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Samsung patents camera sensor fix for uneven light readings

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Samsung has filed a patent for a camera sensor design that uses a special control circuit to fix slight errors in how the sensor measures light. The system uses a reference pixel to detect and correct a small non-linear area in the signal that happens when the measurement speed changes.

Why it mattersThis improvement helps ensure that camera images are more accurate and consistent, which is important for high-quality photography and video.

In the filing’s own words

A solid-state imaging device includes a reference pixel configured to output a reference pixel signal, a ramp generator configured to output a ramp signal having a slope that changes from a first slope to a second slope at a change point, a comparator configured to compare the ramp signal with a pixel signal generated from a pixel, a counter configured to receive a comparison result from the comparator and generate a counter value as a digital pixel value of the pixel signal, and a driving control circuit configured to correct, based on the reference pixel signal, a non-linear region that occurs as the slope of the ramp signal is changed.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A solid-state imaging device comprising: a reference pixel configured to output a reference pixel signal; a ramp generator configured to output a ramp signal having a slope that changes from a first slope to a second slope at a change point; a comparator configured to compare the ramp signal with a pixel signal generated from a pixel; a counter configured to receive a comparison result from the comparator and generate a counter value as a digital pixel value of the pixel signal; and a driving control circuit configured to correct, based on the reference pixel signal, a non-linear region that occurs as the slope of the ramp signal is changed.

Facts

Company
Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)
Official title
SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE INCLUDING A DRIVING CONTROL CIRCUIT FOR CORRECTING A NON-LINEAR REGION OF A RAMP SIGNAL
Publication number
US20260304009A1
Application number
19575060
Filed
Mar 23, 2026
Published
Oct 1, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
20

Classified under

H04N 25/78 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/616 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/703 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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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.