US 11,888,002 B2
Dynamically programmable image sensor
Andrew Samuel Berkovich, Bellevue, WA (US); Xinqiao Liu, Medina, WA (US); and Hans Reyserhove, Seattle, WA (US)
Assigned to Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed by Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 16, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/716,050.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/780,743, filed on Dec. 17, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0195875 A1, Jun. 18, 2020
Int. Cl. H04N 5/3745 (2011.01); H04N 5/341 (2011.01); H04N 5/369 (2011.01); H04N 5/232 (2006.01); G06V 10/25 (2022.01); H01L 27/146 (2006.01); H04N 25/77 (2023.01); H04N 23/617 (2023.01); H04N 25/40 (2023.01); H04N 25/709 (2023.01); G06V 30/24 (2022.01); G06V 10/764 (2022.01); G06V 10/82 (2022.01); G06V 10/147 (2022.01); G06V 20/20 (2022.01)
CPC H01L 27/14609 (2013.01) [G06V 10/147 (2022.01); G06V 10/25 (2022.01); G06V 10/764 (2022.01); G06V 10/82 (2022.01); G06V 20/20 (2022.01); G06V 30/2504 (2022.01); H04N 23/617 (2023.01); H04N 25/40 (2023.01); H04N 25/709 (2023.01); H04N 25/77 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
an image sensor comprising an array of pixel cells, each pixel cell including one or more photodiodes and circuits to capture image frames and generate image data, the photodiodes being formed in a first semiconductor substrate; and
a controller formed in one or more second semiconductor substrates that include the circuits of the array of pixel cells, the first and second semiconductor substrates forming a stack and housed within a semiconductor package;
wherein the controller is configured to:
determine whether first image data from a first image frame generated by the image sensor contains features of an object, the first image frame captured by the image sensor;
based on whether the first image data contains the features of the object, generate programming signals for the image sensor; and
control, based on the programming signals, the image sensor to generate second image data associated with a second image frame;
wherein a first subset of the programming signals control at least one of a first power consumed by a first subset of the array of pixel cells, a first quantization resolution of first pixel data output by the first subset of the array of pixel cells, or a first bit length of the first pixel data; and
wherein a second subset of the programming signals control at least one of a second power consumed by a second subset of the array of pixel cells, a second quantization resolution of second pixel data output by the second subset of the array of pixel cells, or a second bit length of the second pixel data.