Optical sensor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9568361-B2
Application number	US-201414494663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2014
Priority date	Sep 26, 2013
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

An optical sensor device includes at least two light receiving units in which a plurality of types of light receiving elements is integrated in the same vertical structure. In addition, the optical sensor device further includes a switch unit configured to select at least one of the light receiving elements in each of the light receiving units in a time-division manner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical sensor device, comprising:
a first light receiving unit in which a first light receiving element of a first type and a second light receiving element of a second type are integrated in a vertical structure;
a second light receiving unit in which a third light receiving element of the first type and a fourth light receiving element of the second type are integrated in the same vertical structure; and
a switch unit configured to switch between a first phase, a second phase, and a third phase between the first phase and the second phase in a time-division manner, the switch unit selecting in the first phase the first light receiving element from the first light receiving unit as a first detection signal and the fourth light receiving element from the second light receiving unit as a second detection signal simultaneously, selecting in the second phase the second light receiving element from the first light receiving unit as the second detection signal and the third light receiving element from the second light receiving unit as the first detection signal simultaneously, and blocking in the third phase an output of the first light receiving unit and an output of the second light receiving unit.

2. The optical sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first analog/digital conversion (ADC) unit configured to convert the first detection signal into a first digital signal; and
a second analog/digital conversion (ADC) unit configured to convert the second detection signal into a second digital signal.

3. The optical sensor device of claim 2 further comprising a logic unit configured to generate a sensor output signal based on the first digital signal and the second digital signal.

4. The optical sensor device of claim 2 , wherein both of the first analog/digital conversion (ADC) unit and the second analog/digital conversion (ADC) unit perform the converting operation in both of the first phase and the second phase.

5. The optical sensor device of claim 4 , wherein the first analog/digital conversion (ADC) unit and the second analog/digital conversion (ADC) unit perform the converting operation simultaneously.

6. The optical sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the first light receiving unit includes a plurality of first light receiving units and the second light receiving unit includes a plurality of second light receiving units, and
wherein the plurality of first light receiving units and the plurality of second light receiving units are installed in a zigzag pattern.

7. The optical sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising a logic unit configured to sequentially maintain in a register a signal which is output from each of the light receiving elements sequentially selected by the switch unit and to generate a sensor output signal based on the signal maintained in the register.

8. An optical sensor module, comprising:
an optical sensor device of claim 1 ; and
a case configured to hold therein the optical sensor device,
wherein the optical sensor module is configured to detect a light incident on the optical sensor device from an opening window of the case.

9. The optical sensor module of claim 8 , further comprising a light emitting device, held within the case, configured to output an infrared light,
wherein the optical sensor device further comprises an infrared light receiving unit configured to receive the infrared light reflected from an object adjacent to the optical sensor module after being output from the light emitting device.

10. An electronic apparatus, comprising:
an optical sensor device of claim 1 .

11. The optical sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first input terminal of the switch unit configured to receive a first light receiving signal from the first light receiving element of the first light receiving unit;
a second input terminal of the switch unit configured to receive a second light receiving signal from the first light receiving element of the first light receiving unit;
a third input terminal of the switch unit configured to receive a third light receiving signal from the third light receiving element of the second light receiving unit;
a fourth input terminal of the switch unit configured to receive a fourth light receiving signal from the first light receiving element of the second light receiving unit;
a first output terminal of the switch unit configured to output the first detection signal from the first input terminal in the first phase and from the third input terminal in the second phase; and
a second output terminal of the switch unit configured to output the second detection signal from the fourth input terminal in the first phase and from the second input terminal in the second phase.

12. The optical sensor device of claim 11 , further comprising:
a first switch in the switch unit including a first terminal connected to a power source terminal and a second terminal connected to the second input terminal;
a second switch in the switch unit including a first terminal connected to the first input terminal and a second terminal connected to the first output terminal;
a third switch in the switch unit including a first terminal connected to the third input terminal and a second terminal connected to the fourth input terminal;
a fourth switch in the switch unit including a first terminal connected to the fourth input terminal and a second terminal connected to the second output terminal;
a fifth switch in the switch unit including a first terminal connected to the first input terminal and a second terminal connected to the second input terminal;
a sixth switch in the switch unit including a first terminal connected to the second input terminal and a second terminal connected to the second output terminal;
a seventh switch in the switch unit including a first terminal connected to a power source terminal and a second terminal connected to the fourth input terminal; and
an eighth switch in the switch unit including a first terminal connected to the third input terminal and a second terminal connected to the first output terminal.

13. The optical sensor device of claim 12 ,
wherein the first light receiving unit includes an anode of the first light receiving element connected to the first input terminal, a cathode of the first light receiving element and a cathode of the second light receiving element connected to the second input terminal, and an anode of the first light receiving element connected to a ground terminal, and
wherein the second light receiving unit includes an anode of the third light receiving element connected to the third input terminal, a cathode of the third light receiving element and a cathode of the fourth light receiving element connected to the fourth input terminal, and an anode of the fourth light receiving element connected to a ground terminal.

14. The optical sensor device of claim 12 , wherein in the first phase, the first switch, the second switch, the third switch and the fourth switch are closed, and the fifth switch, the sixth switch, the seventh switch and the eighth switch are open so as to select the first light receiving element as the first detection signal and the fourth light receiving element as the second detection signal simultaneously; and
wherein in the second phase, the first switch, the second switch, the third switch and the fourth are open, and the fifth switch, the sixth switch, the seventh switch and the eighth switch are closed so as to select the third light receiving element as the first detection signal and the second light receiving element as the second detection signal

Assignees

• Rohm Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakata Yuichiro
• Uedaira Yoshitsugu

Classifications

• G01J2001/446

  Photodiode · CPC title

• G01J1/1626

  Arrangements with two photodetectors, the signals of which are compared · CPC title

• G01J1/44 Primary

  Electric circuits {(for command of an exposure part G03B7/02)} · CPC title