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Pixel read-out architecture

  • US 6,661,457 B1
  • Filed: 03/22/1999
  • Issued: 12/09/2003
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of extracting data representative of photo-exposure intensity from light-sensitive elements in an array of light-sensitive elements, the array having distinct first and second sets of rows of the light-sensitive elements, each of the light-sensitive elements having a sensitivity to energy in-one of a plurality of spectral regions and being associated with a corresponding spectral region, each row having light-sensitive elements which are associated with at least two spectral regions, the method comprising:

  • at a first scanning circuit, from each row in the first set of rows, extracting signals which are representative of an intensity of photo-exposure of light-sensitive elements associated with a first spectral region; and

    from each row in the second set of rows, extracting signals which are representative of an intensity of photo-exposure of light-sensitive elements associated with a second spectral region which is distinct from the first spectral region; and

    at a second scanning circuit, from each row in the first set of rows, extracting signals which are representative of an intensity of photo-exposure of light-sensitive elements associated with a third spectral region which is distinct from the first and second spectral regions; and

    from each row in the second set of rows, extracting signals which are representative of an intensity of photo-exposure of light-sensitive elements associated with a fourth spectral region which is distinct from the first, second, and third spectral regions, wherein the signals representative of the intensity photo-exposure of each light-sensitive element associated with the first and second spectral regions is extracted at the first scanning circuit and the signals representative of the intensity of photo-exposure of each light-sensitive element associated with the third spectral region and the fourth spectral region are extracted at the second scanning circuit.

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