Active pixel sensor with a diagonal active area
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An imaging device formed as an integrated circuit comprising:
- a photosensitive device for accumulating photo-generated charge in an underlying portion of a semiconductor substrate; and
a readout circuit comprising at least an output transistor;
wherein said imaging device is in a row of similar imaging devices in an array and shares a column output line with an adjacent imaging device of the row.
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Abstract
An imaging device formed as a CMOS semiconductor integrated circuit having two adjacent pixels in a row connected to a common column line. By having adjacent pixels of a row share column lines, the CMOS imager circuit eliminates half the column lines of a traditional imager allowing the fabrication of a smaller imager. The imaging device also may be fabricated to have a diagonal active area to facilitate contact of two adjacent pixels with the single column line and allow linear row select lines, reset lines and column lines.
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Citations
58 Claims
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1. An imaging device formed as an integrated circuit comprising:
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a photosensitive device for accumulating photo-generated charge in an underlying portion of a semiconductor substrate; and
a readout circuit comprising at least an output transistor;
wherein said imaging device is in a row of similar imaging devices in an array and shares a column output line with an adjacent imaging device of the row. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for generating an output signal corresponding to an image focused on a sensor array having rows and columns of pixel sensors wherein two adjacent pixel sensors in a row are connected to a shared column line, each sensor capable of collecting electrical charge based on a detected light intensity, the method comprising the steps of:
activating a first sensor in a row connected to a shared column line for a first period of time then subsequently activating an adjacent second sensors in the row connected to said shared column line for a second period of time. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An imaging system comprising:
a plurality of pixel cells having an active sensor area which includes a diagonally shaped component, the cells being arranged into an array of rows and columns, each pixel cell being operable to generate a voltage at a diffusion node corresponding to detected light intensity by the sensor, wherein two cells in a row share a common column line for addressing said pixel cell and the pixel cells in the row that share the common column line are alternatively addressed by respective row select lines. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A CMOS imager array comprising:
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a plurality of CMOS imager pixels for generating an output signal from detected light and arranged in rows and columns in an array;
a plurality of column lines each connected to at least two adjacent pixels of a row in said array, said column lines being connected to output circuitry to output signals generated from detected light;
a plurality of odd row select lines orthogonal to said column lines to address odd pixels in said rows;
a plurality of even row select lines orthogonal to said column lines to address even pixels in said rows;
column drivers to address the pixels connected to said column lines;
row drivers to address the pixels through said odd row lines and said even row lines. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A system comprising:
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(i) a processor; and
(ii) a CMOS imaging device coupled to said processor and including;
a photosensitive device for accumulating photo-generated charge in an underlying portion of a semiconductor substrate; and
a readout circuit comprising at least an output transistor;
wherein said imaging device is in a row of similar imaging devices in an array and shares a column output line with an adjacent imaging device of the row. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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Specification