Optoelectronic sensor with shuffled readout
First Claim
1. An integrated circuit CMOS muti-spectral image array sensor for use in a solid state camera system having a plurality of channels for radiation of different wavelenghts, the sensor comprising an array of sensing cells having at least one row of sensing cells, each sensing cell in said at least one row being formed and arranged for sensing radiation corresponding to one of said channels, said at least one row containing a plurality of sensing cells which series are interspersed with each other in a predetermined manner, each series consisting essentially of sensing cells for a respective one of said plurality of channels, and read out means for reading signal outputs from the cells in said at least one cell row of the array, wherein said read out means is adapted to read out selectively, in use of the sensor, the signal outputs from the sensing cells in one of said plurality of series of cells in said at least one row, with the cells in said series being read out consecutively, and then to read out selectively the signal outputs from the sensing cells in another one of said series of cells, via a single common read out line coupled to the sensing cells in each one of said plurality of series of cells so that the signal outputs from the series of sensing cells for each said channel are read as a consecutive series separately from a consecutive series of signal outputs from the series of sensing cells for another said channel.
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Abstract
An integrated circuit suitable for use as a multi-spectral image array sensor (1) comprises an array of pixels (2) for sensing radiation of different wavelengths e.g. different colours. The array has at least one row of cells containing a plurality of series (R,G) of pixels which series are interspersed with each other. Each series consists essentially of pixels (2) for sensing radiation of substantially the same wavelength e.g. the same colour. At least two horizontal shift registers (16,18) are provided, each register being coupled to pixels (2) of a respective one of the plurality of series (R,G) of pixels so as to enable the outputs from the pixels of each series to be read out consecutively at an array output (11). In a preferred embodiment the pixels (2) are preferably arranged in a Bayer matrix of Red, Green and Blue pixels and two interleaved shift registers (16,18) are provided for reading out the pixel outputs for each colour consecutively, in each row. In an alternative embodiment, an address decode system (40, 41, 42) is used to read out the pixel outputs instead of horizontal shift registers. The integrated circuit may be provided in a camera head (22) and/or in a solid state camera system (20) incorporating a signal processor (28) for demultiplexing the pixel outputs into a plurality of channels e.g. different colour channels (R, G, B).
60 Citations
37 Claims
- 1. An integrated circuit CMOS muti-spectral image array sensor for use in a solid state camera system having a plurality of channels for radiation of different wavelenghts, the sensor comprising an array of sensing cells having at least one row of sensing cells, each sensing cell in said at least one row being formed and arranged for sensing radiation corresponding to one of said channels, said at least one row containing a plurality of sensing cells which series are interspersed with each other in a predetermined manner, each series consisting essentially of sensing cells for a respective one of said plurality of channels, and read out means for reading signal outputs from the cells in said at least one cell row of the array, wherein said read out means is adapted to read out selectively, in use of the sensor, the signal outputs from the sensing cells in one of said plurality of series of cells in said at least one row, with the cells in said series being read out consecutively, and then to read out selectively the signal outputs from the sensing cells in another one of said series of cells, via a single common read out line coupled to the sensing cells in each one of said plurality of series of cells so that the signal outputs from the series of sensing cells for each said channel are read as a consecutive series separately from a consecutive series of signal outputs from the series of sensing cells for another said channel.
- 30. A method of reading outputs of individual sensing cells of an array of sensing cells fabricated in an integrated circuit CMOS muti-spectral image array sensor for use in a solid state camera system having a plurality of channels for radiation of different wavelenghts, the array comprising at least one row of sensing cells, said at least one row containing a plurality of series of sensing cells which series are interspersed with each other in a predetermined manner and each series consisting essentially of sensing cells for a respective one of said plurality of channels, and read out means for selectively reading signal outputs from the cells in said at least one cell row of the array, wherein the method comprises reading out selectively the signal outputs from the sensing cells in one of said plurality of series of cells in said at least one row, with the cells in said series being read out consecutively, and then to read out selectively and consecutively the signal outputs from the sensing cells in another one of said series of cells, via a signal common read out line coupled to the sensing cells in each one of said plurality of series of cells so that the signal outputs from the series of sensing cells for each said channel are read as a consecutive series separately from a consecutive series of signal outputs from the series of sensing cells for another said channel.
- 36. Signal processing means suitable for use in a solid state CMOS camera system and adapted to receive and demultiplex streams of output signals from sensing cells of an integrated circuit CMOS image sensing array of the camera system, said array having at least one row of sensing cells containing a plurality of series of sensing cells interspersed in a predetermined manner, each series consisting essentially of sensing cells for a respective one of a plurality of channels for radiation of different wavelengths in the solid state camera system, said signal processing means being adapted to demultiplex a shuffled stream of output signals from sensing cells in said at least one row into respective ones of said plurality of channels, in which shuffled stream of output signals the output signals from the sensing cells in each one of said plurality of series of cells in said at least one row are arranged consecutively.
Specification