CMOS active pixel with hard and soft reset
US7489355B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 6, 2004 |
| Grant date | Feb 10, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 29, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N25/77
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A circuit for a pixel site in an imaging array includes a light-detecting element to convert incident light to a photocurrent and a reset transistor, operatively connected to the light-detecting element, to reset a voltage associated with the light-detecting element. The reset transistor hard resets the voltage associated with the light-detecting element and soft resets the voltage associated with the light-detecting element after the generation of the hard reset of the voltage associated with the light-detecting element. A pixel voltage of a column or row line is also measured by hard resetting the column or row line voltage to a first predetermined voltage; soft resetting the column or row line voltage to a first pixel voltage; hard resetting the column or row line voltage to a second predetermined voltage; soft resetting the column or row line voltage to a second pixel voltage; and determining a difference between the first and second pixel voltages, the difference being the measured pixel voltage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.