Dual sensitivity image sensor
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system of taking images of different sensitivities at the same time uses both an image sensor, and an auxiliary part to the image sensor. The image sensor element can be a photogate, and the auxiliary part can be the floating diffusion associated with the photogate. Both the photogate and the floating diffusion accumulate charge. Both are sampled at different times. The floating diffusion provides a lower sensitivity amount of charge than the photogate itself. The system can have a photogate and floating diffusion in each pixel along with a select transistor, a reset transistor, and a follower transistor. All of this circuitry can be formed of CMOS for example. The system can also operate in a column/parallel mode, where each column of the photo sensor array can have a column signal processor which samples and holds the reset signal, the floating diffusion signal and the photogate signal.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1-32. -32. (canceled)
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33. An image sensing pixel comprising:
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a first image sensing portion having a first light sensitivity and producing charge based on an amount of incident light; and
a second image sensing portion having a second sensitivity to light and producing charge based on the amount of incident light; and
an image processing portion having circuitry that produces an output indicative of both an amount of charge received by said first image sensing portion, and an amount of charge received by said second image sensing portion. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of imaging, comprising:
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obtaining both a high sensitivity signal and a low sensitivity signal in each of a plurality of pixels, wherein said high sensitivity signal is obtained by a first image sensing portion within each pixel, and said low sensitivity signal is obtained by a first image sensing portion within each pixel, said first and second image sensing portions having different image sensitivities; and
outputting both of said high sensitivity signal and low sensitivity signal from each of said plurality of pixels. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification