Apple Inc.

Nikolai E Bock

Emanuele Mandelli

Gennady A Manokhin

Robert H Mullis

Andrew Kenneth John McMahon

Dario Clocchiatti

Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that determine a control signal before synchronous readout of a frame (or part of the frame) is performed by a sensor. Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that determine event density (e.g., a dense row signal or a dense frame signal) before synchronous readout is performed by the sensor. In some implementations, the event camera is capable of operating in a first readout mode and a second readout mode based on a number of events. In the second readout mode, less data per pixel may be readout.

Sensor data encoding with synchronous readout

The dynamic range of a pixel is increased by using selective photosensor resets during a frame time of image capture at a timing depending on the light intensity that the pixel will be exposed to during the frame time. Pixels that will be exposed to high light intensity are reset later in the frame than pixels that will be exposed to lower light intensity.

Method, apparatus, and system providing an imager with pixels having extended dynamic range

A pulse-width modulation (PWM) image sensor is described herein. The PWM image sensor may have a stacked configuration. A top wafer of the PWM image sensor may have a charge-to-time converter and a logic wafer, stacked with the top wafer, may include a time-to-digital converter. The PWM image sensor may utilize variable transfer functions to avoid highlight compression and may utilize non-linear time quantization. A threshold voltage, as input to a charge-to-time converter, may additionally be controlled to affect light detection, dynamic range, and other features associated with the PWM image sensor.

Pulse-width modulation pixel sensor

Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that buffer events in device memory during synchronous readout of a plurality of frames by a sensor. Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that disable a sensor communication link until the buffered events are sufficient for transmission by the sensor. In some implementations, the sensor using a synchronous readout may select a readout mode for one or more frames based on how many of the pixels are detecting events. In some implementations, a first mode that reads out only data for a low percentage of pixels that have events uses the device memory and a second mode bypasses the device memory based on accumulation criteria such as high percentage of pixels detecting events. In the second mode, less data per pixel may be readout.

Sensor with low power synchronous readout

In one implementation, an event sensor includes a plurality of pixels, an external readout line shared among the plurality of pixels, and an external processing circuit. Each pixel is configured to output pixel data indicative of an intensity of incident illumination. The external processing circuit is configured to output a stream of pixel events. Each respective pixel event is generated when a comparator of the external processing circuit obtains a sample of pixel data from a particular pixel via the external readout line that breaches a threshold value.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Nikolai E Bock