method for detecting an optical signal

In a method for detecting an image signal by means of an array (,) of photosensitive devices (,) with each of which the charge of a capacitance (,) can be altered, an optical signal (,) of each photosensitive device is first detected by means of the following substeps: creating a charge condition of the capacitance with a predetermined voltage (&plus;U_DD), changing the charge of the capacitance (,) either with a photocurrent generated in the photosensitive device (,) by the optical signal (,) or with a quantity derived from the same and detecting the voltage across the capacitance (,) after a predetermined time period, deciding whether the detected voltage lies within a valid range and, if this is so, determining on the basis of the detected voltage a valid signal which characterizes the detected optical signal, and, if this is not so, repeating the cited steps with a time period which differs from the predetermined time period either a predetermined number of times or until it is determined that the detected voltage lies in a valid range. Subsequently the optical signal detected for each photosensitive device (,) is stored together with the time period for which a valid signal has been detected. Finally the image signal is obtained from the stored optical signals for the individual photosensitive devices and the respective assigned time periods.

Image signal sensing process including altering charges of capacitances

Sensor element

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Oberhausen, Germany

Michael Schanz