Analog Encoding Voltage—A Key to Ultra-Wide Dynamic Range and Low Power CMOS Image Sensor
Usually Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) sensors that autonomously adjust their integration time to fit intra-scene illumination levels use a separate digital memory unit. This memory contains the data needed for the dynamic range. Motivated by the demands for low power and chip area reduction, we propose a...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2013-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9268/3/1/27 |
| _version_ | 1811262350856028160 |
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| author | Orly Yadid-Pecht Arthur Spivak Alexander Fish Alexander Belenky |
| author_facet | Orly Yadid-Pecht Arthur Spivak Alexander Fish Alexander Belenky |
| author_sort | Orly Yadid-Pecht |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Usually Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) sensors that autonomously adjust their integration time to fit intra-scene illumination levels use a separate digital memory unit. This memory contains the data needed for the dynamic range. Motivated by the demands for low power and chip area reduction, we propose a different implementation of the aforementioned WDR algorithm by replacing the external digital memory with an analog in-pixel memory. This memory holds the effective integration time represented by analog encoding voltage (AEV). In addition, we present a “ranging” scheme of configuring the pixel integration time in which the effective integration time is configured at the first half of the frame. This enables a substantial simplification of the pixel control during the rest of the frame and thus allows for a significantly more remarkable DR extension. Furthermore, we present the implementation of “ranging” and AEV concepts on two different designs, which are targeted to reach five and eight decades of DR, respectively. We describe in detail the operation of both systems and provide the post-layout simulation results for the second solution. The simulations show that the second design reaches DR up to 170 dBs. We also provide a comparative analysis in terms of the number of operations per pixel required by our solution and by other widespread WDR algorithms. Based on the calculated results, we conclude that the proposed two designs, using “ranging” and AEV concepts, are attractive, since they obtain a wide dynamic range at high operation speed and low power consumption. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:23:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-468474ae6f7f4bf49df6c7214938d5f1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-9268 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:23:47Z |
| publishDate | 2013-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications |
| spelling | doaj.art-468474ae6f7f4bf49df6c7214938d5f12022-12-22T03:19:32ZengMDPI AGJournal of Low Power Electronics and Applications2079-92682013-03-0131275310.3390/jlpea3010027Analog Encoding Voltage—A Key to Ultra-Wide Dynamic Range and Low Power CMOS Image SensorOrly Yadid-PechtArthur SpivakAlexander FishAlexander BelenkyUsually Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) sensors that autonomously adjust their integration time to fit intra-scene illumination levels use a separate digital memory unit. This memory contains the data needed for the dynamic range. Motivated by the demands for low power and chip area reduction, we propose a different implementation of the aforementioned WDR algorithm by replacing the external digital memory with an analog in-pixel memory. This memory holds the effective integration time represented by analog encoding voltage (AEV). In addition, we present a “ranging” scheme of configuring the pixel integration time in which the effective integration time is configured at the first half of the frame. This enables a substantial simplification of the pixel control during the rest of the frame and thus allows for a significantly more remarkable DR extension. Furthermore, we present the implementation of “ranging” and AEV concepts on two different designs, which are targeted to reach five and eight decades of DR, respectively. We describe in detail the operation of both systems and provide the post-layout simulation results for the second solution. The simulations show that the second design reaches DR up to 170 dBs. We also provide a comparative analysis in terms of the number of operations per pixel required by our solution and by other widespread WDR algorithms. Based on the calculated results, we conclude that the proposed two designs, using “ranging” and AEV concepts, are attractive, since they obtain a wide dynamic range at high operation speed and low power consumption.http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9268/3/1/27CMOSimage sensorlow powerrolling shuttersnapshotSNRwide dynamic range |
| spellingShingle | Orly Yadid-Pecht Arthur Spivak Alexander Fish Alexander Belenky Analog Encoding Voltage—A Key to Ultra-Wide Dynamic Range and Low Power CMOS Image Sensor Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications CMOS image sensor low power rolling shutter snapshot SNR wide dynamic range |
| title | Analog Encoding Voltage—A Key to Ultra-Wide Dynamic Range and Low Power CMOS Image Sensor |
| title_full | Analog Encoding Voltage—A Key to Ultra-Wide Dynamic Range and Low Power CMOS Image Sensor |
| title_fullStr | Analog Encoding Voltage—A Key to Ultra-Wide Dynamic Range and Low Power CMOS Image Sensor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analog Encoding Voltage—A Key to Ultra-Wide Dynamic Range and Low Power CMOS Image Sensor |
| title_short | Analog Encoding Voltage—A Key to Ultra-Wide Dynamic Range and Low Power CMOS Image Sensor |
| title_sort | analog encoding voltage a key to ultra wide dynamic range and low power cmos image sensor |
| topic | CMOS image sensor low power rolling shutter snapshot SNR wide dynamic range |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9268/3/1/27 |
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