Programmable Dynamic Range HDR Imaging With LED-Flicker and Motion Artifact Mitigation Using a Four-Tap CMOS Image Sensor

Multitap complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors offer the capability of programmable exposure patterns. This article proposes a method to extend the dynamic range (DR) by changing the duty cycle of the exposure for each tap. Unlike the overflow method, the proposed approach does not require any large in-pixel capacitance. It also allows for DR adjustment during operation, similar to the multiexposure method while significantly reducing motion artifacts and light-emitting diode (LED) flicker. The maximum DR of the proposed method is determined by factors such as reset noise, read noise, and shutter efficiency of the sensor. In this work, we demonstrated the extension of the DR up to 110.1 dB with a four-tap ToF CMOS image sensor (CIS).