Resetting a row driven imager pixel

A method for operating an imaging system having pixels arranged in rows and columns, said method comprising:

• focusing an image on the pixel array;
• applying a first voltage to a channel terminal of a reset transistor and a channel terminal of an output transistor of a pixel within a first row of said array, another channel terminal of said reset transistor and a gate of said output transistor being connected to a storage node;
• applying a gate activation voltage to a transfer transistor of said pixel which is connected between a photosensor and said storage node, and applying a gate activation voltage to said reset transistor of said pixel;
• subsequent to said acts of applying said first voltage and applying said gate activation voltages to said transfer and reset transistor, removing the gate activation voltage from said transfer transistor to start an integration period for said pixel;
• subsequent to said removing, applying a second voltage to the channel terminal of the reset transistor and the channel terminal of the output transistor while applying a gate activation voltage to said reset transistor, said second voltage, being lower than said first voltage;
• and
• repeating the preceding steps in time-shifted sequence for pixels in other rows of said array;
• processing pixel signals associated with the image;
• and
• storing values corresponding to the pixel signals associated with the image in a non-volatile storage device.

A method of operating an imaging system having a pixel array having imaging pixels arranged in rows and columns and in which each imaging pixel comprises a photosensor, a charge storage node, a transfer transistor connected to selectively transfer charges between the photosensor and charge storage node, and a reset transistor having a first channel terminal for receiving a supply voltage and a second channel terminal connected to said storage node;

• said method comprising:
• focusing an image on the pixel array;
• providing low and high voltages to the first channel terminal of a reset transistor of a first pixel;
• initiating an integration period in the first pixel by turning off a transfer transistor of said first pixel after the high voltage is supplied to the first channel terminal of a reset transistor of said first pixel while said reset and transfer transistors of said first pixel are turned on;
• supplying said high voltage to the first channel terminal of a reset transistor of a second pixel in a second row of said array while said reset transistor and a transfer transistor of said second pixel are turned on during the integration period of said first pixel;
• processing pixel signals associated with the image;
• and
• storing values corresponding to the pixel signals associated with the image in a storage device.

An imaging system comprising:

• an imaging array comprising a plurality of imaging pixels for receiving an image, the pixels arranged in rows and columns;
• a control circuit for causing a higher voltage to be supplied to pixels in a first row during an integration period of the pixels in the first row and thereafter causing a lower voltage to be supplied to the pixels in the first row during said integration period, and for causing pixels in a second row to be reset during the integration period of pixels in the first row;
• a processing device to process pixel signals corresponding to the image;
• and
• a port to receive a removable, solid-state, non-volatile memory device configured to receive and store data associated with the image.

A method of operating an imaging pixel array having pixels arranged in rows and columns, said method comprising:

• initiating integration of pixels in a row of said array after a row driver line supplies a higher voltage to charge storage regions of respective pixels within said row;
• applying from said row driver line a lower voltage to said charge storage regions of respective pixels within said row before the end of said integration period;
• and
• repeating said initiating and applying steps for the pixels of each row of said array in a row-by-row sequence.