Patent ID: 11877071
Assignee: APPLE INC.
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. An image sensor, comprising:
a pixel array, each pixel of the pixel array containing a respective photodiode (PD) electrically connected to respective readout circuit elements of a pixel; and
flicker current detection circuitry (FCDC);
wherein:
the pixel array and the FCDC are formed on a common semiconductor substrate;
a set of pixels of the pixel array is electrically connected to the FCDC; and
the image sensor is operable to detect a flicker in an ambient light by:
collecting light-generated charge carriers of the respective PDs of the set of pixels;
combining, by the FCDC, the light-generated charge carriers of the respective PDs of the set of pixels at the FCDC to form a total light-generated current; and
analyzing signal patterns related to the total light-generated current to characterize the flicker in the ambient light.