System and method for controlling power supplied to a module of an electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10687007-B2
Application number	US-201615773534-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2016
Priority date	Nov 4, 2015
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

The electronic device according to various examples comprises a power supply module and an image sensor, wherein the image sensor comprises: a pixel array including a plurality of pixels; an analog-digital converter, of a first group, for converting the amount of light acquired through the pixel array into a first digital signal; and an analog-digital converter of a second group, the analog-digital converter being adjacent to the first group and for converting power, supplied from the power supply module to the image sensor, into a second digital signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a power supply module; and
an image sensor, wherein the image sensor includes:
a pixel array configured to include a plurality of pixels,
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of a first group configured to convert an amount of light acquired through the pixel array into a first digital signal, and
an ADC of a second group configured to be adjacent to the first group and to convert power supplied from the power supply module to the image sensor into a second digital signal, and
a level shifter configured to receive the power supplied from the power supply module and adjust a level of the power to an available input range of the ADC of the second group.

2. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the image sensor further includes a power control module, and
the power control module includes:
a power check and memory configured to store the second digital signal, and
a communication module configured to output the second digital signal.

3. The electronic device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the image sensor includes a plurality of devices using different types of power as operating power, and
the ADC of the second group is one of a plurality of ADCs of the second group.

4. The electronic device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein
the plurality of devices includes a first device configured to receive first power and a second device configured to receive second power, and
the ADC of the second group includes a first ADC of the second group configured to convert the first power into a digital signal, and a second ADC of the second group configured to convert the second power into a digital signal.

5. The electronic device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein
the level shifter is configured to adjust the first power to an available input range of the first ADC of the second group and to adjust the second power to an available input range of the second ADC of the second group.

6. The electronic device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the communication module includes an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) communication module, the I2C communication module configured to be accessed by a processor operatively connected to the image sensor and to transmit the second digital signal to the processor.

7. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ADC of the second group is configured to be driven by the same control signal as a control signal applied to the ADC of the first group.

8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second group includes the same number of ADCs as a number of power sources generated in the power supply module.

9. A method of operating an image sensor which includes a pixel array, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of a first group, an ADC of a second group which is adjacent to the first group, and a level shifter functionally connected to the ADC of the second group, the method comprising:
receiving power from the outside of the image sensor;
converting an amount of light acquired through the pixel array into a first digital signal, using the ADC of the first group;
receiving the power and adjusting the power to an available input range of the ADC of the second group, using the level shifter; and
converting the power into a second digital signal, using the ADC of the second group.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
storing the second digital signal;
outputting the second digital signal by a processor; and
analyzing whether the power is a rated power level based on the second digital signal.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising transmitting feedback so that the processor adjusts the power, when the power is out of a level of the rated power level.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the outputting of the second digital signal comprises outputting the second digital signal in an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) communication method.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
controlling the power using the ADC of the second group.

14. An image sensor comprising:
a pixel array configured to include a plurality of pixels;
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of a first group configured to convert an amount of light obtained through the pixel array into a first digital signal;
an ADC of a second group configured to be adjacent to the first group, and to convert power supplied to the image sensor into a second digital signal; and
a level shifter configured to receive the power supplied to the image sensor and adjust a level of the power to an available input range of the ADC of the second group.

15. The image sensor as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising:
a power control module configured to control the power using the ADC of the second group.

16. The image sensor as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising:
a communication module configured to output the first digital signal to an outside of the image sensor.

17. The image sensor as claimed in claim 16 , further comprising:
a power control module configured to control the power using the second group.

18. The image sensor as claimed in claim 14 , wherein when the second digital signal is out of a designated range, the second group is configured to transmit the second digital signal to a processor operatively connected to the image sensor so that a power control module located outside the image sensor adjusts the power.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Dongsoo
• Kang Hwayong
• Yoon Youngkwon
• Jang Donghoon

Classifications

• H04N25/70 Primary

  SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith · CPC title

• H04N25/60

  Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise · CPC title

• H04N25/00

  Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof · CPC title

• H04N25/709 Primary

  Circuitry for control of the power supply · CPC title

• H04N25/78

  Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters · CPC title