Adaptive Single-Slope ADC for Low-Noise Image Sensor Readout

The patent applies dynamics by making the ADC conversion process adaptive rather than static. The system dynamically adjusts the conversion method based on pixel brightness: bright pixels undergo single-slope ADC conversion while dark pixels undergo correlated double sampling (CDS) conversion. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by optimizing conversion time for each pixel type individually, achieving high frame rates without sacrificing quantization noise reduction where needed.

The patent implements local quality by applying different conversion strategies to different regions of the image data. Instead of using a uniform conversion method for all pixels, the system applies single-slope ADC to bright pixels and CDS to dark pixels. This localized approach allows the system to achieve high productivity for bright pixels while maintaining measurement precision for dark pixels, thereby resolving the contradiction between frame rate and quantization noise reduction.

The patent applies local quality by selectively applying correlated double sampling only to dark pixels where temporal random noise reduction is most beneficial, while using faster single-slope ADC for bright pixels. This localized application resolves the contradiction by achieving noise reduction where needed without unnecessarily extending conversion time for all pixels, thereby maintaining high frame rates.

The patent implements partial action by applying correlated double sampling only partially - specifically to dark pixels below a certain threshold - rather than to all pixels. This partial application achieves the necessary temporal random noise reduction for the most affected pixels while avoiding the frame rate penalty that would result from applying CDS to every pixel in the image.