Patent Document ID: 7969469
Application ID: 11947980
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An imaging system, comprising: (a) a primary integrated image sensor comprising: a first pixel array for capturing images, wherein each image comprises image signals; a first timing circuit for generating timing signals, wherein the timing signals include signals used to read out the image signals from the first pixel array; an image signal processing circuit for processing image signals; one or more storage circuits operable to store non-image physical and operational information; an analog to digital converter for converting the image signals to digital image signals; a digital serial interface; and a bi-directional digital input/output circuit for receiving digital image signals and outputting processed digital image signals; (b) a secondary image sensor operatively connected to the primary integrated image sensor, the secondary image sensor comprising: a second pixel array for capturing images, wherein each image comprises image signals; a second timing circuit for generating timing signals, wherein the timing signals include signals used to read out the image signals from the second pixel array; an analog to digital converter for converting the image signals to digital image signals; a digital serial interface; and a digital output circuit for outputting digital image signals; (c) a data bus connecting the digital serial interface on the primary integrated image sensor to the digital serial interface on the secondary image sensor and the secondary image sensor transmits non-image physical and operational information to the primary integrated image sensor using the data bus, wherein the non-image physical and operational information relates to the secondary image sensor; and (d) a bi-directional signal line connected to the bi-directional digital input/output circuit on the primary integrated image sensor, wherein the bi-directional digital input/output circuit on the primary integrated image sensor receives digital image signals from the digital output circuit on the secondary image sensor using the bi-directional signal line and the image signal processing circuit processes the digital image signals received from the secondary image sensor using the non-image physical and operational information received from the secondary image sensor on the data bus, wherein the image signal processing circuit also processes the image signals produced by the first pixel array, and wherein the bi-directional digital input/output circuit on the primary integrated image sensor outputs processed digital image signals using the bi-directional signal line.