Very high rate frame CCD imager

N J I T
posted on 06/30/2009

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Circuits and systems embodying the invention include an image sensor comprising an array of “M” photo sensing elements arranged in “R” rows and “C” columns, where R and C are integers greater than one and R times C is equal to M. Coupled to each one of the photo sensing elements is a storage register functioning as a local memory, with each storage register comprising N storage elements, where N may range from a few
to several hundred (or even several thousand) storage elements. Each photo sensing element is coupled to its associated N storage elements for selectively enabling the high speed transfer of photo information from each photo sensing element to its associated N storage elements during a photo data acquisition phase. The N storage elements associated with each photosensing element function as a local memory enabling up to “N” frames of information to be captured and transferred at a high frame rate from the photosensing element to the storage elements during image (photo) sensing and the storage of the “N” frames using charge coupled devices 9CCD’s). The N storage elemetns of each register may be arranged in a purley serial format or in a serial-parallel format or arranged like an X-Y memory array.