5156 results about "Light sensing" patented technology

Provided are optical devices and systems fabricated, at least in part, via printing-based assembly and integration of device components. In specific embodiments the present invention provides light emitting systems, light collecting systems, light sensing systems and photovoltaic systems comprising printable semiconductor elements, including large area, high performance macroelectronic devices. Optical systems of the present invention comprise semiconductor elements assembled, organized and / or integrated with other device components via printing techniques that exhibit performance characteristics and functionality comparable to single crystalline semiconductor based devices fabricated using conventional high temperature processing methods. Optical systems of the present invention have device geometries and configurations, such as form factors, component densities, and component positions, accessed by printing that provide a range of useful device functionalities. Optical systems of the present invention include devices and device arrays exhibiting a range of useful physical and mechanical properties including flexibility, shapeability, conformability and stretchablity.

An image sensing system for a vehicle includes an imaging sensor and a logic and control circuit. The imaging sensor comprises a two-dimensional array of light sensing photosensor elements formed on a semiconductor substrate, and has a field of view exterior of the vehicle. The logic and control circuit comprises an image processor for processing image data derived from the imaging sensor. The image sensing system may generate an indication of the presence of an object within the field of view of the imaging sensor. Preferably, video images may be captured by said imaging sensor and may be displayed by a display device for viewing by the driver when operating the vehicle. The logic and control circuit may generate at least one control output, and the at least control output may control an enhancement of the video images.

Light sensing devices are monolithically integrates with CMOS devices on Thin-Film Silicon-On-insulator (TF-SOI) or Thin-Film Germanium-On-Insulator (TF-GeOI) substrates. Photo-diode active layers are epitaxially grown on the front-side of the substrate and after full processing of the front-side of the substrate, the substrate material is removed under the buried insulator (buried oxide). Monolithically integrated structures are then fabricated on the back of the buried oxide. The back-side is then bonded to a new substrate that is transparent to the wavelengths of interest. For example, quartz, sapphire, glass, or plastic, are suitable for the visible range. Back-side illumination of the sensor matrix is thereby allowed, with light traveling through the structures fabricated on the back of the substrate, opposite to the side on which CMOS is made.

Disclosed are method and apparatus for obtaining relatively high dynamic range images using a relatively low dynamic range image sensor without significant loss of resolution. The image sensor has an array of light-sensing elements with different sensitivity levels in accordance with a predetermined spatially varying sensitivity pattern for the array of light-sensing elements. An image of a scene is captured with the image sensor and stored as brightness values at respective pixel positions in a linear or two-dimensional uniform grid. The brightness values of the captured image at the pixel positions are then used to estimate the brightness values at off-grid positions of a uniform off-grid array located at respective interstices of the pixel position grid. The estimated off-grid brightness values are either used directly as the pixel brightness values of a relatively high dynamic output image or interpolated to derive resampled on-grid brightness values at the pixel positions of the pixel position grid to provide a relatively high dynamic range output image. Alternatively, the brightness values of the captured image are interpolated by an on-grid interpolation filter to derive pixel brightness values of a relatively high dynamic range output image, each pixel brightness value of the output image being derived from a corresponding plurality of the captured image brightness values. In each instance, either the captured image brightness values or the pixel brightness values of the output image may be compensated for non-linearities of the radiometric response function of the light-sensing elements of the image sensor.

A method of fabricating light-sensing devices including photodiodes monolithically integrated with CMOS devices. Several types of photodiode devices (PIN, HIP) are expitaxially grown in one single step on active areas implanted in a common semiconductor substrate, the active areas having defined polarities. The expitaxially grown layers for the photodiode devices may be either undoped or in-situ doped with profiles suitable for their respective operation. With appropriate choice of substrate materials, device layers and heterojunction engineering and process architecture, it is possible to fabricate silicon-based and germanium-based multi-spectral sensors that can deliver pixel density and cost of fabrication comparable to the state of the art CCDs and CMOS image sensors. The method can be implemented with epitaxially deposited films on the following substrates: Silicon Bulk, Thick-Film and Thin-Film Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI), Germanium Bulk, Thick-Film and Thin-Film Geranium-On-Insulator (GeOI).

An image sensing system for a vehicle includes an imaging sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of light sensing photosensor elements formed on a semiconductor substrate. The imaging sensor is disposed at an interior portion of the vehicle, and may be at or proximate to an interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle. The system includes a logic and control circuit comprising an image processor for processing image data derived from the imaging sensor. The image sensing system may identify objects of interest based on spectral differentiation or by comparing over successive frames image data associated with objects in the forward field of view of the image sensor or by objects of interest being at least one of qualified and disqualified based at least in part on object motion in the field of view of the imaging sensor.

An electronic display apparatus includes a substrate, pixels and light sensing parts. The substrate includes a display region and a peripheral region adjacent the display region, and the substrate includes a plurality of gate lines extended in a first direction and a plurality of data lines extended in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The pixels defined by each of the data and gate lines are formed in the display region to display an image. The light sensing part is formed in the peripheral region, and the light sensing part senses an intensity of an ambient light. The light sensing part that senses an intensity of an ambient light is formed on the array substrate, so that a luminance of the display apparatus may be adjusted in accordance with the intensity of the ambient light.

A vehicle rearview mirror system includes an electro-optic reflective element, an ambient light sensor that is operable to sense ambient light, a glare light sensor that is operable to sense glare light and a circuit that is responsive to the ambient glare light sensors which establishes a reflectance level of the reflective element. The circuit includes a sensor-responsive device and a controller. The sensor-responsive device produces an output that is a function of light sensed by glare and ambient light sensors. The controller connects one of the glare and ambient light sensors at a time with the sensor-responsive device to establish glare and ambient light levels and thereby the reflectance level of the reflective element. The mirror system may include a display operable to project light through the reflective element and may control the intensity of the display as a function of the glare light and ambient light.

The invention discloses a multi-lens camera module one-piece bracket, a multi-lens camera module and an application of the multi-lens camera module. The multi-lens camera module comprises at least two lens assemblies, at least two light-sensing assemblies and an integrally-molded multi-lens camera module one-piece bracket, wherein the multi-lens camera module one-piece bracket is provided with an upper side part and a lower side part; each lens assembly is connected to the upper side part of the multi-lens camera module one-piece bracket; each light-sensing assembly is connected to the lower side part of the multi-lens camera module one-piece bracket; and the lens assemblies are positioned on light sensing paths of the light-sensing assemblies. Through adoption of the multi-lens camera module one-piece bracket and the multi-lens camera module, the technical defect of deviations in positions, angles and the like among brackets during connection of every independent bracket in the prior art can be overcome, so that the imaging quality of the multi-lens camera module is ensured.