Patent ID: 6486911
Filing Date: 2002-11-26
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
An integrated circuit CMOS muti-spectral image array sensor for use in a solid state camera system having a plurality of channels for radiation of different wavelenghts, the sensor comprising an array of sensing cells having at least one row of sensing cells, each sensing cell in said at least one row being formed and arranged for sensing radiation corresponding to one of said channels, said at least one row containing a plurality of sensing cells which series are interspersed with each other in a predetermined manner, each series consisting essentially of sensing cells for a respective one of said plurality of channels, and read out means for reading signal outputs from the cells in said at least one cell row of the array, wherein said read out means is adapted to read out selectively, in use of the sensor, the signal outputs from the sensing cells in one of said plurality of series of cells in said at least one row, with the cells in said series being read out consecutively, and then to read out selectively the signal outputs from the sensing cells in another one of said series of cells, via a single common read out line coupled to the sensing cells in each one of said plurality of series of cells so that the signal outputs from the series of sensing cells for each said channel are read as a consecutive series separately from a consecutive series of signal outputs from the series of sensing cells for another said channel.