A CMOS image sensor with an imaging array of pixels containing selected pixels wherein illumination is blocked and light scattered from an adjacent pixel is collected. The signal from the selected pixels is resilient against saturation and thereby contributes to increased dynamic range of the imaging signal. The image sensor may be incorporated within a digital camera.

The present application discloses a pixel unit and a signal processing method for a pixel unit. The pixel unit includes at least one pixel, and the pixel includes: an N-type main pixel, a P-type main pixel, and a sub-pixel; and the sub-pixel is located between the N-type main pixel and the P-type main pixel; or the pixel includes at least a first pixel and a second pixel that are adjacent to each other; the first pixel includes an N-type main pixel, and the second pixel includes a P-type main pixel; the first pixel and the second pixel share one sub-pixel; the sub-pixel is configured to generate and output a signal difference between the N-type main pixel and the P-type main pixel according to the current. By adding a sub-pixel between two main pixels, the sub-pixel generates and outputs the signal difference between the N-type main pixel and the P-type main pixel according to the current sent by the two main pixels, so that the received signal can be efficiently processed directly to reduce the amount of output data. Since there is no need to increase a circuit, the pixel area will not increase due to a complicated circuit.

The present disclosure relates to an electronic instrument capable of downsizing an electronic instrument having a function of imaging at least a part of a user. In an electronic instrument worn or used by a user, the electronic instrument includes an imaging unit arranged at a position where at least a part of the user wearing or using the electronic instrument is capturable, the imaging unit including two or more pixel output units that each receive incident light from a subject incident not via either an imaging lens or a pinhole and output one detection signal indicating an output pixel value modulated depending on an incident angle of the incident light. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a wearable device.

An unpolarized component image generating section generates unpolarized component image signals of specific and non-specific colors. A polarized component image generating section generates polarized component image signals of the specific and non-specific colors. A specific color polarization property detecting section detects polarization properties of the specific color using pixel signals of polarized or unpolarized pixels of the specific color having at least three polarization directions and pixel signals of polarized pixels having two polarization directions. An unpolarized color polarization property detecting section detects polarization properties of the non-specific color on the basis of the polarization properties of the specific color detected by the specific color polarization property detecting section, the pixel signals of the unpolarized pixels of the non-specific color, and the pixel signals of the polarized pixels of the non-specific color having fewer polarization directions than the polarized pixels of the specific color.

In a general aspect, integrated spatial phase wafer-level imaging is described. In some aspects, an integrated imaging system an integrated image sensor and an edge processor. The integrated image sensor may include: a polarizer pixel configured to filter electromagnetic (EM) radiation and to allow filtered EM radiation having a selected polarization state to pass therethrough; a radiation-sensing pixel configured to detect the filtered EM radiation and to generate a signal in response to detecting the filtered EM radiation; and readout circuitry configured to perform analog preprocessing on the signal generated by the radiation-sensing pixel. The edge processor may be configured to: generate first-order primitives and second-order primitives based on the analog preprocessed signal from the readout circuitry; and determine a plurality of features of an object located in a field-of-view of the radiation-sensing pixel based on the first-order primitives and the second-order primitives.

A depth sensing system includes a sensor having first and second sensor pixels to receive light from a surface. The system also includes a filter to allow transmission of full spectrum light to the first sensor pixel and visible light to the second sensor pixel while preventing transmission of infrared light to the second sensor pixel. The system further includes a processor to analyze the full spectrum light and the visible light to determine a depth of the surface. The filter is disposed between the sensor and the surface.

A backside illumination image sensor that includes a semiconductor substrate with a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements and a read circuit formed on a front surface side of the semiconductor substrate, and captures an image by outputting, via the read circuit, electrical signals generated as incident light having reached a back surface side of the semiconductor substrate is received at the photoelectric conversion elements includes: a light shielding film formed on a side where incident light enters the photoelectric conversion elements, with an opening formed therein in correspondence to each photoelectric conversion element; and an on-chip lens formed at a position set apart from the light shielding film by a predetermined distance in correspondence to each photoelectric conversion element. The light shielding film and an exit pupil plane of the image forming optical system achieve a conjugate relation to each other with regard to the on-chip lens.

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.

Method for determining imaging ratio of flexible panel, electronic device and storage medium are provided. A first surface of the flexible panel is adapted to be placed with an object to be imaged, an image capturing device is disposed on the second surface, and a curvature radius of the first surface is adjustable. The method includes: for a light source in the image capturing device, acquiring a real-time image formed on the image capturing device after a light signal emitted from the light source is reflected by the first surface; determining a real-time curvature radius of the first surface based on the real-time image; and calculating the imaging ratio based on the real-time curvature radius and thickness of the flexible panel. The imaging ratio is determined based on bending degree of the flexible panel in real time to acquire an image with size approximate to actual size of the object.

An imaging device with a plurality of image sensing pixels and a plurality of event detection pixels is provided. Each image sensing pixel includes a photoelectric conversion element and an imaging signal generation readout circuit. The image sensing readout circuit can be shared by a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements. Each event detection pixel includes a photoelectric conversion element and an event detection readout circuit. The event detection readout circuit can be shared by a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements. In addition, the photoelectric conversion element of an event detection pixel can be selectively connected to a shared imaging signal generation readout circuit. The number of image sensing pixels is greater than the number of event detection pixels. In addition, the area of a photoelectric conversion element of an event detection pixel can be greater than the area of a photoelectric conversion element of an image sensing pixel.