Sony patents light sensor that adjusts how it counts incoming photons
Sony describes a photodetection device that uses multiple light sensors to generate electrical pulses when they detect light. The system adds these pulses together, splits the result into time slots, and uses counters to automatically adjust how many sensors are active to keep the count accurate.
In the filing’s own words
A photodetection device according to the present disclosure includes: a plurality of light-receiving sections that each includes a light-receiving element, and generates a first pulse signal including a pulse corresponding to a result of light reception by the light-receiving element; an adder that generates a second pulse signal by selecting one or more first pulse signals from a plurality of the first pulse signals generated by the plurality of light-receiving sections and performing addition processing on the basis of the one or more selected first pulse signals; a divider that performs division processing for dividing the second pulse signal into a plurality of third pulse signals in a time division manner on the basis of a clock signal; a plurality of counters that is provided corresponding to the plurality of third pulse signals, and each performs count processing on the basis of a corresponding one of the third pulse signals; and a controller that sets signal number of the one or more pulse signals to be subjected to the addition processing on the basis of respective count values of the plurality of counters.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A photodetection device comprising: a plurality of light-receiving sections that each includes a light-receiving element, and generates a first pulse signal including a pulse corresponding to a result of light reception by the light-receiving element; an adder that generates a second pulse signal by selecting one or more first pulse signals from a plurality of first pulse signals generated by the plurality of light-receiving sections and performing addition processing on a basis of the one or more selected first pulse signals; a divider that performs division processing for dividing the second pulse signal into a plurality of third pulse signals in a time division manner on a basis of a clock signal; a plurality of counters that is provided corresponding to the plurality of third pulse signals, and each performs count processing on a basis of a corresponding one of the plurality of third pulse signals; and a controller that sets a signal number of the one or more first pulse signals to be subjected to the addition processing on a basis of respective count values of the plurality of counters.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION)
- Official title
- Photodetection device and photodetection system
- Patent number
- US12724152B2
- Application number
- 18250282
- Filed
- Sep 16, 2021
- Granted
- Sep 1, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 17
Classified under
G01S 17/894 Physics & computingG01S 7/4816 Physics & computingG01S 7/4863 Physics & computingG01S 7/4865 Physics & computingG01S 17/931 Physics & computingH10F 39/107 Electricity & electronicsMore from Sony in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.