Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Yong-Jei Lee

Yoon-Dong Park

Hee-Woo Park

Joo-yeong Gong

Seoung-hyun Kim

Seung-Won Cha

Sung-Chul Kim

Jung-Chak Ahn

Young-Gu Jin

Tae-Yon Lee

Sung-Kwon Hong

Seung-Hyuk Chang

Ju-Hyun Ko

Seoung-Hyun Kim

Joo-Yeong Gong

Sung-In Hwang

A method of operating a three-dimensional image sensor may include: obtaining position information of an object using light emitted by a light source module, the three-dimensional image sensor including the light source module having a light source and a lens; and adjusting a relative position of the light source to the lens based on the obtained position information of the object. A method of operating an image sensor may include: obtaining position information of an object using light emitted by a light source module, the image sensor including the light source module; and adjusting an emission angle of the light emitted by the light source module based on the obtained position information.

Methods of operating image sensors

A depth pixel of a three-dimensional image sensor includes a first photo gate which is turned on/off in response to a first photo control signal, a first photo detection area configured to generate first charges based on a received light reflected from a subject when the first photo gate is turned on, a first transmission gate which is turned on/off in response to a first transmission control signal, a first floating diffusion area configured to accumulate the first charges generated from the first photo detection area when the first transmission gate is turned on, and a first compensation unit configured to generate second charges which are different from the first charges based on ambient light components included in the received light to supply the second charges to the first floating diffusion area.

Depth pixel included in three-dimensional image sensor, three-dimensional image sensor including the same and method of operating depth pixel included in three-dimensional image sensor

A depth pixel of an image sensor includes a depth sensing element configured to generate first charges that are photo-electrically converted from a light reflected from an object, a first floating diffusion node configured to receive the first charges from the depth sensing element, a second floating diffusion node configured to output second charges corresponding to a component of a reflection light where a component of an ambient light is cancelled, and an ambient light cancellation circuit configured to detect the ambient light to control a barrier level of a charge transfer path between the first floating diffusion node and the second floating diffusion node in response to the ambient light.

Depth pixel and image pick-up apparatus including the same

In a method of operating an image sensor, a noise voltage of a floating diffusion region is sampled after a reset voltage is applied to the floating diffusion region. A storage region, in which a photo-charge is stored, is electrically connected to the floating diffusion region after sampling the noise voltage, and a demodulation voltage of the floating diffusion region is sampled after the storage region and the floating diffusion region are electrically-connected. A voltage is determined based on the noise voltage and the demodulation voltage.

Image-sensing devices and methods of operating the same

A pixel circuit for a depth sensor operating in a detection period and an output period in either a first operating mode (high incident light intensity) or a second operating mode (low incident light intensity). The pixel circuit includes a light receiving unit generating charge in response to the incident light, a signal generation unit accumulating charge in a FDN in response to a transmission signal, reset signal and selection signal during the detection period, and generating an analog signal having a level corresponding to a voltage apparent at the FDN during the output period, and a refresh transistor coupled between a supply voltage and the light receiving unit and discharging charge to the supply voltage in response to a refresh signal.

Pixel Circuit, depth sensor having dual operating mode for high and low incident light and operating method

A complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor and a method of driving the CMOS image sensor that can reduce the number of devices required by each of a plurality of pixels and can stably drive the pixels, in which each of the pixels includes a photodiode that converts light energy into an electrical signal, a transfer transistor that transmits photocarriers stored in the photodiode to a floating diffusing region, a drive transistor that has a gate connected to the floating diffusion region and drives a voltage signal according to a voltage of the floating diffusion region, the voltage signal being output to an external device, and a capacitive device that is connected between a control voltage source and the floating diffusion region and, when a sensing operation of a corresponding pixel is terminated, deselects the pixel by altering the voltage of the floating diffusion region according to a control voltage provided by the control voltage source.

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Seongnam-si, South Korea

Yong-Jei Lee