Patent · US Expired

Two-dimensional semiconductor image sensor with regulated integration time

US4589024A · kind A · utility

21Cited by
3References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 19, 1982
Grant dateMay 13, 1986
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 19, 2002

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N25/7795
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A two-dimensional image sensor integrated on a semiconductor substrate has a plurality of sensor elements disposed in rows and columns. The sensors in each row and column are individually selected in succession via parallel outputs of a first vertical shift register for readout of the sensor elements. Regulation of the integration time during which charge carriers collect in the sensor elements due to incident light is achieved by selecting the sensor elements in each row a further n times via a second vertical shift register after each readout of the charges optically generated therein and within the time span during which the charges collected in the sensor elements of the next n rows are respectively transferred for readout into the column lines. The further n selections eliminate charges formed in the interim in the column lines so that the integration time of all sensor elements is variably shortened by the duration of readout of the n rows.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.