An imaging device includes: a pixel including a photoelectric converter that generates signal charge by photoelectric conversion, and a charge accumulation region that accumulates the signal charge, the pixel being configured to output a signal corresponding to a voltage of the charge accumulation region; a signal line electrically connected to the pixel, the signal being transmitted through the signal line; a first switch that is electrically connected to the signal line and that has input-output characteristics in which an output is linear with respect to an input up to a clipping voltage and the output is clipped at the clipping voltage with respect to the input exceeding the clipping voltage; and a second switch that is electrically connected to the signal line and that has input-output characteristics in which an output is linear with respect to an input.

A photoelectric converter includes pixels, vertical output lines to which a signal is outputted from the pixels, clippers configured to limit a potential of the output lines and a controller. Each of the clippers includes a first circuit configured to output an amplification signal according to a predetermined potential and the potential of the output line and a second circuit configured to supply a current according to the amplification signal to the output line. The controller controls each of the clippers to a state selected from states including a first state in which a range in which the potential of the output line can change is limited using the first and second circuits, and a second state in which the range in which the potential of the vertical output line can change is limited with an output of the second circuit deactivated.

To prevent the black dot phenomenon from occurring in a differential amplification-type solid-state image sensor. A signal-side amplifier transistor generates an output voltage corresponding to a signal current corresponding to one of a pair of differential input voltages by supplying the signal current from an output node to a common-phase node. A reference-side amplifier transistor supplies a reference current corresponding to the other one of the pair of differential input voltages to the common-phase node. A constant current source constantly controls a sum of the signal current and the reference current to be merged at the common-phase node. A bypass control unit connects the output node and the common-phase node and supplies the signal current having a value corresponding to a predetermined limit voltage to the common-phase node in a case in which the output voltage reaches the limit voltage.

The present disclosure relates to an imaging device and an electronic device capable of restricting an occurrence of a sunspot phenomenon in a simple configuration. The imaging device includes a sample/hold part that samples and holds a reset voltage as a reset level voltage of a pixel signal and an AD conversion part that analog digital (AD) converts the pixel signal, in which the AD conversion part selects and outputs one of a first output signal as the AD converted pixel signal and a second output signal at a predetermined level on the basis of a comparison result between the reset voltage held by the sample/hold part and a predetermined reference voltage. The technology according to the present disclosure can be applied to a CMOS image sensor, for example.

A system and method for correcting oversaturated pixels in far-infrared (FIR) images captured by a shutterless FIR camera. The method includes identifying oversaturated pixels based on a pixel value analysis of an input image; creating an oversaturated pixel mask of the input image, where the oversaturated pixel mask includes the identified oversaturated pixels and excludes pixels not identified as oversaturated pixels; and correcting the oversaturated pixels of the current image using the oversaturated pixel mask, based on a scene-based nonuniformity correction (SBNC).

Photoelectric conversion device includes stacked first and second substrates. The first substrate includes pixel array, first joint portion arranged in the pixel array and connected to pixels in the pixel array, and power supply pad connected to the first joint portion. The second substrate includes readout circuit to read signal from the pixel array via signal line, and second joint portion jointed to the first joint portion. The readout circuit includes limiter circuit to limit amplitude of potential of the signal line. Power supply terminal of the limiter circuit is connected to the second joint portion, and power supply potential applied to the power supply pad is supplied to the pixels and supplied to the power supply terminal of the limiter circuit via the first and second joint portions.

A system and method is provided for performing high dynamic range digital double sampling. More particularly, a CMOS image sensor is provided that includes a pixel array with each pixel sampling both dark and bright values for digital double sampling. After the sampled signals are digitized, a mean dark value is determined and each dark value is further fed to a lookup table that generates an output value taking into account whether the pixel has been saturated. In over exposed conditions, the lookup table will generate a negative value output to eliminate image artifacts. All three values are fed to adder logic circuit that subtracts the mean dark value and the lookup table output from the bright value. This resulting output is fed to a video viewer.

The present disclosure relates to an imaging device and an electronic device capable of restricting an occurrence of a sunspot phenomenon in a simple configuration. The imaging device includes: a sample/hold part configured to sample and hold a reset voltage as a reset level voltage of a pixel signal; and an AD conversion part configured to analog digital (AD) convert the pixel signal, in which the AD conversion part selects and outputs one of a first output signal as the AD converted pixel signal and a second output signal at a predetermined level on the basis of a comparison result between the reset voltage held by the sample/hold part and a predetermined reference voltage. The technology according to the present disclosure can be applied to a CMOS image sensor, for example.

An image sensor pixel may include a photodiode, a floating diffusion, and a transfer gate. Column readout circuitry coupled to the image sensor pixel via a column line. Voltage settling circuitry may be coupled to the column line. Voltage settling circuitry may include a pre-charging circuit, a reset voltage slew boosting circuit, and an image signal voltage slew boosting circuit. The pre-charging circuit may pull down the column line voltage to a grounding voltage. The reset voltage slew boosting circuit may pull up the column line voltage to a reference voltage near a reset level voltage. The image signal voltage slew boosting circuit may pull down the column line voltage to an additional reference voltage near an image signal voltage. With the use of the voltage settling circuitry, a faster pre-charge and clamping of the column line can be achieved.

A system and method is provided for performing high dynamic range digital double sampling. More particularly, a CMOS image sensor is provided that includes a pixel array with each pixel sampling both dark and bright values for digital double sampling. After the sampled signals are digitized, a mean dark value is determined and each dark value is further fed to a lookup table that generates an output value taking into account whether the pixel has been saturated. In over exposed conditions, the lookup table will generate a negative value output to eliminate image artifacts. All three values are fed to adder logic circuit that subtracts the mean dark value and the lookup table output from the bright value. This resulting output is fed to a video viewer.