Patent · US Expired

Focal plane array imaging device with random access architecture

US5541654A · kind A · utility

179Cited by
5References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 8, 1995
Grant dateJul 30, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 8, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N25/78
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An imaging device includes an array of plural imaging elements each of which is responsive to incident light flux to provide an output signal. Each of the imaging elements includes provision for conducting a variable time integration of incident light flux, and alternatively, also for selecting a time interval during which each of the imaging elements simultaneously conducts such a time integration of incident light flux (i.e., takes a snap shot of an image scene). The imaging device includes provision for random access of each image element or group of image elements in the array so that output signals indicative of all or of only selected parts of an imaged scene can be processed for their image information, if desired. The other parts of an imaged scene may not be considered or may be considered for their image information at a lower sampling rate than the selected parts of the scene so that image information about the selected parts of the image scene can be accessed at a much higher rate than is conventionally possible. A variable gain feature allows selective canceling of fixed-pattern noise, interference, or unwanted image information. An anti-blooming feature prevents charg…

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