Provided are a sensor module including an event-driven vision sensor that includes a sensor array having a sensor that generates an event signal when the sensor detects a change in intensity of incident light, and a shutter that can shield or open an angle of view of the sensor array, and an electronic device including such a sensor module.

The present disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus and an imaging method, a camera module, and an electronic apparatus that are capable of detecting a failure in an imaging device having a structure in which a plurality of substrates are stacked.

The timing at which a row drive unit provided in a second substrate outputs a control signal for controlling accumulation and reading of pixel signals in a pixel array provided in a first substrate is compared with the timing at which the control signal output from the row drive unit is detected after passing through the pixel array. Depending on whether or not the timings coincides with each other, a failure is detected. The present disclosure can be applied to an imaging apparatus mounted on a vehicle.

Systems and methods are disclosed herein to detect pixels exhibiting anomalous behavior in captured image frames. In some examples, temporal anomalous behavior may be identified, such as flickering pixels exhibiting large magnitude changes in pixel values that vary rapidly from frame-to-frame. In some examples, spatial anomalous behavior may be identified, such as pixels exhibiting values that deviate from an expected linear response in comparison with other neighbor pixels.

An image processing system includes: a weight determination circuitry configured to determine a band containing important information from among a group of images, which are acquired by a plurality of sensors, and to express a degree of importance of the band as a weight; a calculation circuitry configured to calculate, using the weight, an amount calculated based on a gradient of an image based on a gradient of each image, that is calculated based on the group of images, in order to restrict a gradient of an output image; and an image optimization circuitry configured to compose the output image using the amount calculated based on the gradient of the image.

A defective pixel is easily identified in a solid-state imaging element that detects an address event.

An address event detecting unit detects, as an address event, a fact that an absolute value of a change amount of luminance exceeds a predetermined threshold value with regard to each of a plurality of pixels, and outputs a detection signal indicating a result of the detection. A detection frequency acquisition unit acquires a detection frequency of the address event with regard to each of the plurality of pixels. A defective pixel identification unit identifies, on the basis of a statistic of the detection frequency, a defective pixel where an abnormality has occurred among the plurality of pixels.

Image processing systems and methods are provided for processing a stream of data values (e.g. pixel values). The image processing system comprises a processing module configured to: receive a plurality of pixel values, each of the received pixel values having a first number of bits; and implement processing of a particular pixel value by operating on a particular subset of the received pixel values, by: classifying each of the pixel values within the particular subset into a group of a set of one or more groups; determining an average value in respect of the pixel values within the particular subset which are classified into one of the one or more groups, wherein the determined average value has a second number of bits, wherein said second number is greater than said first number; replacing the particular pixel value based on the determined average value; and outputting the processed particular pixel value.

An image processing apparatus including a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to: detect a defective pixel from among the multiple pixels; calculate a level of a pixel value of the defective pixel; compare the calculated level of the pixel value of the defective pixel with a threshold to determine whether a defective pixel that is stored in a storage is to be corrected, the threshold being determined based on a brightness that is calculated from pixel values close to a defective pixel and on any one of an exposure time of image data corresponding to a defective pixel on which a determination is to be made, a value of gain, and variation in pixel value among pixels surrounding the defective pixel on which a determination is to be made; and interpolate the pixel value of the determined defective pixel that is to be corrected.

Embodiments relate to a pixel defect detection circuit for detecting and correcting defective pixels in captured image frames. The pixel defect detection circuit includes a defect pixel location table that maps pixel locations in an image frame to respective confidence values, each confidence value indicating a likelihood that a corresponding pixel is defective. The pixel defect detection circuit further includes a dynamic defect processing circuit configured to determine whether a first pixel of an image frame is defective, and a flatness detection circuit configured to determine whether the first pixel is in a flat region of the image frame. The confidence value corresponding to the location of the first pixel is updated based upon whether the first pixel is determined be defective if the first pixel is determined to be in a flat region, and not updated if the first pixel is determined to not be in a flat region.

An imaging device includes an image pickup device having pixels and a correction processing unit that corrects signals output from the image pickup device, the pixels include a visible light pixel that receives light corresponding to a visible light wavelength range and an infrared light pixel that is arranged adjacent to the visible light pixel and receives light corresponding to an infrared wavelength range, and the correction processing unit includes a calculation unit that performs a first process of reducing, from a signal of the infrared light pixel, a component in the pixel signal of the infrared light pixel and based on an inflow amount of charges to the infrared light pixel from another pixel adjacent to the infrared light pixel and a second process of obtaining a signal corresponding to a difference between pixel signals of the visible light pixel and the infrared light pixel after the first process.

A pixel array, an image sensor, and a self-checking method of the image sensor are provided. The pixel array includes a photosensitive pixel region, a first reference pixel region and/or a second reference pixel region; the photosensitive pixel region includes M rows and N columns of pixels arranged in an array; the first reference pixel region includes n columns of first reference pixels disposed corresponding to N columns of pixels of the photosensitive pixel region; the second reference pixel region includes m rows of the second reference pixels disposed corresponding to the M rows of pixels of the photosensitive pixel region. The first reference pixel region and/or the second reference pixel region can be used to implement a real-time self-checking function of the readout circuit and/or the control circuit in the image sensor, check in real time whether the image signal output by the image sensor is correct.