An example system includes a patterned light projector operable to direct first and second portions of patterned light toward first and second surfaces, respectively, in an environment. The first and second surfaces may be at first and second distances, respectively, from the structured light projector. A graduated optical filter may be situated along an optical path of the patterned light. The graduated optical filter includes first and second regions to attenuate an intensity of the first and second portions of the patterned light, respectively, by first and second amounts, respectively. The first amount is greater than the second amount. The system additionally includes an image sensor operable to generate image data based on at least the first and second portions of the patterned light and a processor configured to determine first and second values indicative of an estimate of the first and second distances, respectively, based on the image data.

In one example, an apparatus comprises: multiple distinct sets of photodiodes, wherein each set of photodiodes includes one or more photodiodes, one or more charge sensing units, and a controller. The controller is configured to: transfer charge generated by the one or more photodiodes in response to a different component of incident light to the one or more charge sensing units in order to convert the charge to voltages; perform one or more quantization processes of a plurality of quantization processes corresponding to a plurality of intensity ranges, wherein the one or more quantization processes quantizes the voltages from the one or more charge sensing units to digital values representing components of a pixel of different wavelength ranges; and generate a pixel value based on the at least some of the digital values.

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging device and an electronic apparatus that enable simultaneous acquisition of a signal for generating a high dynamic range image and a signal for detecting a phase difference.

The solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of pixel sets each including color filters of the same color, for a plurality of colors, each pixel set including a plurality of pixels. Each pixel includes a plurality of photodiodes PD. The present technology can be applied, for example, to a solid-state imaging device that generates a high dynamic range image and detects a phase difference, and the like.

An image sensor includes a pixel array and a readout circuit that generates a first image of an object based on a first exposure time, a second image of the object based on a second exposure time, and a third image of the object based on a third exposure time, the first exposure time, the second exposure time, and the third exposure time being different from each other and the second exposure time and the third exposure time are shorter than the first exposure time, a pre-processor that performs linearization processing on the second image and the third image to generate a merged image with an increased number of bits of a pixel value, and an interface circuit that outputs first image data based on the first image and second image data based on the merged image to an external processor.

An image sensor includes a pixel array and a readout circuit that generates a first image of an object based on a first exposure time, a second image of the object based on a second exposure time, and a third image of the object based on a third exposure time, the first exposure time, the second exposure time, and the third exposure time being different from each other and the second exposure time and the third exposure time are shorter than the first exposure time, a pre-processor that performs linearization processing on the second image and the third image to generate a merged image with an increased number of bits of a pixel value, and an interface circuit that outputs first image data based on the first image and second image data based on the merged image to an external processor.

Provided are an image sensor (10), a camera assembly (40), and a mobile terminal (90). The image sensor (10) includes panchromatic pixels and color pixels. The color pixels have a narrower spectral response than the panchromatic pixels, and the color pixels have a larger conversion gain than the panchromatic pixels.

Provided is a depth sensor which includes a pixel and a row driver that controls the pixel, the pixel including a first tap, a second tap, a third tap, and a fourth tap, an overflow transistor, and a photoelectric conversion device. Each of the first tap, the second tap, the third tap, and the fourth tap includes a photo transistor, a transfer transistor, and a readout circuit. In a first integration period of a global mode, the row driver activates a second photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the second tap and a third photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the third tap. In a second integration period of the global mode, the row driver activates a first photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the first tap and a fourth photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the fourth tap.

Provided is a depth sensor which includes a pixel and a row driver that controls the pixel, the pixel including a first tap, a second tap, a third tap, and a fourth tap, an overflow transistor, and a photoelectric conversion device. Each of the first tap, the second tap, the third tap, and the fourth tap includes a photo transistor, a transfer transistor, and a readout circuit. In a first integration period of a global mode, the row driver activates a second photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the second tap and a third photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the third tap. In a second integration period of the global mode, the row driver activates a first photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the first tap and a fourth photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the fourth tap.

Provided is a solid state imaging device including: a pixel array in which pixels are disposed on a matrix; an iris authenticator that extracts iris information to be used in an iris authentication process, from image data obtained from the pixel array through photoelectric conversion; and an imaging condition controller that performs control to set an imaging condition in obtaining the image data for the iris authentication process, by using information obtained in a process of extracting the iris information.

Disclosed is a device for noise reduction using dual conversion gain, which includes an image sensor including a pixel array, the pixel array configured to generate a first pixel signal corresponding to a first conversion gain and a second pixel signal corresponding to a second conversion gain from pixels sharing a floating diffusion region and the image sensor configured to generate first image data and second image data based on the first pixel signal and the second pixel signal, and an image signal processor that generates an output image based on the first image data and the second image data. The image signal processor includes a normalization circuit that normalizes the first image data based on a dynamic range of the second image data to generate third image data, and a blending circuit that generates the output image based on the second image data and the third image data.