US 8,013,920 B2Granted

Imaging system for creating an image of an object

AssigneeYouliza, Gehts B.V. Limited Liability Company

InventorsTaner Dosluoglu, Guang Yang, Peter Bartkovjak

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Abstract

An imaging system provides a serial video signal that is indicative of the intensity of the light. The imaging system has an array of pixel image sensors arranged in rows and columns. A control circuit is in communication with the rows of the array and the plurality of column switches. The control circuit generates reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals for each selected row for controlling resetting, integration of photoelectrons generated from the light impinging upon the array of pixel image sensors, charge transfer of the photoelectrons from the photosensing devices to the charge storage device, and to activate the photoelectron sensing devices on each row to generate output signals from each of the pixel image sensors on a selected row. The control circuit generates the column selection signals for transfer of the output signals from selected rows to form a serial video output signal.

Claims62

Dependent claims

An image sensor fabricated on a surface of a substrate for sensing light impinging upon said image sensor, said image sensor comprising:

an array of a plurality of pixel image sensors arranged in rows and columns upon said substrate for conversion of photons of said light impinging upon said image sensor to photoelectrons, each of said pixel image sensors comprising:
a photoelectron sensing device having a high impedance input connected to detect presence of said photoelectrons on a charge storage device incorporated within said pixel image sensor, an output line containing an output voltage signal that has a magnitude related to a number of photoelectrons, and a gated power supply source input to selectively receive a pixel image sensor initiation signal to activate said photoelectron sensing device to generate said output voltage signal;
a plurality of column switches, each column switch connected such that said output line of each photoelectron sensing device of each pixel image sensor is selectively connected to transfer each output signal from each pixel image sensor of a selected row;
a control circuit in communication with said rows of said array of plurality of pixel image sensors and said plurality of column switches for generating reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals, and column selection signal for controlling resetting, integration of photoelectrons generated from said light impinging upon said array of pixel image sensors, charge transfer of said photoelectrons from said photosensing devices to said charge storage device, and to activate said photoelectron sensing devices on each row to generate output signals from each of said pixel image sensors on a selected row for transfer;
wherein said control circuit generates said reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals, and column selection signals to provide a double sampling of each pixel image sensor of each selected row, a first sampling of said double sampling being a reset level of each pixel image sensor on said selected row and a second sampling of said double sampling being a signal level related to said number of photoelectrons;
wherein column selections signals activate each column selection switch to serially form each first sampling from each pixel image sensor into a reset output signal for transfer and serially form each second sampling from each pixel image sensor into a photon magnitude output signal for transfer as a serial video output signal.

3 more elements

An imaging system for creating an image of an object comprising:

an image sensor fabricated on a surface of a substrate for sensing light impinging upon said image sensor from said object, said image sensor comprising:
an array of a plurality of pixel image sensors arranged in rows and columns upon said substrate for conversion of photons of said light impinging upon said image sensor to photoelectrons, each of said pixel image sensors comprising:
an photoelectron sensing device having a high impedance input connected to detect presence of said photoelectrons on a charge storage device incorporated within said pixel image sensor, an output line containing an output voltage signal that has a magnitude related to a number of photoelectrons, and a gated power supply source input to selectively receive a pixel image sensor initiation signal to activate said photoelectron sensing device to generate said output voltage signal;
a plurality of column switches, each column switch connected such that said output line of each photoelectron sensing device of each pixel image sensor is selectively connected to transfer each output signal from each pixel image sensor of a selected row;
a control circuit in communication with said rows of said array of plurality of pixel image sensors and said plurality of column switches for generating reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals, and column selection signal for controlling resetting, integration of photoelectrons generated from said light impinging upon said array of pixel image sensors, charge transfer of said photoelectrons from said photosensing devices to said charge storage device, and to activate said photoelectron sensing devices on each row to generate output signals from each of said pixel image sensors on a selected row for transfer as a serial video output signal;
wherein said control circuit generates said reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals, and column selection signals to provide a double sampling of each pixel image sensor of each selected row, a first sampling of said double sampling being a reset level of each pixel image sensor on said selected row and a second sampling of said double sampling being a signal level related to said number of photoelectrons;
wherein column selections signals activate each column selection switch to serially form each first sampling from each pixel image sensor into a reset output signal for transfer and serially form each second sampling from each pixel image sensor into a photon magnitude output signal for transfer;
and
an external processing circuit in communication with said image sensor to demodulate, perform an analog-to-digital signal conversion, and determine digital video data from said first samplings and said second samplings indicative of said image of said light impinging upon said array of a plurality of pixel image sensors.

6 more elements

A method for forming an image sensor for sensing light impinging upon said image sensor, said method for forming said image sensor comprising the steps of:

forming an array of a plurality of pixel image sensors arranged in rows and columns upon a surface of a substrate for conversion of photons of said light impinging upon said image sensor to photoelectrons, each of said pixel image sensors are formed by the steps of:
forming a photoelectron sensing device having a high impedance input connected to detect presence of said photoelectrons on a charge storage device incorporated within said pixel image sensor, an output line containing an output voltage signal that has a magnitude related to a number of photoelectrons, and a gated power supply source input to selectively receive a pixel image sensor initiation signal to activate said photoelectron sensing device to generate said output voltage signal;
forming a plurality of column switches by the steps of:
connecting each column switch such that said output line of each photoelectron sensing device of each pixel image sensor is selectively connected to transfer each output signal from each pixel image sensor of a selected row;
forming a control circuit to be in communication with said rows of said array of plurality of pixel image sensors and said plurality of column switches for generating reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals, and column selection signal for controlling resetting, integration of photoelectrons generated from said light impinging upon said array of pixel image sensors, charge transfer of said photoelectrons from said photosensing devices to said charge storage device, and to activate said photoelectron sensing devices on each row to generate output signals from each of said pixel image sensors on a selected row for transfer as a serial video output signal;
wherein said control circuit performs the operation steps of:
generating said reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals, and column selection signals to provide a double sampling of each pixel image sensor of each selected row, a first sampling of said double sampling being a reset level of each pixel image sensor on said selected row and a second sampling of said double sampling being a signal level related to said number of photoelectrons;
wherein column selections signals perform the operational steps of:
activating each column selection switch to serially form each first sampling from each pixel image sensor into a reset output signal for transfer and serially form each second sampling from each pixel image sensor into a photon magnitude output signal for transfer.

6 more elements

A method for forming an imaging system for creating an image of an object comprising:

forming an array of a plurality of pixel image sensors arranged in rows and columns upon a surface of a substrate for conversion of photons of said light impinging upon said image sensor to photoelectrons, each of said pixel image sensors are formed by the steps of:
forming a photoelectron sensing device having a high impedance input connected to detect presence of said photoelectrons on a charge storage device incorporated within said pixel image sensor, an output line containing an output voltage signal that has a magnitude related to a number of photoelectrons, and a gated power supply source input to selectively receive a pixel image sensor initiation signal to activate said photoelectron sensing device to generate said output voltage signal;
forming a plurality of column switches by the steps of:
connecting each column switch such that said output line of each photoelectron sensing device of each pixel image sensor is selectively connected to transfer each output signal from each pixel image sensor of a selected row;
forming a control circuit to be in communication with said rows of said array of plurality of pixel image sensors and said plurality of column switches for generating reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals, and column selection signal for controlling resetting, integration of photoelectrons generated from said light impinging upon said array of pixel image sensors, charge transfer of said photoelectrons from said photosensing devices to said charge storage device, and to activate said photoelectron sensing devices on each row to generate output signals from each of said pixel image sensors on a selected row for transfer as a serial video output signal;
wherein said control circuit performs the operation steps of:
generating said reset control signals, transfer gating signals, pixel image sensor initiation signals, and column selection signals to provide a double sampling of each pixel image sensor of each selected row, a first sampling of said double sampling being a reset level of each pixel image sensor on said selected row and a second sampling of said double sampling being a signal level related to said number of photoelectrons;
wherein column selections signals perform the operational steps of:
activating each column selection switch to serially form each first sampling from each pixel image sensor into a reset output signal for transfer and serially form each second sampling from each pixel image sensor into a photon magnitude output signal for transfer;
and
forming an external processing circuit in communication with said image sensor, said external processing circuit performing operational steps of;
demodulating said first sampling and said second sampling,
performing an analog-to-digital signal conversion upon said demodulated first and second sampling, and
determining digital video data from said first samplings and said second samplings indicative of said image of said light impinging upon said array of a plurality of pixel image sensors.

11 more elements

A method for capturing an image of an object comprising the steps of:

a) selecting a row of an array of a plurality of pixel image sensors, wherein the plurality of pixel image sensors are arranged in rows and columns upon a surface of a substrate for conversion of photons of said light impinging upon said image sensors to photoelectrons;
b) double sampling each photosensing device and each charge storage device of each pixel image sensor on said selected row, wherein a first sampling of the double sampling is a reset level of each pixel image sensor of the selected row and a second sampling of the double sampling is a photo-conversion related to a number of photoelectrons that impinge upon each pixel image sensor;
c) serially forming each first sampling and serially forming each second sampling for each pixel image sensor on said selected row into a photon magnitude signal for transfer to circuitry external from the array of pixel image sensors;
d) extracting the photo-conversion level and the reset level for each pixel image sensor of said selected row indicative a number of photons impinging upon each pixel image sensor;
e) generating a reference level for the pixel image sensors for said selected row;
f) determining a first difference level as a difference of the photo-conversion level for each pixel image sensor of said selected row and the reference level;
g) determining a second difference level as a difference of the reset level for each pixel image sensor of said selected row and the reference level;
and
h) determining a pixel value as a difference of the first difference value and the second value.

6 more elements

An apparatus for capturing an image of an object comprising:

a) means selecting a row of an array of a plurality of pixel image sensors, wherein the plurality of pixel image sensors are arranged in rows and columns upon a surface of a substrate for conversion of photons of said light impinging upon said image sensors to photoelectrons;
b) means for double sampling each photosensing device and each charge storage device of each pixel image sensor on said selected row, wherein a first sampling of the double sampling is a reset level of each pixel image sensor of the selected row and a second sampling of the double sampling is a photo-conversion related to a number of photoelectrons that impinge upon each pixel image sensor;
c) means for serially forming each first sampling and serially forming each second sampling for each pixel image sensor on said selected row into a photon magnitude signal for transfer to circuitry external from the array of pixel image sensors;
d) means for extracting the photo-conversion level and the reset level for each pixel image sensor of said selected row indicative a number of photons impinging upon each pixel image means for serially forming each first sampling and serially forming each second sampling for each pixel image sensor on said selected row into a photon magnitude signal for transfer to circuitry external from the array of pixel image sensors;
e) means for extracting the photo-conversion level and the reset level for each pixel image sensor of said selected row indicative a number of photons impinging upon each pixel image sensor;
f) means for generating a reference level for the pixel image sensors for said selected row;
g) means for determining a first difference level as a difference of the photo-conversion level for each pixel image sensor of said selected row and the reference level;
h) means for determining a second difference level as a difference of the reset level for each pixel image sensor of said selected row and the reference level;
and
i) means for determining a pixel value as a difference of the first difference value and the second value.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.