title: A CMOS image sensor with programmable pixel-level analog processing.
abstract: A prototype of a 34 x 34 pixel image sensor, implementing real-time analog image processing, is presented. Edge detection, motion detection, image amplification, and dynamic-range boosting are executed at pixel level by means of a highly interconnected pixel architecture based on the absolute value of the difference among neighbor pixels. The analog operations are performed over a kernel of 3 x 3 pixels. The square pixel, consisting of 30 transistors, has a pitch of 35 microm with a fill-factor of 20%. The chip was fabricated in a 0.35 microm CMOS technology, and its power consumption is 6 mW with 3.3 V power supply. The device was fully characterized and achieves a dynamic range of 50 dB with a light power density of 150 nW/mm2 and a frame rate of 30 frame/s. The measured fixed pattern noise corresponds to 1.1% of the saturation level. The sensor's dynamic range can be extended up to 96 dB using the double-sampling technique.
authors.affiliation: Centro per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, 38050 Povo (TN), Italy. gottardi@itc.it
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Massari
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gottardi
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gonzo
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stoppa
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simoni
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000703:Analog-Digital Conversion; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014159:Transducers; D014173:Transistors, Electronic; D014741:Video Recording / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods