Method and apparatus for improving frame rate in infrared sensor systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10291865-B2
Application number	US-201615342192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2016
Priority date	Nov 3, 2016
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A scanning sensor system disclosed. The scanning sensor system induces a sensing element array and multiple analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). The sensing element array includes a group of pixels organized in a row and column configuration. During each read cycle, each pixel in an odd column of a row x is selectively connected to a corresponding one of the ADCs that is associated with the odd column pixels, while each pixel in an even column of a row x+(N/2)+1 is selectively connected to a corresponding one of ADCs that is associated with the even column pixels, wherein x is an integer and N is the total number of rows in the sensing element array.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A scanning sensor system comprising:
a sensing element array having a plurality of pixels organized in a row and column configuration;
a plurality of switches; and
a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), wherein during one read cycle, each pixel in an odd column of a row x is selectively connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of ADCs in said odd column via one of said switches, while each pixel in an even column of a row x+(N/2)+1 is selectively connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of ADCs in said even column via one of said switches, wherein x is an integer and N is an even integer indicating the total number of rows in said sensing element array.

2. The scanning sensor system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of sample-and-hold circuits coupled to said ADCs.

3. The scanning sensor system of claim 2 , further comprising a processor coupled to said ADCs.

4. The scanning sensor system of claim 3 , further comprising a display coupled to said processor.

5. A scanning sensor system comprising:
a sensing element array having a plurality of pixels organized in a row and column configuration;
a plurality of switches; and
a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), wherein during one read cycle, each pixel in a column 3x−2 of a row x is selectively connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of ADCs in said column 3x−2 via one of said switches, each pixel in a column 3x−1 of a row x+(N/3)+1 is selectively connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of ADCs in said column 3x−1 via one of said switches, and each pixel in a column 3x of a row x+(2N/3)+1 is selectively connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of ADCs in said column 3 x via one of said switches, wherein x is an integer and N is a divisible-by-3 integer indicating the total number of rows in said sensing element array.

6. The scanning sensor system of claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of sample-and-hold circuits coupled to said ADCs.

7. The scanning sensor system of claim 6 , further comprising a processor coupled to said ADCs.

8. The scanning sensor system of claim 7 , further comprising a display coupled to said processor.

9. A method for improving frame rate in a scanning sensor system, said method comprising:
providing a sensing element array having a plurality of pixels organized in a row and column configuration;
providing a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs);
during one read cycle, selectively connecting each pixel in an odd column of a row x to a corresponding one of said plurality of ADCs in said odd column, and concurrently selectively connecting each pixel in an even column of a row x+(N/2)+1to a corresponding one of said plurality of ADCs in said even column, wherein x is an integer and N is an even integer indicating the total number of rows in said sensing element array.

Assignees

• Bae Sys Inf & Elect Sys Integ

Inventors

• Evans Peter J

Classifications

• H04N25/78 Primary

  Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters · CPC title

• H04N25/441

  by reading contiguous pixels from selected rows or columns of the array, e.g. interlaced scanning · CPC title

• H04N5/33 Primary

  Transforming infrared radiation (cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20) · CPC title

• H04N5/341

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/378

  Electricity · mapped topic