High-speed on-chip windowed centroiding using photodiode-based CMOS imager

• US 6,519,371 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2000
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Yang, Guang, Pain, Bedabrata, Sun, Chao, Cunningham, Thomas J., Hancock, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Jose L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US09/677,972
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 382/288, 382/312, 382/205, 382/304, 382/173, 382/315, 382/318, 345/173, 345/46, 345/55, 348/171, 348/294, 348/302, 348/308, 348/309, 250/370.08
• US Class Current: 382/288
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/66 of image moments or centre of gravity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/626 Reduction of noise due to residual charges remaining after image readout, e.g. to remove ghost images or afterimages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/65 applied to reset noise, e.g. KTC noise related to CMOS structures by techniques other than CDS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors

Abstract

A centroid computation system is disclosed. The system has an imager array, a switching network, computation elements, and a divider circuit. The imager array has columns and rows of pixels. The switching network is adapted to receive pixel signals from the image array. The plurality of computation elements operates to compute inner products for at least x and y centroids. The plurality of computation elements has only passive elements to provide inner products of pixel signals the switching network. The divider circuit is adapted to receive the inner products and compute the x and y centroids.

Claims

1. A centroid computation system, comprising:

an imager array having columns and rows of pixels;

a switching network adapted to receive pixel signals from said image array;

a plurality of computation elements coupled to said switching network to receive pixel signals and operating to compute inner products for at least x and y centroids, said plurality of computation elements having only passive elements without an amplifier to provide inner products of pixel signals from said switching network; and

a divider circuit coupled to said computation elements and adapted to receive said inner products and compute said at least x and y centroids.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a block averaging circuit receiving said pixel signals and averaging said pixel signals over said columns.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computation elements include switches and capacitors.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said plurality of computation elements include row-averaging banks and column-averaging banks.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said capacitors in said row-averaging banks are substantially similar in value.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said capacitors in said row-averaging banks are linearly increasing in value.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said divider circuit includes an op-amp and a transistor in a feedback path of the op-amp.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein said imager array is a CMOS active pixel sensor array, the system further comprising a semiconductor substrate on which said imager array is formed and integrated, wherein said switching network, said computation elements, and said divider circuit are formed and integrated on said substrate with said imager array to allow for on-chip centroid computation.

9. The system as in claim 8, wherein each pixel includes a photodiode responsive to received radiation to produce charge.

10. The system as in claim 9, wherein said photodiode includes:

a sensing node to output said charge;

an output transistor having a gate coupled to said sensing node to produce a pixel signal representing said charge; and

a reset transistor having a source formed from said sensing node, a gate coupled to receive a reset signal, and a drain coupled to a separate reset control signal which is pulsed on and off when said reset signal remains on to reset said sensing node and to erase a memory in said photodiode from a previous readout cycle.

11. The system as in claim 1, wherein said switching network is configured and coupled to said imager array to connect a plurality of columns of pixels in parallel to said computation elements for parallel processing.

12. A system having an imager array, comprising:

a substrate;

an imager array integrated on said substrate and formed of CMOS active pixel sensors;

a switching network integrated on said substrate and coupled to said imager array to receive pixel signals from said image array;

at least one centroid computation circuit integrated on said substrate and coupled to said switching network to compute inner products for at least x and y centroids, said at least one centroid computation circuit having only passive elements without amplifiers to provide inner products of pixel signals from said switching network; and

a divider circuit integrated on said substrate and adapted to receive said inner products and compute said at least x and y centroids.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a block averaging circuit, integrated on said substrate, receiving said pixel signals and averaging said pixel signals over said columns.

14. The system as in claim 12, wherein said switching network is configured and coupled to said imager array to connect a plurality of columns of pixels in parallel to said at least one centroid computation circuit for parallel processing.

15. The system as in claim 12, wherein said least one centroid computation circuit includes capacitors that carry out centroid computations.