Patent ID: 6894723

Claim:
A ranking-based dark compensation circuit comprising: a set of comparators, wherein each comparator is coupled to an associated temporary result register, each comparator comprising a first input and a second input, the first coupled to receive an incoming sample and the second input coupled to an output of the associated temporary register to receive a value stored in the associated temporary register, and each comparator compares the incoming sample with the stored temporary register value; and if the value of the sample is greater than the value of the temporary register, then provides that sample to a next comparator or, if there is no next comparator, to a discard area; and if the value of the sample is less than the value of the temporary register, then stores that sample in the temporary register and provides the original value of the temporary register to a next comparator or, if there is no next comparator, to a discard area; and an output value stored in the kth temporary result register.