Patent ID: 8396315

Claim:
A method for sensing an optical image and producing an improved image signal, comprising the steps of: supplying a first signal to a first plurality of nodes, the nodes residing in an integrated circuit substrate; producing a second signal at a second plurality of nodes residing in the integrated circuit substrate, the first plurality of nodes substantially corresponding to the second plurality of nodes, wherein the step of producing the second signal comprises: imposing a smoothness constraint on the second signal restricting a signal difference between the nodes of the second signal, the smoothness constraint imposed with a plurality of horizontal electronic elements; imposing a closeness constraint on the second signal, thereby restricting a signal difference between the corresponding nodes in the first signal and the second signal, the closeness constraint imposed with a plurality of vertical electronic elements; and balancing the smoothness constraint and the closeness constraint with a balancing means controlling the vertical electronic elements, the horizontal electronic elements, or both the vertical and the horizontal elements, the balancing means controlled by a permeability function responsive to a portion of the first signal, wherein the permeability function determines the degree of favoring the smoothness constraint over the closeness constraint, or the degree of favoring the closeness constraint over the smoothness constraint.