Patent ID: 7420677

Claim:
A method of sensing line-like optical signals, the method comprising: obtaining a line-like optical signal; causing relative scanning movement between the line-like optical signal and a two-dimensional photosensor array included in an integrated circuit (IC), the optical signal including photons within an application's range of photon energies; the optical signal following a scan path across the array along which cells in the array photosense photons in the optical signal; the scan path extending in a relative movement direction; the line-like optical signal extending in a direction approximately perpendicular to the relative movement direction; and in each of two or more segments of the scan path, using a respective line of one or more cells in the array to photosense quantities of photons in the optical signal; each segment's respective line of cells including at least one cell that photosenses photons within a respective subrange of the range of photon energies; the respective subranges of at least two of the segments being different from each other; the act of obtaining the line-like optical signal comprising at least one of: illuminating a two-dimensional object with line-like illumination to obtain the line-like optical signal; using a line-like aperture to obtain the line-like optical signal from a two-dimensional optical signal; and using an optical component to prevent the line-like optical signal from spreading in the relative movement direction.