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.

A sensor includes a determining circuit and an output circuit. The determining circuit receives a first signal from a pixel in response to light and outputs a second signal associated with occurrence of an event, based on the first signal. Based on the second signal being received in a time period between a first time when a third signal is received from a processor and a second time when a condition is satisfied, the output circuit outputs a fourth signal associated with occurrence of the event in the time period to the processor after the second time.

A sensor includes a determining circuit and an output circuit. The determining circuit receives a first signal from a pixel in response to light and outputs a second signal associated with occurrence of an event, based on the first signal. Based on the second signal being received in a time period between a first time when a third signal is received from a processor and a second time when a condition is satisfied, the output circuit outputs a fourth signal associated with occurrence of the event in the time period to the processor after the second time.

A solid-state imaging element includes a pixel and an image processing unit. The pixel has a common transistor, a charge accumulation unit, and a power supply. The common transistor has a first terminal and a second terminal. The common transistor maintains a voltage of the first terminal at a predetermined voltage with a voltage applied from the power supply and outputs a voltage corresponding to a change in a voltage of the charge accumulation unit from the second terminal, based on a condition that an element voltage is a ground voltage. The common transistor outputs a voltage corresponding to a change in a voltage of the charge accumulation unit from the first terminal, based on the element voltage is higher than the ground voltage. The image processing unit generates a luminance image according to a change in the voltage output from the second terminal of the common transistor.

A solid-state imaging element includes a pixel and an image processing unit. The pixel has a common transistor, a charge accumulation unit, and a power supply. The common transistor has a first terminal and a second terminal. The common transistor maintains a voltage of the first terminal at a predetermined voltage with a voltage applied from the power supply and outputs a voltage corresponding to a change in a voltage of the charge accumulation unit from the second terminal, based on a condition that an element voltage is a ground voltage. The common transistor outputs a voltage corresponding to a change in a voltage of the charge accumulation unit from the first terminal, based on the element voltage is higher than the ground voltage. The image processing unit generates a luminance image according to a change in the voltage output from the second terminal of the common transistor.

A sensing device, including a plurality of sensing pixels arranged in Y rows and M columns, a plurality of readout lines coupled to the sensing pixels, and a plurality of control lines each coupled to a sensing pixel subset, is provided. The Y times N sensing pixels within the sensing pixel subset are arranged in adjacent N columns, where Y, M and N are integers and N is smaller than M. Each of the control lines is configured to control one row of the sensing pixel subset to output signals through corresponding readout lines.

Provided is an image capturing device including a first substrate having a plurality of pixel blocks each including one or more pixels; and a second substrate having a control circuit unit including a first control block including a first exposure control unit for controlling an exposure time of a pixel included in a first pixel block of the plurality of pixel blocks and a second control block including a second exposure control unit for controlling an exposure time of a pixel included in a second pixel block of the plurality of pixel blocks, and a peripheral circuit unit arranged outside the control circuit unit and configured to control signal reading of pixels each included in at least the first pixel block and the second pixel block of the plurality of pixel blocks.

Provided is an image capturing device including a first substrate having a plurality of pixel blocks each including one or more pixels; and a second substrate having a control circuit unit including a first control block including a first exposure control unit for controlling an exposure time of a pixel included in a first pixel block of the plurality of pixel blocks and a second control block including a second exposure control unit for controlling an exposure time of a pixel included in a second pixel block of the plurality of pixel blocks, and a peripheral circuit unit arranged outside the control circuit unit and configured to control signal reading of pixels each included in at least the first pixel block and the second pixel block of the plurality of pixel blocks.

This invention has for purpose to provide a photosensor that is small in size and can obtain high-contrast image data and to provide a semiconductor device including the photosensor. In the photosensor including a light-receiving element, a transistor serving as a switching element, and a charge retention node electrically connected to the light-receiving element through the transistor, the reduction in charge held in the charge retention node is suppressed by extending the fall time of the input waveform of a driving pulse supplied to the transistor to turn off the transistor.

An imaging device of the present disclosure includes a plurality of pixels each including a light receiving element that performs photoelectric conversion on incident light to generate an electrical signal, the pixels outputs a detection signal when detecting that an amount of change of the electrical signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a control section that reads out, when pixels of a pixel combination of two or more pixels including a pixel of interest both output detection signals, the detection signals. Further, electronic equipment of the present disclosure includes the imaging device including the plurality of pixels and a detection section that have the above-mentioned configurations.