Ams Ag

Austriamicrosystems Ag

Austria Mikro Systeme International Aktiengesellschaft

Ams Age

Renco Incoders, Inc.

Richard Forsyth

Colin Steele

Thomas Troxler

Andreas Fitzi

Matthias Steiner

Josef Janisch

Thomas Stockmeier

Gerhard Oberhoffner

Thomas Carl Fröhlich

Ruth E Franklin

Marcel Urban

Davide Maschera

Kurt Riedmüller

Pawel Chojecki

Thomas Schrei

Thomas Fröhlich

At least one of the pixels of the image sensor is heated using at least one heater, and the temperature of this pixel is thus increased by a larger degree than the temperature of at least a further one of the pixels.

Method of operating a semiconductor image sensor with integrated pixel heating

The semiconductor image sensor comprises a plurality of pixels () with photo sensors (). At least one heater () is integrated with the photo sensors and is arranged in at least one of the pixels or in the vicinity of at least one of the pixels. An appropriate operation of the heater will increase the temperature of the relevant pixel. Thus it is possible to achieve a local compensation of a temperature difference that may be due to the operation of an integrated readout circuit () or any other integrated component generating heat.

Semiconductor image sensor with integrated pixel heating and method of operating a semiconductor image sensor

A sensor arrangement has a plurality of Hall sensor devices, each configured to provide a sensor voltage in response to a magnetic field intensity. A selection unit is configured to forward either of the sensor voltages in response to a selection signal. A transconductance amplifier is configured to generate a sensing current depending on a forwarded sensor voltage. A filter stage has a resistor and a filter capacitor connected in parallel in a switchable manner in response to a first switching signal. The filter stage is configured to generate a filtered voltage across the filter capacitor depending on a sensing current. A capacitive analog-to-digital converter has an input capacitor being connected to the filter capacitor in a switchable manner in response to a second switching signal. The analog-to-digital converter is configured to generate a digital sensor value based on a filtered voltage. The sensor arrangement further has a control circuit which is configured to generate the selection signal and the first and the second switching signals such that for each of the forwarded sensor voltages in a first time segment, the filtered voltage across the filter capacitor is generated, and in a second time segment, the input capacitor is connected to the filter capacitor.

Sensor arrangement and method for operating a sensor arrangement

A transmitter (TX) for transmitting a pulse density modulated signal comprises means (SDM) for generating a pulse density modulated input signal (SI) and an encoder (ENC). The encoder (ENC) comprises a first input for receiving the pulse density modulated input signal (SI) and a second input for receiving additional information (AI) comprising at least one data bit. The encoder (ENC) is configured to generate a multi-bit telegram (TG) on the basis of the additional information (AI), the telegram (TG) comprising a predefined bit-sequence, and to replace an appropriate number of consecutive bits of the input signal (SI) with the telegram (TG) in order to generate an output signal (SO).

Transmitter and receiver for pulse density modulated signals and signal processing method

A resonant circuit arrangement is for generating an amplitude-shift-keyed and/or phase-shift-keyed signal. The resonant circuit arrangement includes a capacitive storage element having a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal is electrically connectable to a control voltage and the second terminal is electrically connected to a reference potential. The resonant circuit arrangement also includes an inductive storage element having a third terminal and a fourth terminal, where the third terminal is electrically connectable to the reference potential, a first switch for electrically connecting the fourth terminal to the reference potential, a second switch for electrically connecting the fourth terminal and the first terminal, and a control unit for driving the first and second switches based on transmission data.

Resonant circuit arrangement, method for operating said resonant circuit arrangement and method for the operation and use thereof

A voltage generator arrangement which comprises a voltage converter () and a polarity detection circuit (). The voltage converter () is coupled to a supply voltage terminal () and an output terminal () and comprises a first mode of operation (P) for a positive supply voltage (VIN) and a second mode of operation (P) for a negative supply voltage (VIN). The polarity detection circuit () is coupled to the supply voltage terminal () and a control input terminal () of the voltage converter (), for providing a first pilot signal (SP) depending on the polarity of the supply voltage (VIN).

Voltage generator arrangement and method for voltage conversion

A sensor arrangement for detecting an angle of rotation of a rotating body. At least one first sensor and one second sensor are connected to one another in a cascade in such a manner that the sensor signal from the first sensor is converted into a first control current which is applied as a bias current to the second sensor, the two angular dependencies of the first and second sensors being multiplied. This achieves improved interpolation when determining the angle of rotation on the basis of the sensor signals provided by the sensor arrangement.

System and method for determining an angle of rotation with cascade sensors

A method of controlling the resolution of an optical encoder for providing position information of an object which moves along a certain measuring direction where the optical encoder includes a light source that emits light and a data track that moves relative to the light source. The method includes directing modulated light from the data track to a plurality of photodiodes of a detection system having a resolution that has a first value and changing the resolution of the detection system to a second value without altering an arrangement of the plurality of photodiodes of the detection system during the changing from the first value to the second value.

Multiple resolution photodiode sensor array for an optical encoder

In a method for obtaining a temperature-independent voltage reference by an energy gap reference circuit using at least one bipolar transistor and a voltage source, only a single bipolar transistor is connected in series with a resistor. Different voltages are facultatively applied to the resistor. The voltages are detected upstream and downstream of the series resistor and fed to an A/D converter. The gain constant of the A/D converter is calculated from the digitalized measurements and used for measurement correction. The circuit arrangement for obtaining such a temperature-independent voltage reference includes a bipolar transistor and a resistor connected in series with the transistor. An A/D converter configured to yield digitalized voltage measurements is connected via switches to ports provided on either side of the resistor. The digital signals from the A/D converter are fed to a computer to determine the gain constant, from which the corrected voltage signal can be read out digitally.

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Graz, Austria

Richard Forsyth