Patent ID: 8729485

Claim:
A photon counting image sensor module configured to perform parallel mode readout of a pixel array, comprising: a two-dimensional pixel array, wherein each pixel within the pixel array comprises a sensor configured to capture an electrical signal; an amplifier configured to convert the electrical signal into a voltage; a comparator configured to compare the voltage derived from the electric signal with a reference voltage to discriminate whether the electric signal from the sensor represents a photon detection; and a counter configured to count a photon detection for each respective pixel within the pixel array based upon an output of the comparator; a row driver configured to generate a pixel data for each pixel within a respective pixel row of the pixel array based on the photon detection count; a first column register configured to receive a first serial pixel data, wherein the first serial pixel data comprises pixel data from a plurality of pixels of a first column; a second column register configured to receive a second serial pixel data, wherein the second serial pixel data comprises pixel data from a plurality of pixels of a second column; and a shift register configured to shift the first serial pixel data from the first column register to the second column register.