Image sensor with charge multiplication
AssigneeTruesense Imaging, Inc.
InventorChristopher Parks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image sensor includes a horizontal shift register electrically connected to a pixel array for receiving charge packets from the pixel array. A non-destructive sense node is connected to an output of the horizontal shift register. A charge directing switch is electrically connected to the non-destructive sense node. The charge directing switch includes two outputs. A charge multiplying horizontal shift register is electrically connected to one output of the charge directing switch. A bypass horizontal shift register or an amplifier can be connected to the other output of the charge directing switch.
Claims16
An image sensor, comprising:
- a horizontal shift register electrically connected to a pixel array for receiving charge packets directly from the pixel array;
- a non-destructive sense node connected to an output of the horizontal shift register;
- a charge sensing output channel electrically connected to the non-destructive sense node and configured to output a signal corresponding to a size of each charge packet received at the non-destructive sense node;
- a charge directing switch electrically connected to the non-destructive sense node, the charge directing switch (i) comprising first and second outputs and (ii) being configured to direct charge packets, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, to the first output or the second output in response to the signal output by the charge sensing output channel;
- a charge multiplying horizontal shift register electrically connected to the first output of the charge directing switch;
- and
- a first amplifier electrically connected to the second output of the charge directing switch.
An image capture device comprising:
- an image sensor, comprising:
- a horizontal shift register electrically connected to a pixel array for receiving charge packets from the pixel array;
- a non-destructive sense node connected to an output of the horizontal shift register;
- a charge sensing output channel electrically connected to the non-destructive sense node and configured to output a signal corresponding to a size of each charge packet received at the non-destructive sense node;
- a charge directing switch electrically connected to the non-destructive sense node, the charge directing switch (i) comprising first and second outputs and (ii) being configured to direct charge packets, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, to the first output or the second output in response to the signal output by the charge sensing output channel;
- a charge multiplying horizontal shift register electrically connected to the first output of the charge directing switch;
- and
- a first amplifier electrically connected to the second output of the charge directing switch;
- and
- a computing device (i) electrically connected to the charge directing switch and (ii) adapted to transmit the signal output by the charge sensing output channel to the charge directing switch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.