Differential Image Sensor With Decoupled Static and Dynamic Outputs

Acquiring and processing full-motion details in machine vision typically consumes a substantial amount of energy. In contrast, a hierarchical processing architecture, combining a low-power standby front end with an on-demand activated back end, provides an optimized energy-performance tradeoff. To achieve this, the complete acquisition and decoupling of static (brightness) and dynamic (amplitude and polarity) output at the sensory level are essential for activating on-demand vision function. Here, we report a differential image sensor (DIS) that leverages differential photodiodes with decoupled differential and tunneling modes. These modes can be read out via conventional ROICs, paving the way for the up-scaled integration (e.g., 640 × 512). With on-demand activated dynamic and static modes, the DIS implements a hierarchical motion-processing pipeline-from sparse motion detection to optical flow and depth analysis. This work provides a power-efficient and scalable strategy for advancing vision-based AIoT applications.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-06-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.73884
Primary Topic
CCD and CMOS Imaging Sensors
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Differential Image Sensor With Decoupled Static and Dynamic Outputs

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Advanced Materials
CCD and CMOS Imaging Sensors
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Differential Image Sensor With Decoupled Static and Dynamic Outputs

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article en

Abstract

Acquiring and processing full-motion details in machine vision typically consumes a substantial amount of energy. In contrast, a hierarchical processing architecture, combining a low-power standby front end with an on-demand activated back end, provides an optimized energy-performance tradeoff. To achieve this, the complete acquisition and decoupling of static (brightness) and dynamic (amplitude and polarity) output at the sensory level are essential for activating on-demand vision function. Here, we report a differential image sensor (DIS) that leverages differential photodiodes with decoupled differential and tunneling modes. These modes can be read out via conventional ROICs, paving the way for the up-scaled integration (e.g., 640 × 512). With on-demand activated dynamic and static modes, the DIS implements a hierarchical motion-processing pipeline-from sparse motion detection to optical flow and depth analysis. This work provides a power-efficient and scalable strategy for advancing vision-based AIoT applications.

Advanced Materials
Beijing Institute of Technology (CN), Tangshan College (CN), Sun Yat-sen University (CN), City University of Hong Kong (HK), Changsha University (CN), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (CN), Beijing University of Technology (CN), Soochow University (CN), Zhuhai Institute of Advanced Technology (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province, Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
CCD and CMOS Imaging Sensors
DOISourceOpenAlex
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