Electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10848136-B2
Application number	US-202016748417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2020
Priority date	Nov 2, 2016
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

Provided is an electronic device including a ramp signal generation circuit configured to generate a ramp signal having a second slope that is greater by a first level than a first slope which corresponds to an analog gain, and a slope correction circuit configured to correct the second slope of the ramp signal by the first level to obtain the first slope.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a ramp signal generation circuit configured to generate a ramp signal having a second slope that is decreased by a first level from a first slope which corresponds to an analog gain; and
a slope correction circuit configured to basically increase the second slope of the ramp signal by the first level and optionally increase or decrease a slope of the ramp signal by a second level to obtain the first slope,
wherein the slope correction circuit includes at least one second resistor part electrically coupled in parallel to an output terminal of the ramp signal, and
the second resistor part reflects a second resistance value corresponding to the second level in the output terminal on the basis of a second correction code signal.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the slope correction circuit corrects the slope of the ramp signal by controlling a resistance value which is reflected in the output terminal of the ramp signal.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the ramp signal generation circuit adjusts the slope of the ramp signal by controlling a resistance value which is reflected in the output terminal of the ramp signal.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the slope correction circuit comprising:
a first slope correction block configured to basically increase the slope of the ramp signal by the first level and optionally decrease the slope of the ramp signal in a range corresponding to the first level, on a basis of a first correction code signal; and
a second slope correction block configured to optionally increase the slope of the ramp signal by a second level on a basis of the second correction code signal.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the first slope correction block includes at least one first resistor part electrically coupled in parallel to the output terminal of the ramp signal, and
the first resistor part selectively reflects a first resistance value corresponding to the first level in the output terminal on the basis of the first correction code signal.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first resistor part basically reflects the first resistance value in the output terminal and secondarily reflects the first resistance value in the output terminal optionally.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the second slope correction block includes the second resistor part.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second resistor part basically reflects the second resistance value in the output terminal and secondarily reflects the second resistance value in the output terminal optionally.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the ramp signal generation circuit comprising:
a ramp signal generation block configured to generate the ramp signal on a basis of a ramp code signal; and
a slope adjustment block configured to adjust the slope of the ramp signal so that the ramp signal has the second slope decreased by the first level from the first slope corresponding to the analog gain, on a basis of a gain code signal, the second slope corresponding to decreasing the first slope by the first level.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the slope adjustment block includes a plurality of third resistor parts electrically coupled in parallel to the output terminal of the ramp signal, and
the plurality of third resistor parts reflect a third resistance value corresponding to the second slope in the output terminal on the basis of the gain code signal.

11. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the ramp signal generation block comprises:
a bias signal generation unit configured to generate a bias signal having a fixed voltage level corresponding to a reference current; and
a ramp current generation unit configured to supply a ramp current, which is adjusted by a prescribed level per unit time, to the output terminal of the ramp signal on a basis of the bias signal and the ramp code signal.

12. A method for driving an electronic device comprising:
intentionally generating a ramp signal having a second slope increased or decreased more than a first slope corresponding to an analog gain;
basically correcting the ramp signal to have the first slope by enabling at least one of first resistor parts electrically coupled in parallel to an output terminal of the ramp signal; and
optionally correcting the ramp signal to have the first slope when the ramp signal has a third slope increased or decreased more than the first slope by disabling the at least one of first resistor parts or enabling at least one of second resistor parts electrically coupled in parallel to the output terminal of the ramp signal.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the ramp signal has the third slope due to a process variation of a circuit participating in generating the ramp signal.

Assignees

• Sk Hynix Inc

Inventors

• Song Jeong-Eun

Classifications

• H04N25/78

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

• H04N25/51 Primary

  Control of the gain · CPC title

• H04N25/772

  comprising A/D, V/T, V/F, I/T or I/F converters · CPC title

• H03K4/90

  Linearisation of ramp (modifying slopes of pulses H03K6/04; scanning distortion correction for television receivers H04N3/23); Synchronisation of pulses · CPC title

• H03K6/04

  Modifying slopes of pulses, e.g. S-correction (S-correction in television H04N3/23) · CPC title