PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15878392
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-01
Publication Date: 2019-06
Patent Classification: ["250", "208100"]

Abstract:
A time-resolving sensor includes a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), a logic circuit and differential time-to-charge converter (DTCC) circuit. The SPAD is responsive to a shutter signal to generate an output signal based on detecting an incident photon. The logic circuit generates first and second enable signals. The DTCC includes a capacitor device, first and second switching devices, and an output circuit. The first switching device is responsive to the first enable signal to transfer a charge on the capacitor device to the first floating diffusion. The second switching device is responsive to the second enable signal to transfer a remaining charge on the capacitor device to the second floating diffusion. The output circuit outputs a first voltage that is based on the first charge on the first floating diffusion and a second voltage that is based on the second charge on the second floating diffusion.

Claim (Index 1):
A time-resolving sensor, comprising:\n at least one single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), each SPAD being responsive to an active shutter signal to generate an output signal based on detecting one or more photons that are incident on the SPAD, the one or more photons being reflected from an object; a logic circuit coupled to the output signal of the at least one SPAD, the logic circuit to generate a first enable signal and a second enable signal, the first enable signal being active in response to a beginning of the active shutter signal and being inactive in response to the output signal of the at least one SPAD, and the second enable signal being in active in response to the output signal of the at least one SPAD and being inactive in response to an end of the active shutter signal; and a differential time-to-charge converter (DTCC) circuit coupled to the first and second enable signals, the DTCC circuit comprising:\n a capacitor device having a first terminal and a second terminal, the second terminal being coupled to a ground voltage; \n a first switching device having first, second and third terminals, the first terminal of the first switching device being coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor device, the second terminal of the first switching device being coupled to a first floating diffusion, and the third terminal of the first switching device being coupled to the first enable signal, the first switching device being responsive to the first enable signal to transfer a first charge on the capacitor device to the first floating diffusion; \n a second switching device having first, second and third terminals, the first terminal of the second switching device being coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor device, the second terminal of the second switching device being coupled to a second floating diffusion, and the third terminal of the second switching device being coupled to the second enable signal, the second switching device being responsive to the second enable signal to transfer a remaining charge on the capacitor device to the second floating diffusion; and \n an output circuit to output a first voltage that is based on the first charge on the first floating diffusion and a second voltage that is based on the remaining charge on the second floating diffusion, a first ratio of the first voltage to a sum of the first voltage and the second voltage being proportional to a time of flight of the one or more detected photons, and a second ratio of the second voltage to the sum of the first voltage and the second voltage being proportional to the time of flight of the one or more detected photons.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 50.0
- Percentile: 86.0
- Lexical Diversity: 3.05769
- Patent Class: 250.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15498096', '15657101', '14066771', '14066853', '15868128']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.6756780029877147
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5339959843208234
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.6615098011210256
- Mean Citation Score: 254.737202
- Max Citation Score: 362.3225
- Similarity Product: 306.18804946094747

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test