Patent ID: 8013919

Claim:
A method of increasing a dynamic range of a captured image using a pixel array having a plurality of rows, the method comprising: reading first pixel information corresponding to a long integration period from each pixel of a first row; reading second pixel information corresponding to a short integration period from each pixel of the first row; converting the first read pixel information into digital form using a first analog to digital converter (ADC); converting the second read pixel information into digital form using a second ADC; and merging the first pixel information and the second pixel information to thereby produce wide dynamic range pixel information for each pixel of the first row; wherein the step of reading first pixel information takes place during a first interval, wherein the step of reading second pixel information takes place during a second interval, wherein at least a portion of the second interval takes place during a long integration period corresponding to a second row of the pixel array, and wherein the conversion of the second pixel information using the second ADC takes place in parallel with a conversion of third pixel information corresponding to the long integration period of the second row using the first ADC.