Patent ID: 7488926

Claim:
An image sensor, comprising: a pixel array located on a first portion of an integrated circuit (IC), the array including a plurality of pixels arranged in rows, wherein each pixel is configurable to output a first signal in response to illumination during each of multiple imaging cycles, and as to each pixel, the part of an imaging cycle during which the first signal is output depends upon an intensity of illumination of that pixel; a first group of pixel output lines, wherein each of the first group of pixel output lines corresponds to a different row of the array and is in communication with at least two of the pixels in the corresponding row; a signal generator configured to output a time-varying, multi-bit counter signal; a first group of multi-bit random access memory (RAM) storage elements displaced from the array on the IC, wherein each of the RAM storage elements is configurable to receive the counter signal, is associated with a different one of the first group of pixel output lines, and is configurable to store a value of the counter signal if the first signal is received on the pixel output line with which the storage element is associated; and a decoder connected to each column of the pixel array by a corresponding pair of first and second selection lines orthogonal to the first group of pixel output lines, the decoder configured to readout the array by outputting a column-specific first and second selection signals on corresponding first and second selection lines so as to cause pixels sharing a common pixel output line to time-muliplex corresponding pixel output signals.