Imaging apparatus having multiple linear photosensor arrays with different spatial resolutions
View Patent ↗In an imaging apparatus such as a scanner or digital camera, a photosensitive device includes multiple linear arrays of photosensors. One of the arrays has a higher spatial resolution than other arrays. The high-resolution array is filtered to detect different portions of the color spectrum than the low-resolution arrays.
1. An imaging apparatus comprising:
a first linear array of photosites, arranged in an array direction, having a first color filtering arrangement whereby all of the photosites in the first linear array are filtered to receive a single color, and having a first spatial resolution along the array direction;
a second linear array of photosites, having a second spatial resolution along the array direction, three photosites in the first linear array corresponding to each one photosite in the second linear array, the second linear array of photosites having a second color filtering arrangement, different from the first color filtering arrangement; and
means for moving an original image relative to the linear arrays of photosites in a process direction perpendicular to the array direction.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first color filtering arrangement being white, and the second color filtering arrangement including a primary color.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first color filtering arrangement being green, and the second color filtering arrangement including a primary color.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first linear array of photosites having an effective length n along a process direction perpendicular to the array direction, and the second linear array of photosites having an effective length along the process direction equal to n.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first linear array of photosites having an effective length n along a process direction perpendicular to the array direction, and the second linear array of photosites having an effective length along the process direction greater than n.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first linear array of photosites having an effective length n along a process direction perpendicular to the array direction, and the second linear array of photosites having an effective length along the process direction less than n.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first linear array having an effective length n along a process direction perpendicular to the array direction, and the second linear array having an effective length along the process direction of about 3 n.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a third linear array of photosites, the third linear array of photosites having a spatial resolution along the array direction equal to the spatial resolution of the second linear array of photosites.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , the third linear array of photosites having a third color filtering arrangement, different from the second color filtering arrangement.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , the first color filtering arrangement being green, the second color filtering arrangement being a first non-green primary color, the third color filtering arrangement being a second non-green primary color different from the first non-green primary color.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 , the first color filtering arrangement being white, the second color filtering arrangement being a first non-green primary color, the third color filtering arrangement being a second non-green primary color different from the first non-green primary color.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first linear array is associated with a first CCD, and the second linear array is associated with a second CCD.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of photosites in the first linear array and a photosite in the second linear array are associated with a single transfer circuit connected to an output line.
14. An imaging apparatus comprising:
a set of cells of photosites arranged in a linear array along an array direction, each cell defining three small photosites, arranged along the array direction, and each cell defining at least two large photosites, arranged perpendicular to the array direction, the small photosites in each cell being filtered to admit white light and at least one of the two large photosites in each cell being filtered to admit a primary color; and
means for moving an original image relative to the linear arrays of photosites in a process direction perpendicular to the array direction.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , each small photosite in each cell having a length perpendicular to the array direction of n, and each large photosite in each cell having a length perpendicular to the array direction of less than n.
16. The apparatus of claim 14 , each cell defining three large photosites, filtered respectively to admit substantially red, green, and blue light.
17. The apparatus of claim 14 , at least one small photosite and one large photosite in each cell being associated with a common reset node.