An HDR CMOS image sensor with spiking pixels, pixel-level ADC, and linear characteristics

Author

Döge, Jens ; Schönfelder, Gert ; Streil, Gerhard Thomas ; König, Andreas

Author_Institution

Chair of Electron. Devices & Integrated Circuits, Technische Univ. Dresden, Germany

Volume

49

Issue

2

fYear

2002

fDate

2/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

155

Lastpage

158

Abstract

A high dynamic range (HDR) CMOS image sensor architecture based on spiking pixel cells and its first implementation, a linear 128-pixel sensor, is presented. The pulse rate of the pixel cell is proportional to the local light intensity. The pixel cell features a pixel-level analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion by pulse counting. It allows one to tradeoff conversion precision versus frame rate. Sample sensor chips have been manufactured using a 0.8-μm double metal CMOS technology, and the test results confirming the feasibility of the chosen approach are reported

Keywords

CMOS image sensors; analogue-digital conversion; image resolution; 0.8 micron; 128 pixel; HDR CMOS image sensor; conversion precision; double metal CMOS technology; frame rate; linear characteristics; local light intensity; pixel-level ADC; pixel-level analog-to-digital conversion; pulse counting; pulse rate; sensor chips; spiking pixels; CMOS image sensors; CMOS technology; Dynamic range; Image converters; Image resolution; Image sensors; Machine vision; Oscillators; Pixel; Sensor phenomena and characterization;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Circuits and Systems II: Analog and Digital Signal Processing, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1057-7130

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TCSII.2002.1002518

Filename

1002518