An imaging apparatus including a light source is provided. The imaging apparatus includes a light-emitting device and a photoelectric conversion device in a pixel, and a pixel circuit has a function of outputting third data generated by multiplying obtained first data by second data (weight). Calculating the third data externally enables more detailed information on a subject with respect to a specific wavelength to be obtained. In addition, reading out collectively a plurality of pixels to which proper weight is given enables output of difference data between pixels and the like, which allows external calculation to be omitted.

Disclosed are a distance image acquisition apparatus and a distance image acquisition method capable of achieving high distance measurement accuracy and omitting wasteful imaging or calculation. The distance image acquisition apparatus (10) includes a distance image sensor (14), a drive mode setting unit (20A), a distance image generation unit (20B), a pulse light emission unit (22), and an exposure control unit (24). The exposure control unit (24) controls emission and non-emission of pulse light emitted from the pulse light emission unit (22) according to a drive mode set by the drive mode setting unit (20A), and controls exposure in the distance image sensor (14). The distance image generation unit (20B) performs calculation processing of a sensor output acquired from the distance image sensor (14) according to the drive mode set by the drive mode setting unit (20A) to generate a distance image corresponding to a distance of a subject.

A system for obtaining color imagery using SPADs includes a SPAD array that has a plurality of SPAD pixels. Each of the plurality of SPAD pixels includes a respective color filter positioned thereover. The system is configurable to capture an image frame using the SPAD array and generate a filtered image by performing a temporal filtering operation using the image frame and at least one preceding image frame. The at least one preceding image frame is captured by the SPAD array at a timepoint that temporally precedes a timepoint associated with the image frame. The system is also configurable to, after performing the temporal filtering operation, generate a color image by demosaicing the filtered image.

A system for obtaining color imagery using SPADs includes a SPAD array that has a plurality of SPAD pixels. Each of the plurality of SPAD pixels includes a respective color filter positioned thereover. The system is configurable to capture an image frame using the SPAD array and generate a filtered image by performing a temporal filtering operation using the image frame and at least one preceding image frame. The at least one preceding image frame is captured by the SPAD array at a timepoint that temporally precedes a timepoint associated with the image frame. The system is also configurable to, after performing the temporal filtering operation, generate a color image by demosaicing the filtered image.

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup device and an electronic apparatus by which a phase-difference detection pixel that avoids defects such as lowering of sensitivity to incident light and lowering of phase-difference detection accuracy can be realized. A solid-state image pickup device as a first aspect of the present disclosure is a solid-state image pickup device in which a normal pixel that generates a pixel signal of an image and a phase-difference detection pixel that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of a phase-difference signal for controlling an image-surface phase difference AF function are arranged in a mixed manner, in which, in the phase-difference detection pixel, a shared on-chip lens for condensing incident light to a photoelectric converter that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of the phase-difference signal is formed for every plurality of adjacent phase-difference detection pixels. The present disclosure is applicable to a backside illumination CMOS image sensor and an electronic apparatus equipped with the same.

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup device and an electronic apparatus by which a phase-difference detection pixel that avoids defects such as lowering of sensitivity to incident light and lowering of phase-difference detection accuracy can be realized. A solid-state image pickup device as a first aspect of the present disclosure is a solid-state image pickup device in which a normal pixel that generates a pixel signal of an image and a phase-difference detection pixel that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of a phase-difference signal for controlling an image-surface phase difference AF function are arranged in a mixed manner, in which, in the phase-difference detection pixel, a shared on-chip lens for condensing incident light to a photoelectric converter that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of the phase-difference signal is formed for every plurality of adjacent phase-difference detection pixels. The present disclosure is applicable to a backside illumination CMOS image sensor and an electronic apparatus equipped with the same.

The present disclosure relates to a solid state image sensor and electronic equipment that enable degradation in image quality of a captured image to be suppressed even if any pixel in a pixel array is configured as a functional pixel for obtaining desired information in order to obtain information different from a normal image. In a plurality of pixels constituting subblocks provided in an RGB Bayer array constituting a block which is a set of color units, normal pixels that capture a normal image are arranged longitudinally and laterally symmetrically within the subblock, and functional pixels for obtaining desired information other than capturing an image are arranged at the remaining positions. The present disclosure can be applied to a solid state image sensor.

Systems, methods, and non-transitory media are provided for automatic exposure control. An example method can include receiving pixel values captured by a photosensor pixel array (PPA) of an image sensor, wherein one or more pixel values from the pixel values correspond to one or more sensitivity-biased photosensor (SBP) pixels in the PPA and one or more saturated pixel values from the pixel values correspond to one or more other photosensor pixels in the PPA; determining, based on the one or more pixel values, an actual pixel value for the one or more pixel values and/or the one or more saturated pixel values; determining an adjustment factor for at least one of the pixel values based on the actual pixel value and a target exposure value; and based on the adjustment factor, correcting an exposure setting associated with the image sensor and/or at least one of the pixel values.

Systems, methods, and non-transitory media are provided for automatic exposure control. An example method can include receiving pixel values captured by a photosensor pixel array (PPA) of an image sensor, wherein one or more pixel values from the pixel values correspond to one or more sensitivity-biased photosensor (SBP) pixels in the PPA and one or more saturated pixel values from the pixel values correspond to one or more other photosensor pixels in the PPA; determining, based on the one or more pixel values, an actual pixel value for the one or more pixel values and/or the one or more saturated pixel values; determining an adjustment factor for at least one of the pixel values based on the actual pixel value and a target exposure value; and based on the adjustment factor, correcting an exposure setting associated with the image sensor and/or at least one of the pixel values.

This application provides an image sensor (702) and image light sensing method. The image sensor (702) includes a red pixel (R), a green pixel (G), a blue pixel (B), and an invisible light pixel, where the red pixel (R), the green pixel (G), and the blue pixel (B) are large pixels, the invisible light pixel is a small pixel, and a light sensing area of the large pixel is greater than that of the small pixel. The red pixel (R), the green pixel (G), and the blue pixel (B) are arranged in a Bayer format. In this application, when color information is sufficient, light crosstalk caused by the small pixel to the large pixel can be reduced, and therefore a signal-to-noise ratio of the large pixel can be improved.