Random access memory integrated with CMOS sensors
US6529240B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 18, 1999 |
| Grant date | Mar 4, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 18, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N25/772
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An imaging device includes a Gray Code generator and an array of pixels. Each pixel includes a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (“CMOS”) sensor, a comparator and random access memory (e.g., ferroelectric random access memory). The Gray Code generator is started at the beginning of capture mode and begins providing a sequence of code words. Within each pixel, an output of a CMOS sensor is compared to a threshold, and a code word in the sequence is stored in random access memory when the sensor output crosses the threshold. Thus, the random access memory of each pixel stores a code word that represents the intensity of light detected by its associated CMOS sensor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.