IP Library Granted Patent US 11,509,322
Granted Patent B2
US 11,509,322 · App. 17/014,253 · Granted Nov 22, 2022

Light sensor circuit

Inventors: Jer-Hau Hsu (Zhubei, TW); Ming-Huang Liu (Zhubei, TW); Kian-Fu Wong (Zhubei, TW)
Assignee: Sensortek Technology Corp.
H03M1/12G01J1/44G01J2001/446
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,509,322
App. No.
17/014,253
Granted
Nov 22, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A light sensor circuit, which comprising a photodiode and a voltage follower. By setting the voltage follower to reduce the influence from the junction capacitance of the photodiode, a required time of a repeat integration module will not be influenced by the photodiode to efficiently keep the performance and the accuracy of the analog to digital converting device when the light sensor circuit is used to the analog to digital converting device in repeat operation.

Claims (13)

1. A light sensor circuit, which includes:

a photodiode with an anode and a cathode; and

a unit-gain buffer with an input and an output;

wherein the anode connects to the output of the unit-gain buffer, whereas the cathode and the input of the unit-gain buffer connect to a signal terminal, and the signal terminal of light sensor circuit connects to an ADC that includes an integration module, the voltage of the integration module needs to be reset.

2. The light sensor circuit of claim 1 , wherein the photodiode will senses light and generates an analog input signal outputted from the signal terminal.

3. The light sensor circuit of claim 1 , wherein the unit-gain buffer includes an operational amplifier (OP), which includes a non-inverse-phase input terminal, an inverse-phase input terminal and an output terminal; the inverse-phase input terminal and output terminal of the operational amplifier (OP) connect to each other and served as the output of the unit-gain buffer, connected to the anode; the non-inverse-phase input terminal served as the input of unit-gain buffer, connected to the signal terminal and cathode of the photodiode.

4. The light sensor circuit of claim 1 , wherein the unit-gain buffer includes a one-stage amplifier consists of a current source, a transistor and a resistor.

5. The light sensor circuit of claim 4 , wherein the transistor is a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), and the current source, the transistor and the resistor form a common-drain amplifier.

6. The light sensor circuit of claim 5 , wherein the source of the transistor is served as the output of the unit-gain buffer, which connects to the anode, and the gate of the transistor is served as the input of the unit-gain buffer, which connects to the signal terminal and the cathode, the current source connects to the source of the transistor, and the resistor connects to the drain of the transistor.

7. A light sensor circuit, which includes:

a photodiode with an anode and a cathode; and

a unit-gain buffer with an input terminal and an output terminal, wherein the unit-gain buffer includes a one-stage amplifier consists of a current source, a transistor and a resistor;

wherein the anode connects to the output of the unit-gain buffer, whereas the cathode and the input of the unit-gain buffer connect to a signal terminal, wherein the source of the transistor is served as the output of the unit-gain buffer, which connects to the anode, and the gate of transistor is served as the input of unit-gain buffer, which connects to the signal terminal and the cathode, the current source connects to the drain of the transistor, and the resistor connects to the source of the transistor.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 9, 2020
From: HSU, JER-HAU; LIU, MING-HUANG; WONG, KIAN-FU
To: SENSORTEK TECHNOLOGY CORP.
Reel/Frame 054209/0063 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62896215 · Sep 5, 2019
Related Publication 20210250035A1 · Aug 12, 2021