A distance-measuring imaging device includes: a controller which repeatedly performs outputting of an emission signal instructing light emission and outputting of an exposure signal instructing exposure; a light source unit which performs light emission a plurality of times in accordance with the emission signal repeatedly outputted by the controller; and an imaging unit which includes a solid-state imaging element for performing exposure a plurality of times in accordance with the exposure signal repeatedly outputted by the controller and which generates an imaging signal through the exposure performed the plurality of times.

A high dynamic range imaging pixel may include a photodiode, an overflow node, and an overflow path between the photodiode and the overflow node. The imaging pixel may have an overlapping overflow integration time and photodiode integration time. The overflow integration time may be shorter than the photodiode integration time. At the end of the overflow integration time, an uncorrelated double sample of overflow charge may be obtained. The capacity of the photodiode is then increased and charge continues to accumulate in the photodiode until the conclusion of the photodiode integration time. A correlated double sample of charge from the photodiode may then be obtained. For additional increases to dynamic range, the overflow charge may be repeatedly sampled and reset throughout the overflow integration time, effectively increasing the overflow capacity. The overflow samples may be integrated on a buffer to track the total overflow charge.

An imaging device includes a pixel including a photoelectric converter, where the pixel captures first data in a first exposure period and captures second data in a second exposure period different from the first exposure period, the first exposure period and the second exposure period being included in a frame period. A sensitivity of the photoelectric converter in the first exposure period is different from a sensitivity of the photoelectric converter in the second exposure period, and the imaging device generates multiple-exposure image data including at least the first data and the second data.

The present disclosure relates to a solid state image sensor and electronic equipment that enable degradation in image quality of a captured image to be suppressed even if any pixel in a pixel array is configured as a functional pixel for obtaining desired information in order to obtain information different from a normal image. In a plurality of pixels constituting subblocks provided in an RGB Bayer array constituting a block which is a set of color units, normal pixels that capture a normal image are arranged longitudinally and laterally symmetrically within the subblock, and functional pixels for obtaining desired information other than capturing an image are arranged at the remaining positions. The present disclosure can be applied to a solid state image sensor.

An imaging apparatus capable of capturing two images which may not be obtained by the general HDR imaging by simultaneously capturing two images of different exposures by changing exposure change rates of a low exposure image and a high exposure image is provided. The imaging apparatus includes a calculation unit configured to calculate a first exposure for obtaining a first image included in the plurality of images under a first condition and calculate a second exposure for obtaining a second image included in the plurality of images under a second condition which is different from the first condition, and a setting unit configured to set an exposure for obtaining the first and second images based on the first and second exposures calculated by the calculation unit.

Apparatuses and methods for charge transfer in image sensors are disclosed. One example of an image sensor pixel may include a first charge storage node and a second charge storage node. A transfer circuit may be coupled between the first and second charge storage nodes, and the transfer circuit may have a first region proximate the first charge storage node and configured to have a first potential. The transfer circuit may also have a second region proximate the second charge storage node configured to have a second, higher potential. An input node may be configured to control the first and second potentials based on a transfer signal provided to the input node.

High dynamic range (HDR) images are generated on the basis of a plurality of images obtained by non-destructive reading of an image sensor, called NDRO images. An HDR image generation method includes: the determination of a criterion of desired quality for the HDR image; at least two non-destructive readings of the sensor delivering at least two successive NDRO images; the selection, as a function of the criterion of desired quality, of the first and of the last NDRO image to be used to generate the HDR image; the generation of the HDR image on the basis of information extracted from a series of successive NDRO images starting with the first and terminating with the last NDRO image to be used; the storage of a single image at one and the same time throughout the entire HDR generation phase.

In one example, a digital image capture unit comprises a gated image sensor configured to operate multiple sensor exposure events per a single image frame readout. The digital image capture unit further comprises a motion monitor configured to monitor motion related to the digital image capture unit. The digital image capture unit further comprises a controller configured to instruct the gated image sensor to discard a sensor exposure event of the multiple sensor exposure events in response to a temporally corresponding monitored motion related to the digital image capture unit failing to meet a motion requirement.

To widen a dynamic range without reducing a frame rate in a solid-state imaging element provided with a differential amplifier circuit.

The solid-state imaging element includes a reading circuit and a processing unit. The reading circuit performs processing of outputting a differentially amplified signal obtained by amplifying a difference between generated voltages of a pair of pixels and processing of outputting a pixel signal of the generated voltage of at least one of the pair of pixels each time the pair of pixels are exposed. The processing unit performs synthesis processing of synthesizing the output differentially amplified signal and the output pixel signal.

An imaging device 100 includes a pixel array PA. A first period, a third period, and a second period appear in this order in one frame. During the first period, pixel signal readout is performed on at least one first row in the pixel array PA. During the second period, pixel signal readout is performed on at least one second row in the pixel array PA. At least one of the at least one first row or the at least one second row includes two rows in the pixel array PA. During the third period, no pixel signal readout is performed on the rows in the pixel array PA. Each of the first period and the second period is one of the high-sensitivity exposure period and the low-sensitivity exposure period. The third period is the other of the high-sensitivity exposure period and the low-sensitivity exposure period.