Method and apparatus for controlling dual conversion gain signal in imaging devices
AssigneeAptina Imaging Corporation
InventorXiangli Li
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A image-sensing device includes an array of light-sensing pixels arranged in rows, a readout circuit, and a control logic coupled to the rows of pixels. Each of the pixels has a respective conversion gain that changes to a respective second value from a respective first value within a settling time when a control signal is applied to the pixel. The readout circuit is coupled to the array of pixels and samples the rows of pixels once in an array sampling process. The control logic applies the control signal to the pixels of at least one row after sampling of the pixels in at least one other row of the array has begun but at least the settling time before the at least one row is sampled.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- causing a respective charge storage capacity of each pixel of a first row of a plurality of light-sensing pixels arranged in rows to change to a respective second capacity value from a respective first capacity value at a first instant;
- causing a respective charge storage capacity of each pixel of at least a second row of the plurality of pixels to change to a respective fourth capacity value from a respective third capacity value at a second instant that is at least one row before the second row is sampled, wherein the second instant occurs after the first instant;
- and
- sampling the pixels of the second row at least a settling time of the charge storage capacity after the second instant.
A method, comprising:
- initiating a changing of a respective charge storage capacity of each pixel of at least a single row of pixels to a respective second capacity value from a respective first capacity value, wherein the initiating occurs at least one row before the single row of pixels is sampled;
- and
- sampling the single row of pixels at least a settling time after the initiating but substantially after a sampling of a previous row of pixels has begun, wherein the settling time comprises a period of time for the respective charge storage capacity to change from the respective first capacity value to the respective second capacity value.
A method for controlling a dual conversion gain of an imagining device, the method comprising:
- initiating, at a first instant, a sampling of a first row of pixels of a plurality of pixels of the imaging device, wherein a charge storage capacity of a second row of pixels of the plurality of pixels comprises a first charge capacity value at the first instant;
- causing the charge storage capacity of the second row of pixels to begin changing to a second charge capacity value at a second instant, wherein the second instant is after the first instant;
- completing the sampling of the first row at a third instant, wherein the third instant is after the second instant;
- and
- initiating a sampling of the second row of pixels at a fourth instant, wherein the fourth instant is after the third instant and wherein the fourth instant is a period of time after the causing, and wherein the period of time is at least equal to the settling time of the charge storage capacity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.