US 12,256,162 B2
Reference pixel column readout
Nicholas Paul Cowley, Wroughton (GB); and Andrew David Talbot, Chieveley (GB)
Assigned to SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Filed by SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Oct. 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/938,208.
Prior Publication US 2024/0121527 A1, Apr. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. H04N 25/671 (2023.01); H01L 27/146 (2006.01); H04N 25/75 (2023.01); H04N 25/77 (2023.01); H04N 25/79 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 25/671 (2023.01) [H01L 27/14623 (2013.01); H01L 27/14634 (2013.01); H04N 25/75 (2023.01); H04N 25/77 (2023.01); H04N 25/79 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image sensor comprising:
an array of image sensor pixels that includes active image sensor pixels and reference pixels, the reference pixels having a first reference pixel in a first column of the array and a second reference pixel in a second column of the array;
a first readout path coupled to the first reference pixel;
a second readout path coupled to the second reference pixel, wherein the first and second readout paths are merged at a common node;
a readout circuit; and
a shared readout path coupled between the common node and the readout circuit.