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US 8,077,227 B2Granted
Method and apparatus providing analog row noise correction and hot pixel filtering
AssigneeAptina Imaging Corporation
InventorsYaowu Mo, Chen Xu
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Abstract
An imaging device and method for operating the device. The imaging device comprises a pixel array that comprises a plurality of imaging pixels and dark reference pixels arranged in columns and rows. The dark reference pixels produce a noise signal that is subtracted from a pixel signal produced by the imaging pixels to correct row noise. In addition, the imaging device may comprise a hot pixel filtering circuit that blocks the output from hot pixels.
Claims16
An imaging device comprising:
- a pixel array comprising:
- a plurality of image pixels arranged in columns and rows, each column of image pixels in the array comprising an image column line for receiving pixel signals from the image pixels in the column,
- a row noise correction circuit for removing row noise from the image pixel signals received from each column line to produce noise-corrected pixel signals, and
- a plurality of dark reference pixels arranged in each row of image pixels;
- and
- a plurality of sample and hold circuits for storing the noise-corrected pixel signals received from the row noise correction circuit.
3 more elements
A method of operating a pixel array comprising:
- transferring at least one pixel signal from at least one imaging pixel to at least one column line;
- determining a noise signal from a plurality of optically black pixels;
- correcting row noise in the at least one pixel signal by combining the noise signal with the at least one pixel signal to create a noise-corrected pixel signal;
- and
- transferring the noise-corrected pixel signal to at least one sample and hold circuit.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.