An operating method of an image sensor, including performing a first sampling operation corresponding to first illumination in at least one pixel; performing a second sampling operation corresponding to second illumination in the at least one pixel; and outputting a first pixel voltage corresponding to the first sampling operation, or outputting a second pixel voltage corresponding to the second sampling operation, in the at least one pixel.

An image sensor includes a pixel array having a plurality of pixels; a row driver providing the pixel array with a boosting signal; and a read-out circuit configured to read out pixel signals output from pixels of a row line selected by the row driver. Each of the plurality of pixels includes: a first photodiode; a transmission transistor connected to the first photodiode; a first floating diffusion node, a second floating diffusion node, and a third floating diffusion node, which are connected to the transmission transistor to accumulate charges generated by the first photodiode; an LCG capacitor connected to the third floating diffusion node to accumulate the charges generated by the first photodiode; an MCG transistor connected between the first floating diffusion node and the second floating diffusion node; and an LCG transistor connected to the third floating diffusion node.

Provided is a photoelectric conversion device including a pixel array including a first pixel and a second pixel. The first pixel includes a photoelectric conversion unit including a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type as a charge accumulation layer and photoelectrically converts incident light to generate a signal in accordance with the incident light, and the second pixel includes a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type and a transistor including a first main electrode formed by a third semiconductor region connected to the second semiconductor region and a gate.

In a case where illuminance is high, an error between the number of photons per frame calculated from time information and the number of photons and the actually expected number of photons per frame is reduced. In a time counter that counts a clock from the start of exposure in one frame, one-count time in the clock is switched depending on the illuminance. In a case where a pixel counter is saturated within a period of one frame, the illuminance is determined to be high, and a high-illuminance clock in which one-count time is set more minutely in the first half of one frame is used to count. In a case where the illuminance is not determined to be high, a normal clock is used to count.

An imaging apparatus with logarithmic characteristics includes: a photodiode that receives light; a well tap unit that fixes the potential of an N-type region of the photodiode; and a resetting unit that resets the photodiode, a P-type region of the photodiode outputting a voltage signal equivalent to a photocurrent subjected to logarithmic compression. The first potential to be supplied to the well tap unit is made lower than the second potential to be supplied to the resetting unit, so that the capacitance formed with the PN junction of the photodiode is charged when the resetting unit performs a reset operation. The present technology can be applied to unit pixels having logarithmic characteristics.

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging device, a driving method, and an electronic device capable of suppressing leakage of charge from PD to FD. In a solid-state imaging device according to an aspect of the present technology, in a case where the charge is read out from a selected photoelectric conversion unit as a charge readout target out of the plurality of photoelectric conversion units sharing the shared holding unit to the shared holding unit, a drive control unit applies a first pulse to the readout unit that corresponds to the selected photoelectric conversion unit, and applies a second pulse having a polarity opposite to a polarity of the first pulse and having a pulse period overlapping with at least a portion of the pulse period of the first pulse, to a site coming into a capacitive coupling state with the shared holding unit. The present technology is applicable to a back-illumination CMOS image sensor, for example.

An image sensor for detecting light-emitting diode (LED) without flickering includes a pixel array with pixels. Each pixel including subpixels including a first and a second subpixel, dual floating diffusion (DFD) transistor, and a capacitor coupled to the DFD transistor. First subpixel includes a first photosensitive element to acquire a first image charge, and a first transfer gate transistor to selectively transfer the first image charge from the first photosensitive element to a first floating diffusion (FD) node. Second subpixel includes a second photosensitive element to acquire a second image charge, and a second transfer gate transistor to selectively transfer the second image charge from the second photosensitive element to a second FD node. DFD transistor coupled to the first and the second FD nodes. Other embodiments are also described.

An imaging element includes a photoelectric conversion unit including a first electrode 11, a photoelectric conversion layer 13, and a second electrode 12 that are stacked, in which the photoelectric conversion unit further includes a charge storage electrode 14 arranged apart from the first electrode 11 and arranged to face the photoelectric conversion layer 13 through an insulating layer 82, and when photoelectric conversion occurs in the photoelectric conversion layer 13 after light enters the photoelectric conversion layer 13, an absolute value of a potential applied to a part 13.sub.C of the photoelectric conversion layer 13 facing the charge storage electrode 14 is a value larger than an absolute value of a potential applied to a region 13.sub.B of the photoelectric conversion layer 13 positioned between the imaging element and an adjacent imaging element.

One example provides a method of generating a high dynamic range image via a differential TOF pixel comprising an array of pixels each having a first polyfinger and a second polyfinger, the first polyfinger and the second polyfinger being independently controllable to integrate current during an integration period, the method comprising, during the integration period, controlling the first polyfinger for a first exposure time, during the integration period, controlling the second polyfinger for a second exposure time, the second exposure time being shorter than the first exposure time, and for each pixel of the plurality of pixels, comparing a charge collected at the first polyfinger and a charge collected at the second polyfinger to a threshold, and selecting one of the charge collected at the first polyfinger and the charge collected at the second polyfinger for inclusion in the HDR image.

One example provides a method of generating a high dynamic range image via a differential TOF pixel comprising an array of pixels each having a first polyfinger and a second polyfinger, the first polyfinger and the second polyfinger being independently controllable to integrate current during an integration period, the method comprising, during the integration period, controlling the first polyfinger for a first exposure time, during the integration period, controlling the second polyfinger for a second exposure time, the second exposure time being shorter than the first exposure time, and for each pixel of the plurality of pixels, comparing a charge collected at the first polyfinger and a charge collected at the second polyfinger to a threshold, and selecting one of the charge collected at the first polyfinger and the charge collected at the second polyfinger for inclusion in the HDR image.