TW202123438A - Light sensor and sensing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A light sensor with a high sensitivity includes a light sensing element, a first integrator and a sigma-delta (ΣΔ) analog-to-digital converter. The light sensing element senses a light during a measurement period and generates a first current. The first integrator coupled to the light sensing element receives the first current and generates a first integration signal. The sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter coupled to the first integrator is used to transfer the first integration signal to a sense value.

Description

Light sensor and its sensing method

The present invention relates to a sensor, especially a light sensor and its sensing method.

In order to change the brightness of the screen according to changes in the surrounding light intensity, the mobile phone needs a light sensor to sense ambient light. The light sensor usually uses a light sensor element to detect light and convert it into a photo current, and then determine the intensity of the light according to the value of the photo current. Recently, in order to increase the screen-to-body ratio of mobile phones, a light sensor is installed on the back of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel. As the light passes through the OLED panel, the intensity of the light will be weakened, so the photocurrent obtained by the photo sensor on the back of the OLED panel becomes very small, and it is impossible to accurately determine the intensity of the light. Extending the exposure time (or weighing time) of the light sensor can obtain a larger photocurrent. However, as the frame rate of the OLED panel becomes higher and higher, the time available for the light sensor to sense becomes shorter and shorter. Under such restrictions, how to accurately detect the intensity of the ambient light has become a problem that needs to be overcome.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a light sensor and its sensing method.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a light sensor with a better signal-to-noise ratio.

According to the present invention, a high-sensitivity light sensor includes a light sensor element, a first integrator and a delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter. The light sensing element is used for sensing light at a measuring time to generate a first current. The first integrator is coupled to the light sensing element for receiving the first current and generating a first integrated signal. The delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter is coupled to the first integrator for converting the first integrated signal into a sensing value.

According to the present invention, a light sensing method includes the following steps: sensing light at a measurement time to generate a first current; integrating the first current to generate a first integrated signal; The converter converts the first integrated signal into a sensing value.

The light sensor and the sensing method of the present invention can accurately determine the light intensity in a short measurement time (for example, 1 ms). In addition, the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter can reduce the noise in the first integrated signal, so that the optical sensor of the present invention has a better signal-to-noise ratio.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the light sensor of the present invention. The light sensor 10 of FIG. 1 includes a light sensor element 12, a first integrator 14 and a sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter (ΣΔ ADC) 16. The light sensing element 12 is used for sensing ambient light at a measurement time (or exposure time) T to generate a first current Iph. The first integrator 14 is coupled to the light sensing element 12 for integrating the first current Iph generated by the light sensing element 12 to generate a first integrated signal V1. The delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter 16 is coupled to the first integrator 14 for converting the first integrated signal V1 provided by the first integrator 14 into a digital sensing value So. The light sensor 10 may be provided in a portable electronic device, such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer. The circuit connected to the light sensor 10 can determine the light intensity according to the sensed value So and then perform certain operations, such as adjusting the brightness of the screen.

開關SW1連接在運算放大器142的輸出端及三角積分類比數位轉換器16之間。在光感測器10感測環境光的量測時間T的期間，開關SW1被導通(turn on)以使第一積分器14提供第一積分信號V1給三角積分類比數位轉換器16。在量測時間T結束時，開關SW1被關閉(turn off)。在圖2的實施例中，開關SW1是設置在第一積分器14中，但本發明並不限此，開關SW1也可以設置在第一積分器14以外的位置。例如開關SW1可以設置在光感測元件12的輸出端及第一積分器14之間、在第一積分器14與三角積分類比數位轉換器16之間或者在三角積分類比數位轉換器16中。FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the light sensing element 12 and the first integrator 14 in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, the light sensing element 12 is a photo diode, but the invention is not limited to this. The photodiode receives the light L1 and generates a current Iph. The first integrator 14 in FIG. 2 is a capacitive trans-impedance amplifier (CTIA), which includes an operational amplifier 142, a capacitor C1, and a switch SW1. The operational amplifier 142 has a non-inverting input, an inverting input, and an output. The non-inverting input is grounded, and the inverting input is connected to the light sensing element 12 . The capacitor C1 is connected between the inverting input terminal and the output terminal of the operational amplifier 142. The combination of the capacitor C1 and the operational amplifier 142 integrates the first current Iph at the measurement time T to generate the first integrated signal V1

The switch SW1 is connected between the output terminal of the operational amplifier 142 and the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter 16. During the measurement time T during which the light sensor 10 senses the ambient light, the switch SW1 is turned on so that the first integrator 14 provides the first integration signal V1 to the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter 16. At the end of the measurement time T, the switch SW1 is turned off. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the switch SW1 is provided in the first integrator 14, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the switch SW1 can also be provided in a position other than the first integrator 14. For example, the switch SW1 may be arranged between the output terminal of the light sensing element 12 and the first integrator 14, between the first integrator 14 and the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter 16, or in the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter 16.

在量測時間T為1ms的情況下，適當的選擇電容C1、電阻R1及電容C2，可以使第二積分信號V2為第一電流Iph的五百倍以上。因此，即使在第一電流Iph非常小且量測時間T很短暫的情況下，本發明仍可透過第一電流Iph準確的判斷環境光的強度，進而產生感測值So。FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the sigma-delta-analog-to-digital converter 16 in FIG. 1, which is illustrated by taking a first-order sigma-delta-analog-to-digital converter as an example, but the invention is not limited to this. The delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter 16 of FIG. 3 includes a second integrator 162, a quantizer 164, and a reset circuit 166. The second integrator 162 is coupled to the first integrator 14 and integrates the first integrated signal V1 to generate a second integrated signal V2. The second integrator 162 includes a resistor R1, a capacitor C2, and an operational amplifier 1622. The resistor R1 is connected between the first integrator 14 and the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 1622 for converting the first integrated signal V1 into a current I1. The capacitor C2 is connected between the inverting input terminal and the output terminal of the operational amplifier 1622, and the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 1622 is grounded. The combination of the capacitor C2 and the operational amplifier 1622 integrates the current I1 at the measurement time T to generate the second integrated signal V2

When the measurement time T is 1 ms, the capacitor C1, the resistor R1, and the capacitor C2 are appropriately selected to make the second integral signal V2 more than five hundred times the first current Iph. Therefore, even when the first current Iph is very small and the measurement time T is short, the present invention can still accurately determine the intensity of the ambient light through the first current Iph, thereby generating the sensing value So.

The reset circuit 166 is coupled to the second integrator 162 and the quantizer 164. The reset circuit 166 is used to reset the second integrator 162 so as to return the second integrated signal V2 to zero. After the reset, the second integrator 162 re-integrates the first integrated signal V1 to generate the second integrated signal V2 again. The reset circuit 166 includes a resistor R2 and a switch SW2. The resistor R2 and the switch SW2 are connected in series between the ground terminal and the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 1622. The switch SW2 is turned on or off by a reset signal Sr. When the switch SW2 is turned on, the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 1622 is grounded, so that the second integrated signal V2 drops to zero.

The quantizer 164 is coupled to the second integrator 162 and the reset circuit 166. The quantizer 164 is used to make the reset circuit 166 reset the second integrator 162 when the second integrated signal V2 is greater than a preset value VT, and to count that the second integrated signal V2 is greater than the preset value VT within the measurement time T The number of times the value VT is used to generate the sensed value So. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the quantizer 164 includes a comparator 1642, a flip-flop 1644, and a counter 1646, but the invention is not limited thereto. The comparator 1642 is coupled to the second integrator 162 for comparing the second integration signal V2 with a predetermined value VT to generate a comparison signal Sc. When the second integral signal V2 is greater than the preset value VT, the comparison signal Sc is 1. The flip-flop 1644 is coupled to the comparator 1642, and generates a reset signal Sr according to the comparison signal Sc to control the reset circuit 166. In this embodiment, the output of the flip-flop 1644 at the output terminal Q is used as a reset signal. When the comparison signal Sc is 1, the output of the output terminal Q is 1, so that the switch SW2 of the reset circuit 166 is turned on. The counter 1646 is coupled to the flip-flop 1644, which generates the sensor So according to the output of the flip-flop 1644 at the output terminal Q (that is, the reset signal Sr). The counter 1646 counts the number of times the flip-flop 1644 outputs 1 during the measurement time T to generate a sensed value So. In other words, the counter 1646 can be understood as counting the number of times the second integrated signal V2 is greater than the preset value VT during the measurement time T to generate the sensing value So.

When the light sensor 10 measures the ambient light, the change of the second integrated signal V2 is as shown in the waveform 18 of FIG. 4. During the time t0~t1, the second integral signal V2 gradually increases. At time t1, the second integrated signal V2 is greater than the preset value VT. At this time, the reset signal Sr is 1 and the second integrator 162 is reset, so that the second integrated signal V2 returns to zero. After the reset, the second integrator 162 integrates the first integrated signal V1 again, so that at the time t2, the second integrated signal V2 rises to the preset value VT again. The second integral signal V2 will continue to rise and return to zero repeatedly until the measurement time T ends. Since the first integral signal V1 rises with time, the second integral signal V2 rises faster as time increases. The time for the second integral signal V2 to rise to the preset value VT each time after returning to zero It will get shorter and shorter.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, in order to prevent the second integrated signal V2 from exceeding the saturation voltage of the second integrator 162, the preset value VT is lower than the saturation voltage.

The photo sensor 10 of the present invention uses the first integrator 14 and the second integrator 162 to amplify the first current Iph in two stages to generate the second integrated signal V2, so the photo sensor 10 can measure the time T in a short period of time. (For example, 1 ms) obtain a sufficiently large second integrated signal V2 to determine the light intensity. Therefore, the light sensor 10 of the present invention has better sensitivity.

In addition, the second integrator 162 of the present invention can also reduce the noise in the first integrated signal V1, and thus can increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the light sensor 10.

The above description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is for the purpose of clarification, and is not intended to limit the present invention to the disclosed form accurately. Modifications or changes are possible based on the above teachings or learning from the embodiments of the present invention Yes, the embodiments are selected and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention and allow those familiar with the technology to use the present invention in various embodiments in practical applications. The technical ideas of the present invention are intended to be derived from the scope of subsequent patent applications and their equality. Decided.

10: Light sensor 12: Light sensing element 122: Light Diode 14: The first integrator 142: Operational amplifier 16: Delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter 162: second integrator 1622: operational amplifier 164: quantizer 1642: Comparator 1644: Flip-Flop 1646: counter 166: reset circuit 18: Waveform of the second integral signal V2

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the light sensor of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the light sensing element and the first integrator in FIG. 1. Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the sigma delta analog-to-digital converter in Figure 1. FIG. 4 shows the waveform of the second integrated signal V2 in FIG. 3.

10: Light sensor

12: Light sensing element

14: The first integrator

16: Delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter

Claims (12)

A high-sensitivity light sensor, including: A light sensing element for sensing light at a measuring time to generate a first current; A first integrator, coupled to the light sensing element, receives the first current and generates a first integrated signal; and A delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter is coupled to the first integrator for converting the first integrated signal into a sensing value. The light sensor of claim 1, wherein the light sensor element includes a photodiode. The optical sensor of claim 1, wherein the first integrator includes a capacitive transconductance amplifier. Such as the light sensor of claim 1, wherein the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter includes: A second integrator, coupled to the first integrator, to generate a second integration signal according to the first integration signal; A reset circuit coupled to the second integrator for resetting the second integrator; and A quantizer, coupled to the second integrator and the reset circuit, the quantizer causes the reset circuit to reset the second integrator when the second integrated signal is greater than a preset value, and counts the second integrator The number of times that the integrated signal is greater than the preset value in the measurement time is used to generate the sensed value. Such as the light sensor of claim 4, wherein the quantizer includes: A comparator, coupled to the second integrator, for comparing the second integral signal with the preset value to generate a comparison signal; A flip-flop, coupled to the comparator, generates a reset signal according to the comparison signal to control the reset circuit; A counter is coupled to the flip-flop and generates the sensing value according to the reset signal. Such as the light sensor of claim 4, wherein the preset value is lower than the saturation voltage of the second integrator. Such as the light sensor of claim 1, wherein the measurement time is 1 ms. A light sensing method includes the following steps: A. Sense light at a measurement time to generate a first current; B. Integrate the first current to generate a first integrated signal; and C. Convert the first integral signal into a sensed value by a delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter. The light sensing method of claim 8, wherein the step B includes integrating the first current by using a capacitive transconductance amplifier. Such as the light sensing method of claim 8, wherein the step C includes: C1. Integrate the first integrated signal to generate a second integrated signal; C2. When the second integrated signal is greater than a preset value, reset the second integrated signal to zero, and return to step C1; and C3. Count the number of times the second integral signal is greater than the preset value in the measurement time to generate the sensed value. The light sensing method of claim 10, wherein the step C1 includes using a second integration circuit to integrate the first integration signal, and the preset value is less than the saturation voltage of the second integration circuit. For example, the light sensing method of claim 8, further including setting the measurement time to 1ms.

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