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CMOS integration sensor with fully differential column readout circuit for light adaptive imaging

  • US 6,801,258 B1
  • Filed: 03/16/1999
  • Issued: 10/05/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An active pixel sensor (APS) imager comprising:

  • a semiconductor substrate;

    a pixel sensor array of (x) rows and (y) columns of pixels, formed on said substrate;

    a neighborhood selector, formed on said substrate, selecting a kernel of n by m pixels in said array;

    a column integrator array, formed on said substrate, defined by a plurality of column integrators, said column integrators coupled to corresponding columns of pixels and operating to differentially integrate pixel signals on each selected row for each pixel block;

    a column memory array, formed on said substrate, defined by an array of differentially integrated capacitor circuits which sum and hold the differentially integrated pixel signals from n selected column integrators to generate, at the end of a row summing cycle, a row summed charge signal indicative of said n pixels in said row; and

    a global output integrator, formed on said substrate, receiving said row summed charge signal for each of said m columns, and generating a pixel block summed output by summing said (m) signals.

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