Patent ID: 7876362

Claim:
An image sensor circuit, comprising: a pixel array, the pixel array comprising a plurality of pixel circuits arranged in rows and columns, each pixel circuit of the plurality of pixel circuits configured to sample light intensity and to provide a corresponding analog pixel signal based on the sampled light intensity; a plurality of column analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) circuits, each column ADC circuit of the plurality of column ADC circuits connected to receive analog pixel signals provided from corresponding pixel circuits of the plurality of pixel circuits and configured to convert the received analog pixel signals into digital pixel signals; and at least two memory blocks, each memory block of the at least two memory blocks connected to receive digital pixel signals provided from corresponding column ADC circuits of the plurality of column ADC circuits, at least two of the at least two memory blocks connected to receive digital pixel signals provided from corresponding column ADC circuits that are located to a same side of the pixel array, each of the at least two memory blocks comprising: a plurality of memory cells for storing digital pixel values corresponding to the received digital pixel signals; a readout bus; one or more sense amplifiers connected to the plurality of memory cells by the readout bus for reading out the stored digital pixel values from the plurality of memory cells; and a memory controller connected to the plurality of memory cells for controlling operations of the plurality of memory cells; wherein a length of the readout bus of each memory block of the at least two memory blocks is less than one-fourth of a length of a row of pixel circuits in the pixel array.