Active pixel color linear sensor with line—packed pixel readout
AssigneePhotobit Corporation
InventorLin Ping Ang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A CMOS active pixel color linear image sensor is operable in line-packed readout mode, and at very high speed. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the sensor is formed entirely on a single-chip and may be further configurable for operation in parallel-packed and/or pixel-packed modes. Line-packed pixel readout is accomplished by spreading same color pixel signal sampled values in storage elements across each of plural readout register arrays in a “cyclic” manner. Facility is introduced for starting the reading of a next pixel (e.g., R pixel 2) even before the previous pixel (R pixel 1) has been read out to increase the effective pixel readout rate.
Claims20
A color linear active pixel image sensor operable in line-packed pixel readout mode, comprising:
- a focal plane array of m×n pixels defined by at least a first, second and third linear arrays of predetermined color pixels;
- and
- a line control/readout logic circuit sampling the m×n pixels and reading them out to associated (m×n) storage elements which cooperatively define at least a first, second and third readout register array coupled to said first, second and third linear arrays, the logic circuit further comprising line store select logic for storing and then reading out the pixels, during line-packed pixel readout mode, in a cyclic manner across the first, second and third readout register arrays.
In a color linear active pixel image sensor, a method of sampling and storing pixel elements to be read out in line-packed form comprising:
- sampling and storing a first pixel of a first color linear array in a storage element of a first readout register array;
- sampling and storing a first subsequent pixel of the first color linear array in a storage element of a second readout register array;
- sampling and storing a second subsequent pixel of the first color linear array in a storage element of a third readout register array;
- and
- repeating the sampling and storing for all successive subsequent pixels of the first color linear array in cyclic manner in predefined storage elements in the first, second and third register arrays.
In a color linear active pixel image sensor, a method of reading out pixel elements in line-packed readout mode comprising:
- reading out a first pixel of a first color linear array stored in a storage element of a first readout register array;
- reading out a first subsequent pixel of the first color linear array stored in a storage element of a second readout register array;
- reading out a second subsequent pixel of the first color linear array stored in a storage element of a third readout register array;
- and
- repeating the above reading out steps, in cyclic manner, until all successive subsequent pixels of the first color linear array are read out from corresponding storage elements in the first, second and third readout register arrays.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.