An Intelligent Linear Image Sensor

A 256-pixel intelligent linear image sensor with 256 on-chip 8-bit A/D converters, control logic and microprocessor interface is presented. The frame rate of this complete single-chip digital camera is software-selectable up to 8.000 frames/s. Area-of-interest extraction and asynchronous acquisition of a frame on demand are provided. Fabricated in a 2 μm standard CMOS process, the sensor is fully functional and requires a total area of 19 mm
²
. Operation in direct connection with the parallel port of a personal computer is demonstrated.