Patent ID: 9591275
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: H01L,H04N

Claim:
1. An imaging array comprising: a low-light imaging array comprising: a plurality of rows and columns of low-light pixels; and a low-light processor comprising a plurality of low-light bit lines, each low-light pixel in each column of low-light pixels being connected to one of said low-light bit lines corresponding to that column of low-light pixels; and a color imaging array comprising: a plurality of rows and columns of color pixels; and a color processor comprising a plurality of color bit lines, each color pixel in each column of color pixels being connected to one of said color bit lines corresponding to that column of color pixels, wherein each low-light pixel comprises a photodiode that is characterized by a first area and wherein each color pixel comprises a photodiode that is characterized by a second area, said second area being less than said first area, and wherein said color processor comprises a variable gain amplifier coupled to one of said color bit lines, said variable gain amplifier having a gain that is set in response to an estimate of charge stored in a pixel currently connected to that bit line.