IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,791,291
Granted Patent B2
US 10,791,291 · App. 16/191,398 · Granted Sep 29, 2020

Pixel circuit

Inventors: Hack soo Oh (Tainan, TW); Yu Hin Desmond Cheung (Tainan, TW); Kihong Kim (Tainan, TW)
Assignee: Himax Imaging Limited
H04N5/37452H04N5/378H01L27/14641H04N5/353
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,791,291
App. No.
16/191,398
Granted
Sep 29, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A pixel circuit includes a front-end circuit, a signal storage circuit, and an output circuit. The signal storage circuit is coupled to the front-end circuit, and the output circuit is coupled to the signal storage circuit. The front-end circuit is arranged to generate pixel signals. The signal storage circuit is arranged to store the pixel signals generated by the front-end circuit, wherein when the pixel circuit is selected for performing a read-out operation, the pixel signals stored in the signal storage circuit are pulled up from original voltage levels to other voltage levels higher than the original voltage levels according to a voltage increment applied to a control voltage. When the pixel circuit is selected for performing the read-out operation, the output circuit generates output signals on an output terminal according to the other voltage levels, respectively.

Claims (21)

1. A pixel circuit, comprising:

a front-end circuit, arranged to generate pixel signals, wherein the pixel signals comprise a photodiode signal and a reference signal;

a signal storage circuit, coupled to the front-end circuit, arranged to store the photodiode signal and the reference signal generated by the front-end circuit, wherein when the pixel circuit is selected for performing a read-out operation, the photodiode signal and the reference signal stored in the signal storage circuit are pulled up from original voltage levels to other voltage levels higher than the original voltage levels according to a voltage increment applied to a control voltage; and

an output circuit, coupled to the signal storage circuit, wherein when the pixel circuit is selected for performing the read-out operation, the output circuit generates output signals on an output terminal according to the other voltage levels, respectively.

2. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , wherein the signal storage circuit comprises:

a first transistor, coupled between the front-end circuit and a first floating diffusion (FD) node, wherein a gate terminal of the first transistor is coupled to a first control signal;

a second transistor, coupled between the first FD node and a second FD node, wherein a gate terminal of the second transistor is coupled to a second control signal;

a first capacitor, coupled between the first FD node and the control voltage; and

a second capacitor, coupled between the second FD node and the control voltage;

wherein the first FD node and the second FD node are arranged to store the photodiode signal and the reference signal, respectively.

3. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , wherein the output circuit comprises:

a first transistor, wherein a gate terminal and a drain terminal of the first transistor are coupled to the signal storage circuit and a first reference voltage, respectively; and

a second transistor, coupled between a source terminal of the first transistor and the output terminal, wherein a gate terminal of the second transistor is coupled to a control signal.

4. The pixel circuit of claim 3 , wherein the voltage increment is greater than a threshold voltage of the first transistor.

5. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , wherein the front-end circuit comprises:

a photodiode, arranged to accumulate charges in response to incident radiation, to generate the photodiode signal;

a first transistor, coupled between the photodiode and an ordinary FD node, wherein a gate terminal of the first transistor is coupled to a first control signal;

a second transistor, coupled between a first reference voltage and the ordinary FD node, wherein a gate terminal of the second transistor is coupled to a second control signal;

a third transistor, wherein a gate terminal, a drain terminal and a source terminal of the third transistor are coupled to the ordinary FD node, the first reference voltage and the signal storage circuit, respectively; and

a fourth transistor, coupled between the source terminal of the third transistor and a second reference voltage, wherein a gate terminal of the fourth transistor is coupled to a gate bias voltage.

6. The pixel circuit of claim 5 , wherein the voltage increment is greater than a threshold voltage of the third transistor.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 14, 2018
From: OH, HACK SOO; CHEUNG, YU HIN DESMOND; KIM, KIHONG
To: HIMAX IMAGING LIMITED
Reel/Frame 047506/0483 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62724042 · Aug 29, 2018
Related Publication 20200077041A1 · Mar 5, 2020
Cited By (1)
US 12,604,114