Optical sensor arrangement and method for generating an analog output signal

• US 9,608,132 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ams AG (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: ams AG (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Mautner, Christian, Kriebernegg, Josef, Lenhard, Herbert, Lueger, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Pyo, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US14/850,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20160079447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 250/205, 250/214.C, 250/214.B, 250/214.AL, 356/614
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/487 Extracting wanted echo signals , e.g. pulse detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/10 Detecting, e.g. by using light barriers by reflection from the object G01S17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02002 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the device in operations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02016 Circuit arrangements of general character for the devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/129 Means for adapting the input signal to the range the converter can handle, e.g. limiting, pre-scaling H03M1/18 takes precedence; Out-of-range indication

Abstract

An optical sensor arrangement (10) comprises a light sensor (11) that is connected to a summation node (13) and is designed for generating a sensor current (S2), a current source (S2) connected to the summation node (13) and designed to provide a source current (S3), and an integrator (21) that is coupled to the summation node (13) and is designed for generating a first value (VP1) of an integrator signal (S6) by integrating during a first phase (P1) and for generating a second value (VP2) of the integrator signal (S6) by integrating during a second phase (P2). The optical sensor arrangement (10) comprises a sum and hold circuit (31) that is coupled to the integrator (21) and is designed to generate an analog output signal (S7) as a function of a difference of the first value (VP1) and the second value (VP2) of the integrator signal (S6).

Claims

1. An optical sensor arrangement, comprising:

a light sensor that is connected to a summation node and is designed for generating a sensor current,

a current source connected to the summation node and designed to provide a source current,

an integrator that is coupled to the summation node and is designed for generating a first value of an integrator signal by integrating during a first phase and for generating a second value of the integrator signal by integrating during a second phase and

a sum and hold circuit that is coupled to the integrator and is designed to generate an analog output signal as a function of a difference of the first value and the second value of the integrator signal.

2. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 1,

comprising a digital-to-analog converter, wherein a value of the source current is controlled by the digital-to-analog converter.

3. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 2,

wherein the current source comprises a current source transistor with a first terminal connected to the summation node and a control terminal coupled to an output of the digital-to-analog converter.

4. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 3,

wherein the current source comprises a control capacitor having a first terminal connected to the control terminal of the current source transistor and a control switch having

a first terminal coupled to the output of the digital-to-analog converter,

a second terminal coupled to a node between the first terminal of the control capacitor and the control terminal of the current source transistor, and

a control terminal.

5. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 3,

wherein the current source comprises a further transistor that forms a current mirror with the current source transistor and comprises a first terminal that is connected to the output of the digital-to-analog converter.

6. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 2,

wherein the digital-to-analog converter comprises a comparator and the output of the integrator is coupled to an input of the comparator.

7. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 2,

wherein the digital-to-analog converter operates according to a successive approximation routine.

8. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 1,

comprising a feeding switch arranged between the summation node and an input of the integrator and controlled such that the feeding switch is in a conducting state in the first and in the second phase and in a non-conducting state outside of the first and the second phase.

9. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the integrator comprises

an amplifier having an input coupled to an input of the integrator and an output coupled to an output of the integrator, and

an integrating capacitor coupling the output of the amplifier to the input of the amplifier.

10. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 9,

wherein the integrating capacitor is configured such that a capacitance value of the integrating capacitor is controlled by a set signal.

11. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the sum and hold circuit provides a capacitive subtraction of the second value of the integrator signal from the first value of the integrator signal or a capacitive subtraction of the first value of the integrator signal from the second value of the integrator signal.

12. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the sum and hold circuit comprises

a hold amplifier having an output coupled to an output of the sum and hold circuit,

a first series connection that comprises an input switch and a storage capacitor and is connected between an input of the sum and hold circuit and an input of the hold amplifier,

a second series connection that comprises a hold capacitor and a hold switch and is connected between the input of the hold amplifier and the output of the hold amplifier, and

a resetting switch coupling the output of the hold amplifier to the input of the hold amplifier.

13. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 1,

comprising a pulse generator having a generator output for providing a driver signal to a light source such that the light source emits light at least during the first phase and the light source is off at least during the second phase.

14. The optical sensor arrangement according to claim 13,

wherein the pulse generator is configured such that the driver signal comprises a series of at least two pulses and the sum and hold circuit is configured to pulse-wise generate the difference of the first value and the second value of the integrator signal and sum the differences.

15. A method for generating an analog output signal, comprising:

generating a sensor current by a light sensor and providing the sensor current to a summation node,

providing a source current by a current source to the summation node,

generating an integrator signal by an integrator coupled to the summation node, wherein a first value of the integrator signal is generated by integrating during a first phase and a second value of the integrator signal is generated by integrating during a second phase, and

generating an analog output signal by a sum and hold circuit as a function of a difference of the first value and the second value of the integrator signal.