Patent ID: 6665009
Filing Date: 2003-12-16
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A CMOS image sensor formed using a CMOS manufacturing process on a single integrated circuit comprising:a pixel array formed from a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix of rows and columns and formed using said CMOS manufacturing process and formed on said single integrated circuit; location processing means for providing a digital location number for each pixel of the pixel array and formed using said CMOS manufacturing process and formed on said single integrated circuit; signal processing circuitry for reading out signals from the pixel array and outputting processed pixel signals formed using said CMOS manufacturing process on said single integrated circuit; dead pixel comparator circuitry formed using said CMOS manufacturing process on said single integrated circuit for receiving the processed pixel signals from the signal processing circuitry and examining the processed pixel signals to see if they are indicative of dead pixels; location storage circuitry for receiving dead pixel information from the dead pixel comparator circuitry and for storing the digital location number generated by the location processing means for each dead pixel and formed using said CMOS manufacturing process and formed on said single integrated circuit; and location comparator circuitry for comparing the digital location number of a pixel that is being processed by the signal processing circuitry with the stored digital location numbers of dead pixels to determine if the pixel that is being processed corresponds to a dead pixel and formed using said CMOS manufacturing process and formed on said single integrated circuit.