Variable resolution CMOS current mode active pixel sensor

We present in this paper a current mediated active pixel sensor (APS) with variable image size and resolution for power saving, electronic zooming, and data reduction at the sensor level. The circuit can perform averaging of output signals in blocks of adjacent pixels (kernels) of size 1/spl times/1, 2/spl times/2 and 4/spl times/4, allowing data reduction without aliasing effects. To achieve this, a current approach is used, thus enabling high speed operation and low power supply capacity. A novel fixed pattern noise (FPN) reduction scheme using a compact circuitry is presented. The circuit compensates for pixel transconductance mismatch in addition to offset error via analog to digital conversion reference current scaling. Hspice simulations using parameters of a 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS process illustrate the advantage of the new technique over usual correlated double sampling (CDS) in current mode sensors. Parallel integrated analog to digital converters (ADC), a data line-buffer and digital control complete the circuit making data transmission easy and simplifying hardware needed for using the image sensor.