Charge summing in an image sensor

摘要

An image sensor includes a pixel array having a plurality of pixels. Pixels can be summed or binned diagonally in the pixel array in a first diagonal direction and in a different second diagonal direction. The locations of the first and second diagonal summed pairs can be distributed across the pixel array.

主权项

1. A method for summing charge in an image sensor having a pixel array that includes plurality of pixels, the method comprising:
summing charge in pixels along a first diagonal direction to produce two or more first diagonal summed pairs, wherein the charge in each pixel is associated with a first color and the charge in the two or more first diagonal summed pairs is associated with the first color; summing charge in pixels along a different second diagonal direction to produce two or more second diagonal summed pairs, wherein the charge in each pixel is associated with the first color and the charge in the two or more second diagonal summed pairs is associated with the first color; summing charge in pixels along one or more non-diagonal directions to produce two or more summed pairs, wherein the charge in each pixel is associated with a second color and the charge in the two or more summed pairs is associated with the second color; reading the two or more first diagonal summed pairs, the two or more second diagonal summed pairs, and the two or more summed pairs out of the pixel array; summing together one first diagonal summed pair associated with the first color and another first diagonal summed pair associated with the first color; summing together one second diagonal summed pair associated with the first color and another second diagonal summed pair associated with the first color; and summing together one summed pair associated with the second color and another summed pair associated with the second color.