Optical sensor

Abstract

The present invention discloses an optical sensor having a first edge extending along a first direction and a second edge extending along a second direction, wherein the length of the first edge is greater than the length of the second edge. The optical sensor includes a plurality of pixels and a main control unit. The plurality of pixels are used for sensing ambient light, wherein the plurality of pixels are arranged along the second direction, and each pixel extends along the first direction. The main control unit is coupled to the plurality of pixels and turns off at least one of the plurality of pixels according to a set parameter.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical sensor, and particularly to an optical sensor applied to an extremely narrow slit. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1 Shown is a conventional smart phone 10, which includes a screen 12, a housing 14, and an optical sensor 16. The optical sensor 16 is located in a slit 18 between the screen 12 and the housing 14. Figure 2 Shown is a conventional optical sensor 16, which includes an Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) 162 and a Proximity Sensor (PS) 164. Ambient light around the smart phone 10 can reach the ambient light sensor 162 through the slit 18. The ambient light sensor 162 has a plurality of pixels 1622 for sensing the intensity of ambient light. The ambient light sensor 162 generates a brightness data according to the intensity of ambient light for the smart phone 10 to adjust the brightness of the screen 12. The proximity sensor 164 has a plurality of pixels 1642 and a light source 1644. The light source 1644 sends a light ray from the emission hole 166 of the optical sensor 16 through the slit 18 to the outside of the smart phone 10. When the light ray is reflected by an object and returns to the proximity sensor 164 through the slit 18, the pixels 1642 of the proximity sensor 164 sense the intensity of the light ray reflected by the object, and then generate a distance data for the smart phone 10 to determine whether an object is approaching.

[0003] When the width W1 of the slit 18 is very small (for example, less than 0.8 mm), the current optical sensor 16 may produce incorrect sensing results due to tolerances. Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , assuming that the width W1 of the slit 18 is 0.4 mm, once the position of the slit 18 shifts due to tolerances, a part of the optical sensor 16 may be blocked by the screen 12 or the housing 14. In Figure 4 , since the extending direction (Y) of each pixel 1622 of the ambient light sensor 162 and each pixel 1642 of the proximity sensor 164 is perpendicular to the extending direction (X) of the long side of the slit 18, when the slit 18 shifts, a part of all the pixels 1622 and 1642 is blocked by the housing 14 and thus cannot sense light, resulting in a decrease in the sensitivity of the ambient light sensor 162 and the proximity sensor 164 and an inability to obtain correct sensing results. In addition, the emission hole 166 may also be partially or completely blocked, causing the emitted light to be partially or completely blocked by the housing 14, further reducing the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 164 and even possibly decreasing the manufacturing qualification rate of the smart phone 10.

[0004] Therefore, under the existing manufacturing process, it is a great challenge to enable an optical sensor to still have good sensitivity in an extremely narrow slit (0.4 mm). Summary of the Invention

[0005] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide an optical sensor applicable to an extremely narrow slit.

[0006] According to the present invention, an optical sensor has a first edge extending along a first direction and a second edge extending along a second direction, wherein the length of the first edge is greater than the length of the second edge. The optical sensor includes a plurality of pixels and a main control unit. The plurality of pixels are used to sense ambient light, wherein the plurality of pixels are arranged along the second direction, and each pixel extends along the first direction. The main control unit is coupled to the plurality of pixels and turns off at least one of the plurality of pixels according to a set parameter.

[0007] According to the present invention, an optical sensor has a first edge extending along a first direction and a second edge extending along a second direction. The optical sensor includes a first light source, a second light source, a plurality of first pixels, and a main control unit. The plurality of pixels are used to sense the reflected light of the first light source and / or the second light source, wherein the plurality of first pixels are arranged along the second direction, and each first pixel extends along the first direction. The main control unit is coupled to the plurality of first pixels, turns off at least one of the plurality of first pixels according to a set parameter, and controls the brightness of the first light source and the second light source.

[0008] The optical sensor of the present invention can turn off the blocked first pixels, the first light source, and the second light source, so it still has good sensitivity in an extremely narrow slit. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] Figure 1 Showing a conventional smart phone.

[0010] Figure 2 Showing a schematic diagram of a conventional optical sensor in a relatively wide slit and the slit not being offset.

[0011] Figure 3 Showing a schematic diagram of a conventional optical sensor in an extremely narrow slit and the slit not being offset.

[0012] Figure 4 Showing a schematic diagram of a conventional optical sensor in an extremely narrow slit and the slit being offset.

[0013] Figure 5 Showing an embodiment of the optical sensor of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 6 Used to illustrate how the optical sensor of the present invention performs a calibration procedure.

[0015] Figure 7 Show an embodiment of the optical sensor of the present invention applied in an extremely narrow slit.

[0016] Description of reference numerals: 10 - smart phone; 12 - screen; 14 - housing; 16 - optical sensor; 162 - ambient light sensor; 1622 - pixel; 164 - proximity sensor; 1642 - pixel; 1644 - light source; 166 - emission hole; 18 - slit; 20 - substrate; 22 - center line; 30 - optical sensor; 32 - ambient light sensor; 322 - pixel; 33 - emission hole; 34 - proximity sensor; 342 - pixel; 344 - light source; 346 - light source; 35 - emission hole; 36 - chip; 38 - center line; 40 - control system; 41 - switching circuit; 42 - programmable gain amplifier; 43 - analog-to-digital converter; 44 - main control unit; 45 - current controller; 46 - current controller; 47 - transmission interface; 50 - processor; 60 - slit; 62 - housing; 64 - screen. Detailed implementation manners

[0017] Figure 5 Show an embodiment of the optical sensor of the present invention. In Figure 5In [the figure], the optical sensor 30 can be a package mounted on a substrate 20. The optical sensor 30 has a first edge extending along a first direction X and a second edge extending along a second direction Y, where the length of the first edge is greater than the length of the second edge. The long side of the substrate 20 extends along the first direction X, and the short side extends along the second direction Y. The optical sensor 30 includes an ambient light sensor 32 and a proximity sensor 34. The ambient light sensor 32 has a plurality of pixels 322. The plurality of pixels 322 are located on the chip 36 for sensing ambient light, where the plurality of pixels 322 are arranged along the second direction Y, and each pixel 322 extends along the first direction X. The pixel 322 can be, but is not limited to, a photo diode. The proximity sensor 34 has a plurality of pixels 342, and two light sources 344 and 346. The plurality of pixels 342 are located on the chip 36 for sensing the light emitted by the light sources 344 and / or 346 and reflected by an object (not shown in the figure), where the plurality of pixels 342 are arranged along the second direction Y, and each pixel 342 extends along the first direction X. The pixel 342 can be, but is not limited to, a photo diode. The plurality of pixels 322 can be regarded as a sensing unit, and the plurality of pixels 342 can be regarded as a sensing unit. The plurality of pixels 322 and 324 are arranged adjacent to each other along the first direction X. The figure number 38 represents the center line of the plurality of pixels 342 and 322 in the second direction Y, and the light sources 344 and 346 are respectively located above and below the center line 38. In an embodiment, the distance between the light source 344 and the center line 38 in the second direction Y is equal to the distance between the light source 346 and the center line 38 in the second direction Y. The optical sensor 30 includes a packaging structure (not shown in the figure) covering the plurality of pixels 322, 342, and the light sources 344 and 346. The packaging structure is formed with emission holes 33 and 35 respectively located above the light sources 344 and 346. The light emitted by the light source 344 will pass through the emission hole 33, and the light emitted by the light source 346 will pass through the emission hole 35. The emission hole 33 is close to the center line 38 in the second direction Y, and the emission hole 35 is close to the center line 38 in the second direction Y. The light sources 344 and 346 can be, but are not limited to, Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSEL).

[0018] In Figure 5 [the figure], the center line 22 of the substrate 20 in the second direction Y does not overlap with the center line 38 of the sensing unit, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Figure 5 The pixels 322 and 342 in [[the figure]] are strip-shaped, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The pixels 322 and 342 can also be various regular or irregular shapes.

[0019] In Figure 5In the structure, the upper edge (i.e., the first edge) of the optical sensor 30 has a distance G1 from the upper edge of the substrate 20 in the second direction Y. The multiple pixels 322 and 342 have a width G3 in the second direction Y, and have distances G2 and G4 from the upper edge and the lower edge (i.e., the third edge) of the optical sensor 30 respectively, where the distance G4 is greater than or equal to the distance G2. The light sources 344 and 346 have a distance G5 in the first direction X and a distance G6 in the second direction Y. The emission holes 33 and 35 have a distance G7 in the second direction Y. In one embodiment, the distance G1 is 75um - 125um, the distance G2 is greater than or equal to 40um, the distance G3 is 320um - 400um, the distance G5 is 300um - 500um, the distance G6 is 75um - 150um, and the distance G7 is 200um.

[0020] In Figure 5 , the light source 344 is arranged at the upper left of the light source 346, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the light source 344 can be arranged at the upper right of the light source 346, or the light sources 344 and 346 can be symmetrically arranged with respect to the center line 38. When the optical sensor 30 is installed in the slit of a smart phone (such as Figure 7 shown), since the optical sensor 30 has two light sources 344 and 346, one above the other, even if the slit has a maximum tolerance offset (for example, 0.2mm), the optical sensor 30 can still ensure that the light of one of the light sources is not blocked. Figure 5 The optical sensor 30 of

[0021] Figure 6 is used to illustrate how the optical sensor 30 of the present invention performs the calibration procedure. In Figure 6Among them, the optical sensor 30 further includes a switching circuit 41, a plurality of Programmable Gain Amplifiers (PGAs) 42, a plurality of analog-to-digital converters 43, a main control unit 44, current controllers 45 and 46, and a transmission interface 47. In an embodiment, the switching circuit 41, the plurality of programmable gain amplifiers 42, the plurality of analog-to-digital converters 43, the main control unit 44, the current controllers 45 and 46, and the transmission interface 47 may be integrated with the plurality of pixels 322 and 342 in the same chip 36. The calibration program of the optical sensor 30 can be executed only once after the smartphone is assembled, or can be executed once every time the smartphone is powered on. The main purpose of the calibration program is to know which of the pixels in the plurality of pixels 322 and 342 are blocked. During the calibration process, the sensed values of all the pixels 322 and 342 are transmitted to an external processor 50 via the switching circuit 41, the programmable gain amplifier 42, the analog-to-digital converter 43, the main control unit 44, and the transmission interface 47. The processor 50 determines which pixels have abnormal sensed values based on the sensed values of the plurality of pixels 322 and 342, and generates a set of parameters. In an embodiment, the processor 50 may be the microcontroller of the smartphone. After the calibration program, when the electronic device (such as a smartphone) installed with this optical sensor 30 operates, the processor 50 provides the set of parameters to the main control unit 44 via the transmission interface 47. The main control unit 44 disables the pixels 322 and / or 342 that produce abnormal sensed values or are not needed according to the set of parameters. To put it more simply, the main control unit 44 controls which pixels the switching circuit 41 is connected to in order to read out their sensed values according to the set of parameters.

[0022] In an embodiment, the calibration process further includes determining whether the emission holes 33 or 35 are blocked according to the sensed value of each pixel 342 of the proximity sensor 34. When the processor 50 determines that the emission holes 33 or 35 are blocked, the processor 50 further controls the main control unit 44 to adjust the brightness of the light sources 344 or 346 to generate set values of the light sources 344 and 346. For example, when the emission hole 33 is blocked, the current supplied to the light source 346 is increased to increase the brightness of the light source 346. After the calibration program, when the electronic device (such as a smartphone) installed with this optical sensor 30 operates, the processor 50 provides the set values of the light sources 344 and 346 to the main control unit 44. The main control unit 44 controls the currents supplied to the light sources 344 and 346 by the current controllers 45 and 46 according to the set values, and thus controls the brightness of the light sources 344 and 346.

[0023] Figure 7An embodiment showing the application of the optical sensor 30 of the present invention in an extremely narrow slit 60 with a width of 0.4 mm is presented. The extending direction (X) of each pixel 322 and 342 of the optical sensor 30 is the same as the extending direction (X) of the long side of the slit 60. Assume that the extremely narrow slit 60 is between the housing 62 and the screen 64. When the slit 60 is offset downward by 0.2 mm, as Figure 7 shown, four pixels above the pixels 322 and 342 of the optical sensor 30 and the light source 344 are blocked by the housing 62. After the aforementioned calibration procedure, the processor 50 can determine that the four pixels above the multiple pixels 342 and the emission holes 33 of the light source 344 are blocked. In this case, the processor 50 can generate set parameters to turn off the four pixels above the multiple pixels 322, the four pixels above the multiple pixels 342, and the light source 344.

[0024] In Figure 7 , the width W1 of the extremely narrow slit 60 is 0.4 mm. However, with the improvement of manufacturing processes, the width W1 of the extremely narrow slit 60 can be further reduced.

[0025] The above description is given by taking an optical sensor 30 including a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. From the above description, the differences between the present invention and the prior art include that the extending direction of the pixels is the same as the extending direction of the slit, and in response to the situation where multiple pixels are blocked, at least one of the multiple pixels is turned off.

[0026] The optical sensor 30 of the present invention can still have good sensitivity under an extremely narrow slit. In other words, an electronic device (such as a smart phone) using the optical sensor 30 of the present invention can adapt to the trend of the slit width becoming smaller and smaller.

[0027] The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention and does not impose any formal limitation on the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed above in the form of embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some modifications or equivalent variations within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention by using the above-disclosed technical content. However, as long as it does not depart from the content of the technical solution of the present invention, any simple modification, equivalent variation, and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical sensor, characterized in that, It has a first edge extending in a first direction and a second edge extending in a second direction, the length of the first edge being greater than the length of the second edge. The optical sensor includes: A plurality of pixels for sensing ambient light, the plurality of pixels being arranged along the second direction, and each pixel extending along the first direction; and A main control unit coupled to the plurality of pixels to turn off at least one of the plurality of pixels according to a set parameter.

2. The optical sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the second direction, the plurality of pixels have a first distance and a second distance from the first edge and a third edge of the optical sensor respectively, where the third edge extends along the first direction and is opposite to the first edge, and the second distance is greater than or equal to the first distance.

3. The optical sensor according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first distance is greater than or equal to 40um.

4. The optical sensor according to claim 2, wherein The width of the plurality of pixels in the second direction is 320um to 400um.

5. The optical sensor according to claim 1, wherein, Each pixel includes a photodiode.

6. An optical sensor, characterized in that, It has a first edge extending in a first direction and a second edge extending in a second direction, the length of the first edge being greater than the length of the second edge. The optical sensor includes: A first light source; A second light source; A plurality of first pixels for sensing the reflected light of the first light source and / or the second light source, the plurality of first pixels being arranged along the second direction, and each first pixel extending along the first direction; and A main control unit coupled to the plurality of first pixels to turn off at least one of the plurality of first pixels and control the brightness of the first light source and the second light source according to a set parameter.

7. The optical sensor according to claim 6, characterized in that, In the second direction, the plurality of first pixels have a first distance and a second distance from the first edge and a third edge of the optical sensor respectively, where the third edge extends along the first direction and is opposite to the first edge, and the second distance is greater than or equal to the first distance.

8. The optical sensor according to claim 7, wherein, The first distance is greater than or equal to 40um.

9. The optical sensor according to claim 7, characterized in that, The width of the plurality of first pixels in the second direction is 320um to 400um.

10. The optical sensor according to claim 6, characterized in that, Each first pixel includes a photodiode.

11. The optical sensor according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first light source is located above the center line of the plurality of first pixels in the second direction, and the second light source is located below the center line.

12. The optical sensor according to claim 11, wherein The distance between the center line and the first light source in the second direction is equal to the distance between the center line and the second light source in the second direction.

13. The optical sensor according to claim 6, wherein, The spacing between the first light source and the second light source in the first direction is 300um to 500um.

14. The optical sensor according to claim 6, characterized in that, The spacing between the first light source and the second light source in the second direction is 75um to 150um.

15. The optical sensor according to claim 11, characterized in that, It further includes a first emission hole and a second emission hole. The first emission hole is above the first light source for the light of the first light source to pass through, and the second emission hole is located above the second light source for the light of the second light source to pass through. The first emission hole is close to the center line in the second direction, and the second emission hole is close to the center line in the second direction.

16. The optical sensor according to claim 15, characterized in that, The distance between the first emission hole and the second emission hole in the second direction is 200um.

17. The optical sensor according to claim 6, wherein, The first light source or the second light source includes a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

18. The optical sensor according to claim 6, characterized in that, It further includes a plurality of second pixels for sensing ambient light, and the main control unit turns off at least one of the plurality of second pixels according to the set parameters, wherein the plurality of second pixels are arranged along the second direction, and each of the second pixels extends along the first direction.

19. The optical sensor according to claim 18, characterized in that, Each of the second pixels includes a photodiode.

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