Patent ID: 9386241
Filing Date: 2016-07-05
CPC Classification: G01J,H04N

Claim Text:
1. A method for enhancing dynamic range of data read from an imaging sensor, the imaging sensor comprising N linear pixel arrays, each of the N linear pixel arrays having M charge coupled pixels, each pixel charge coupled, and further being coupled to one of N registers, the method comprising: integrating charge in at least some pixels of the N linear pixel arrays; combining charge from a first region of the N linear pixel arrays of the imaging sensor in the N registers by shifting charge from the first region along each of the N linear pixel arrays to each of the N registers, the first region of the N linear pixel arrays having at least one pixel line and the at least one pixel line of the first region is oriented in an orthogonal direction to the N linear pixel arrays; shifting charge from the N registers along a linear path; representing charge from at least a portion of the first region of the N linear pixel arrays, shifted out of the N registers, as a corresponding portion of N first region data signals; combining charge from a second region of the N linear pixel arrays in the N registers by shifting charge from the second region along each of the N linear pixel arrays to each of the N registers, the first and second regions having at least three pixel lines, and the at least three pixel lines being oriented in an orthogonal direction to the N linear pixel arrays; shifting charge from the N registers along a linear path; representing charge from at least a portion of the second region of the N linear pixel arrays, shifted out of the N registers, as a corresponding portion of N second region data signals; and defining the first region of the N linear pixel arrays of the imaging sensor by designating at least one pixel line as belonging to the first region of the N linear pixel arrays, wherein defining the first region of the N linear pixel arrays of the imaging sensor by designating at least one pixel line as belonging to the first region of the N linear pixel arrays further comprises: