Imec Vzw

Paul Goetschalckx

Jonathan Borremans

Maarten Rosmeulen

Nicolaas Tack

Piet De Moor

Bruno Jozef Arthur Mollekens

An imaging sensor is disclosed, comprising: a set of at least two charge-coupled device, CCD, sub-arrays, wherein each sub-array comprises pixels arranged in columns and rows, and each pixel being arranged to accumulate an electric charge proportional to an intensity of light incident on the pixel; a time delay and integration, TDI, clocking circuitry for controlling and timing transfer of accumulated electric charges between rows of pixels in a column direction in order to integrate the accumulated electric charges in each column of pixels; wherein each CCD sub-array further comprises a readout row for converting the integrated electric charge of each column of pixels into voltage or current, wherein the readout row comprises transistors enabling readout of the signal by the readout block; and a readout block which is arranged to receive input from selected readout rows and convert the input into digital domain or convert the input to a combined representation of pixel values based on the set of CCD sub-arrays.

Imaging sensor and method for reading out image information

An image sensor for converting incident light into digital signals is disclosed. In one aspect, the image sensor includes a matrix of light-sensitive pixels arranged in a plurality of pixel columns each having a predetermined lateral extent. The image sensor includes an analog-to-digital converter block including a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Each of the plurality of ADCs includes an analog processing portion adapted to receive at least one analog signal from a pixel column of the matrix and to generate at least one digital signal from the received analog signal. Each of the plurality of ADCs includes a digital processing portion adapted to receive said at least one digital signal from said corresponding analog processing portion. The lateral extent of at least one of the digital processing portions is greater than the lateral extent of its corresponding analog processing portion.

Growing community of inventors

Leuven, Belgium

Paul Goetschalckx