Patent ID: 7133073

Claim:
A color imaging system providing on-the-fly color interpolation using analog signals to reconstruct colors during sensor readout, the imaging system comprising: an array of pixel sensor elements wherein at least part of the array is arranged in rows and columns: a color filter including a plurality of color filter components organized in a predefined pattern, the color filter overlaying at least a portion of the array; a readout control circuit coupled to the array wherein the readout control circuit is configured to simultaneously read out values for a group of pixel elements within a first portion of the array, including at least two pixel elements from two different rows and two pixel elements from two different columns and to reconstruct color components for at least a first pixel sensor element and a second pixel sensor element using color information from other pixels elements within at least the first portion of the array while the readout control circuit is reading said first portion of the array and wherein said readout control circuit enables sub-sampling said array by skipping pixel elements along horizontal or vertical directions of said array; and a plurality of color amplifiers for generating a buffered color video signal from said readout pixel elements each corresponding to one of said color filter components wherein each said color amplifier has a programmable gain, said programmable gain is used to provide on-the-fly color interpolation, and wherein said color amplifiers are contained within said array of pixel sensors.