What Does Contact Image Sensor Mean?
A contact image sensor (CIS) is a particular kind of LED
sensor used in scanner technologies. The contact image sensor is an array of
sensors with red, green and blue LED lights supporting image capture. Contact image sensors have been popularized as a compact and low-power source of imaging
capability.
Techopedia Explains Contact Image Sensor
In general, contact image sensors are smaller than other
kinds of traditional sensors such as charge-coupled device (CDD) sensors, and,
because of the LED support, are much more efficient. Although image quality may
be limited, CIS is helpful in constructing scanners that are made to use less
energy, and are made to be more portable. Where the Canon company describes
this technology, it rates contact image sensors as more than ten times more
power efficient than CCD-based imaging systems. Companies like Canon use an
approach called LIDE or LED indirect exposure to build CIS sensors and innovate
in optical technology.
