A CMOS imager circuit includes a focal plane array of pixel cells, each one of the cells including a photosensor, for example, a photogate, photoconductor or a photodiode overlying a substrate for accumulating photo-generated charge in the underlying portion of the substrate. Each pixel cell has a readout circuit that includes at least an output field effect transistor formed in the substrate and a charge storage region formed on the substrate connected to the gate of an output transistor. The charge storage region may be constructed as a floating diffusion region. Each pixel may include at least one electronic device such as a transistor for transferring charge from the photosensor to the storage region and one device, also typically a transistor, for resetting the storage region to a predetermined charge level prior to charge transference.
In a CMOS imager, the active elements of a pixel cell perform the necessary functions of: (1) photon to charge conversion; (2) accumulation of image charge; (3) resetting the storage region to a known state; (4) selection of a pixel for readout; and (5) output and amplification of a signal representing pixel charge. The charge at the storage region is typically converted to a pixel output voltage by the capacitance of the storage region and a source follower output transistor.
CMOS imagers of the type discussed above are generally known as discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,140,630, 6,376,868, 6,310,366, 6,326,652, 6,204,524 and 6,333,205, assigned to Micron Technology, Inc., which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram for a CMOS imager 10. The imager 10 includes a pixel array 20. The pixel array 20 comprises a plurality of pixels arranged in a predetermined number of columns and rows. The pixels of each row in array 20 are all turned on at the same time by a row select line and the pixels of each column are selectively output by a column select line. A plurality of row and column lines are provided for the entire array 20.
The row lines are selectively activated by the row driver 32 in response to row address decoder 30 and the column select lines are selectively activated by the column driver 36 in response to column address decoder 34. Thus, a row and column address is provided for each pixel. The CMOS imager 10 is operated by the control circuit 40, which controls address decoders 30, 34 for selecting the appropriate row and column lines for pixel readout, and row and column driver circuitry 32, 36, which apply driving voltage to the drive transistors of the selected row and column lines.
Each column contains sampling capacitors and switches 38 associated with the column driver 36 reads a pixel reset signal Vrst and a pixel image signal Vsig for selected pixels. A differential signal (Vrst−Vsig) is produced by differential amplifier 40 for each pixel and is digitized by analog-to-digital converter 45 (ADC). The analog-to-digital converter 45 supplies the digitized pixel signals to an image processor 50, which forms a digital image output.
Lighting can effect image exposure. Light conditions may change spatially and over time. Thus, automatic light control is required to ensure that the best image is obtained by controlling the image sensor's exposure to the light. In some imager applications, there is a need to use the illumination during the actual exposure of an image (i.e., “present illumination”) to control the exposure (i.e., perform exposure control). That is, there is a need to use present illumination because the use of the previous picture's illumination may not be sufficient for the intended application.
One exemplary application that would benefit from using present illumination in exposure control is the imager in a swallowable pill application, such as the one described in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/143,578, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,187,049 issued Mar. 6, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Due to the nature of the imager in a pill application, automatic light control using present illumination is required. A proposed solution would be to light the application's light source (e.g., light emitting diodes) prior to the actual exposure periods. This technique, however, creates an undesirable high waste of energy and power by having the light source on longer than the exposure period.
Accordingly, there is a desire and need for automatic light control during an exposure period that uses present illumination, yet does not unnecessarily waste energy or power in the process.