Time delay integration sensor with in-pixel time delay integration
AssigneesPixart Imaging Inc., Taiwan Space Agency
InventorsRen-Chieh LIU, Yi-Che YEN
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides a time delay integration (TDI) sensor to move with respect to a scene in an along-track direction. A pixel array of the TDI sensor includes multiple pixel columns each including multiple pixels arranged in the along-track direction. Each pixel column includes a first pixel and a second pixel adjacent to each other. The second pixel includes an extra transfer transistor connected between a photodiode of the second pixel and a floating diffusion node of the first pixel.
Claims20
A time delay integration (TDI) image sensor, comprising:
- a pixel array, comprising multiple pixel columns, each of the multiple pixel columns comprising multiple pixels arranged in a column direction, and the multiple pixel columns respectively comprising a first pixel and a second pixel adjacent to each other,
- the first pixel comprising:
- a first photodiode;
- a first floating diffusion node;
- and
- a first transfer transistor, connected between the first photodiode and the first floating diffusion node, and the first transfer transistor being controlled by a second transfer control signal from a second signal line;
- and
- the second pixel comprising:
- a second photodiode;
- a second floating diffusion node;
- a second transfer transistor, connected between the second photodiode and the second floating diffusion node;
- and
- a second extra transfer transistor, connected between the second photodiode and the first floating diffusion node, and the second extra transfer transistor being controlled by a first transfer control signal from a first signal line, different from the second signal line.
An operating method of a TDI image sensor, comprising a first pixel row and a second pixel row arranged in a column direction, the operating method comprising:
- exposing the first pixel row and the second pixel row in a first exposure interval;
- transferring a first pixel data of the second pixel row to a floating diffusion node of each pixel of the first pixel row in a first transfer interval, behind the first exposure interval;
- exposing the first pixel row and the second pixel row in a second exposure interval, behind the first transfer interval;
- and
- transferring a second pixel data of the first pixel row to the floating diffusion node of the each pixel of the first pixel row in a second transfer interval, behind the second exposure interval.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.