US 12,250,478 B2
SPAD sensor for night vision applications
Xianmin Yi, Menlo Park, CA (US); Chien-Horn Lu, San Jose, CA (US); Shanli Hu, Saratoga, CA (US); Edmond Tam, Fremont, CA (US); Angel Rogelio Lopez, Newark, CA (US); and William Tian, Fremont, CA (US)
Assigned to FAIRCHILD IMAGING, INC., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed by Fairchild Imaging, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/056,093.
Prior Publication US 2024/0163576 A1, May 16, 2024
Int. Cl. H04N 25/57 (2023.01); G01J 1/44 (2006.01); H04N 25/617 (2023.01); H04N 25/77 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 25/57 (2023.01) [G01J 1/44 (2013.01); H04N 25/617 (2023.01); H04N 25/77 (2023.01); G01J 2001/4466 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of providing a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) image, the method comprising:
deactivating, based on an event count, a pixel of a SPAD array for a remaining duration of a first SPAD frame, wherein the pixel remains deactivated for the remaining duration and the remaining duration spans from a deactivation time until an end of the first SPAD frame; and
reactivating the pixel in a subsequent SPAD frame;
wherein the event count comprises an event count for the pixel, and deactivating the pixel is in response to the event count for the pixel reaching or exceeding a threshold count; and
wherein the event count for the pixel corresponds to a number of avalanche events counted by a counter.