Sensor apparatuses and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9734703-B1
Application number	US-201615191095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 23, 2016
Priority date	Jun 23, 2016
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to sensing apparatuses and methods. As may be implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments, analog signals are obtained from a plurality of sensors and used to provide an output for particular ones of the sensors as follows. Analog signals are obtained from a particular sensor and one or more adjacent sensors. Different weighting factors are applied to the analog signals, based on the position of the sensor or sensors. The signals with the weighting factors applied thereto are combined to provide an output signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a plurality of sensors, each including circuitry configured and arranged to generate a signal;
signal processing circuitry connected to the sensors, the signal processing circuitry being configured and arranged with the sensors to, for each particular sensor, provide a sensor output by:
obtaining an analog signal from the particular sensor;
obtaining at least one analog signal from at least another one of the sensors adjacent the particular sensor;
applying different weighting factors to the analog signals based on the position of the sensor or sensors from which the analog signals are obtained relative to the particular sensor, therein scaling the analog signals; and
generating an output signal indicative of signal strength of the particular sensor by combining the signals having the different weighting factors applied thereto.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
applying the different weighting factors to the analog signals and combining the signals includes at least one of: conditioning or enhancing the signals, processing the signals by mitigating or filtering noise; and processing the signals, and
the signals are treated by applying the weighting factors and combining the scaled analog signals in the analog domain, therein utilizing the analog domain to provide the output signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
obtaining the at least one analog signal from other ones of the sensors includes obtaining different analog signals from outputs of different ones of the other ones of the sensors, and
applying the different weighting factors includes respectively applying different weighting factors to each of the different analog signals.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
obtaining the at least one analog signal from other ones of the sensors includes obtaining different analog signals from different sets of the other ones of the sensors, each different analog signal being obtained from outputs of all sensors in one of the sets, and
applying the different weighting factors includes applying different weighting factors to the analog signal obtained for each set of the other ones of the sensors.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the signal processing circuitry includes
at least one scaling circuit, each scaling circuit being connected to receive an output of one or more of the sensors and configured and arranged to scale the analog signal output from the one or more of the sensors by applying a scaling factor to the received output, and
an adder circuit configured and arranged to generate the output signal as an analog output signal by adding analog outputs of the at least one scaling circuit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one scaling circuit includes at least two scaling circuits, each scaling circuit being configured and arranged to scale the analog signal output of the one or more of the sensors by applying a non-unitary scaling factor to the received output.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein adding an analog outputs of the at least one scaling circuit includes adding a negative of a particular one of the analog outputs, therein subtracting the particular one of the analog outputs.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the signal processing circuitry includes
at least two scaling circuits, each scaling circuit being connected to receive an output of one or more of the sensors and configured and arranged to apply one of the different weighting factors by applying a scaling factor to the received output,
a digitizing circuit configured and arranged to convert an analog output of each of the at least two scaling circuits to respective digital signals, or to convert a combined analog output of the at least two scaling circuits to a digital signal, and
an adder circuit configured and arranged to generate the output signal by adding an the respective digital signals.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein combining the signals having the different weighting factors applied thereto includes combining the signals based on location of the at least another one of the sensors relative to the particular sensor.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein combining the signals having the different weighting factors applied thereto includes combining the signals based on an effect to be applied to an image generated using the signals.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the signal processing circuitry includes at least two input ports connected to receive the analog signals from different ones of the plurality of sensors, and wherein applying different weighting factors to each of the analog signals includes, using an analog scaling circuit,
coupling a first one of the input ports to the analog scaling circuit, multiplying a first one of the analog signals presented at the first one of the input ports by a first weighting factor, and storing a result of the multiplying as a first scaled analog signal, and
coupling a second one of the input ports to the analog scaling circuit, and multiplying a second one of the analog signals presented at the second one of the input ports by a second weighting factor, and providing a result of the multiplying as a second scaled analog signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein generating the output signal includes combining the first scaled analog signal and the second scaled analog signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
applying different weighting factors includes sequentially applying weighting factors to respective ones of the analog signals in a common scaling circuit, and
combining the signals having the different weighting factors applied thereto includes combining the signals with the different weighting factors applied thereto as sequentially presented at an output of the common scaling circuit.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in an array having rows and columns, and wherein applying the different weighting factors includes:
applying first weighting factors to analog signals obtained from respective columns of the sensors, and
converting signals obtained from respective rows of the sensors from the analog domain to the digital domain, and applying second weighting factors to the signals in the digital domain.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein generating the output signal includes:
converting the analog signals, obtained from respective columns of the sensors with the first weighting factors applied thereto, from the analog domain to the digital domain, and
combining the digital signals obtained from respective columns of the sensors with the digital signals obtained from respective rows of the sensors with the second weighting factors applied thereto.

16. A method comprising:
obtaining an analog signal from a particular sensor of a plurality of sensors that generate analog signals;
obtaining at least one analog signal from at least another one of the plurality of sensors adjacent the particular sensor;
applying different weighting factors to the analog signals based on the position of the sensor or sensors from which the analog signals are obtained relative to the particular sensor, therein scaling the analog signals; and
generating an output signal indicative of signal strength of the particular sensor by combining the signals having the different weighting factors applied thereto.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the steps of applying the different weighting factors and generating the output signal are carried out in signal processing circuitry connected to

Assignees

• Nxp Bv

Inventors

• Chhabra Parikshit Kumar

Classifications

• H04N25/46

  by combining or binning pixels · CPC title

• H03M1/12

  Analogue/digital converters ({H03M1/001 – } H03M1/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03M1/0643

  in the spatial domain · CPC title

• H04B1/10 Primary

  Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference · CPC title

• H04N25/51

  Control of the gain · CPC title