摘要:
Decrease of the frame rate is suppressed in a solid-state image pickup device that generates a frame having an increased dynamic range. A measurement section measures a reception light amount in each of a plurality of regions to generate a measurement result. A selection section selects one of a plurality of exposure periods different from each other based on the measurement result in each of the plurality of regions. An image data generation section performs exposure for each of the plurality of regions over the selected exposure period to generate image data. An image processing section adjusts a value of the image data generated for each of the plurality of regions based on the measurement result.
摘要:
The present invention is applied to an image pickup apparatus for which, for example, a CMOS solid-state image pickup element is used. One screen image is divided into a plurality of blocks, and a motion is detected for each of the blocks to control the exposure time of the block.
摘要:
An image sensor (10) comprises a PMOS circuit layer (12) comprising an array of pixel elements (122). Each pixel element comprises a pinned photodiode, and an amplifier, the amplifier comprising P-FET transistors. The image sensor also comprises a CMOS layer (18) comprising supporting pixel circuitry, including a global shutter sample and hold circuit, the supporting pixel circuitry comprising N-FET transistors (181). Each pixel element in the PMOS layer is connected to supporting pixel circuitry in the CMOS layer. The sample and hold circuit comprises a trench capacitor formed in the CMOS layer.
摘要:
An image sensor is proposed to have a stack with at least a pixel array tier (PXT) and a control logic tier (CLT). The pixel array tier (PXT) comprises an array of pixels which are arranged into pixel columns (n), each pixel column (n) comprising a number of N sub-columns: Each sub-column is denoted by N(n,i) with 1 ≤ i ≤ N. The control logic tier (CLT) comprises an array of analog-to-digital-converters (ADC(m)) which are arranged into ADC columns (m), wherein each analog-to-digital converter (ADC(m)) comprises a number of M stages. Each stage is denoted by M(m,j) with 1 ≤ j ≤ M, Furthermore, each respective sub-column N(n,i) is electrically connected to a dedicated stage M(m,j=i) and the stages M(m,j) are electrically interconnected to form the analog-to-digital converters (ADC(m)), respectively. The control logic tier (CLT) is arranged to sequentially read out the sub-columns N(n,i), wherein the stages M(m,j=i) dedicated to the sub-columns N(n,i) are arranged as input stages to sequentially receive signal levels of the pixels in the sub-columns N(n,i), respectively. The input stages are arranged to perform on the sequentially received signal levels a coarse first analog-to-digital conversion. The remaining stages M(m,j≠i) are arranged to sequentially perform finer analog-to-digital conversions of the received signal levels.
摘要:
An image pickup unit includes: an image pickup section including pixels, each of the pixels including a photoelectric conversion device; and a drive section performing a line-sequential readout drive and a line-sequential reset drive. The drive section intermittently performs the line-sequential reset drive multiple times during one frame period, to allow a non-overlap period to be provided at least in part of reset operation periods in an overlap period. The overlap period is a period during which a drive period of one of the multiple line-sequential reset drives and a drive period of one of the remaining multiple line-sequential reset drives are overlapped. The non-overlap period is a period during which each of the reset operations by the one of the multiple line-sequential drives is not overlapped with any of the reset operations by the one of the remaining multiple line-sequential reset drives.
摘要:
When the amplification ratio is low and strong incident light causes a large charge, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is weak is also weak, but when the amplification ratio is high in regions where the incident light is weak, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is strong becomes saturated. Therefore, the dynamic range of the imaging unit is narrow. Provided is an imaging unit comprising an imaging section that includes a first group having one or more pixels and a second group having one or more pixels different from those of the first group; and a control section that, while a single charge accumulation is performed in the first group, causes pixel signals to be output by performing charge accumulation in the second group a number of times differing from a number of times charge accumulation is performed in the first group.
摘要:
Embodiments of a hybrid imaging sensor that optimizes a pixel array area on a substrate using a stacking scheme for placement of related circuitry with minimal vertical interconnects between stacked substrates and associated features are disclosed. Embodiments of maximized pixel array size/die size (area optimization) are disclosed, and an optimized imaging sensor providing improved image quality, improved functionality, and improved form factors for specific applications common to the industry of digital imaging are also disclosed. Embodiments of the above may include systems, methods and processes for staggering ADC or column circuit bumps in a column or sub-column hybrid image sensor using vertical interconnects are also disclosed.
摘要:
A frame memory and a computing processing unit are provided within an image pickup device having a first semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor substrate mutually stacked and electrically directly connected, and digital image data having undergone resize processing are output from the image pickup device.
摘要:
An electronic device includes: an image-capturing unit that captures an image of a subject with an image sensor, the image sensor being configured to be able to set image-capturing conditions for a plurality of regions on an image-capturing surface; and a control unit that determines the image-capturing conditions varied for each of the regions, based on a subject element detected from the image captured by the image-capturing unit.
摘要:
An image sensor architecture with multi-bit sampling is implemented within an image sensor system. A pixel signal produced in response to light incident upon a photosensitive element is converted to a multiple-bit digital value representative of the pixel signal. If the pixel signal exceeds a sampling threshold, the photosensitive element is reset. During an image capture period, digital values associated with pixel signals that exceed a sampling threshold are accumulated into image data.