Patent ID: 7015448

Claim:
An active pixel sensor, comprising: a photosensor; a reset transistor switchably coupling said photosensor to a reset voltage source, said reset transistor being configured to receive two different voltage levels at its gate, a higher of said two different voltage levels being set to a voltage level of a power supply terminal of said active pixel sensor, and the lower of said two different voltage levels being lower than said voltage level of said power supply terminal and greater than a ground level voltage; and a low reset voltage generator switchably coupled to said reset transistor for supplying said lower of the two different voltage levels to said reset transistor, said low reset voltage generator comprising: a first transistor having a first source/drain terminal coupled to said power supply terminal; and a second transistor having a first source/drain terminal coupled to a second source/drain terminal of said first transistor, and also having a second source/drain terminal coupled to a ground terminal, a gate of said first transistor being configured to receive a bias input voltage and a gate of said second transistor being coupled to said ground terminal.