US 11,956,413 B2
Pixel sensor having multiple photodiodes and shared comparator
Song Chen, Redmond, WA (US); Xinqiao Liu, Medina, WA (US); Lyle David Bainbridge, Redwood City, CA (US); and Andrew Samuel Berkovich, Bellevue, WA (US)
Assigned to Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed by META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 26, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/550,851.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/723,376, filed on Aug. 27, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0068189 A1, Feb. 27, 2020
Int. Cl. H04N 5/355 (2011.01); H04N 5/378 (2011.01); H04N 13/286 (2018.01)
CPC H04N 13/286 (2018.05) [H04N 5/3559 (2013.01); H04N 5/378 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a first photodiode to generate a first charge in response to incident light;
a second photodiode to generate a second charge in response to the incident light;
a quantizer;
a first memory bank and a second memory bank; and
a controller configured to:
control the quantizer to perform a first quantization operation and a second quantization operation of the first charge to generate, respectively, a first digital output and a second digital output, the first quantization and the second quantization operations being associated with different intensity ranges;
store one of the first digital output or the second digital output in the first memory bank;
control the quantizer to perform a third quantization operation of the second charge to generate a third digital output, the third quantization operation being associated with a different intensity range from at least one of the first quantization operation or the second quantization operation; and
store the third digital output in the second memory bank.