Digital image sensor

摘要

A digital imaging sensor includes an array of pixels. A subset of the pixels in the array has reduced photosensitivity in comparison to other pixels in said array. A controller operates to control an integration time of the array of pixels such that a first integration time of the subset of pixels is longer than a second integration time of the other pixels in the array. Such an image sensor is particularly useful for sensing light sources that are not illuminated continuously.

主权项

1. A digital imaging sensor, comprising:
an array of pixels arranged in columns and rows, wherein each column and row includes a plurality of pixels, wherein a subset of the plurality of pixels in a given row of said array has reduced photosensitivity in comparison to other pixels in said given row of said array; and a control circuit configured to control an integration time of said array of pixels such that a first integration time of said subset of pixels of reduced sensitivity in said array is longer than a second integration time of said other pixels in said array; wherein each pixel comprises: a reset transistor coupled between a reference supply node and a floating node; a pinned photodiode; and first and second transfer transistors coupled between the floating node and the pinned photodiode, wherein the first transfer transistor is gate controlled by a first control signal on a vertical address line for the column and the second transfer transistor is gate controlled by a second control signal on a horizontal address line for the row; said control circuit operable to control said integration time of each pixel by controlling the timing of the first and second control signals applied to individual pixels of the subset of the plurality of pixels in the given row through the vertical and horizontal address lines for pixels of said subset in the pixel array.