An imaging device including pixels and processing circuitry, where the pixels capture a first image in a first exposure period within a frame period and capture a second image in a second exposure period within the frame period to generate multiple-exposure image data that include the first image and the second image in a multiplexed state, the second exposure period being different from the first exposure period, the second image being different from the first image in brightness or color, and the processing circuitry detects an image of a moving subject from the multiple-exposure image data.

Disclosed is a device for noise reduction using dual conversion gain, which includes an image sensor including a pixel array, the pixel array configured to generate a first pixel signal corresponding to a first conversion gain and a second pixel signal corresponding to a second conversion gain from pixels sharing a floating diffusion region and the image sensor configured to generate first image data and second image data based on the first pixel signal and the second pixel signal, and an image signal processor that generates an output image based on the first image data and the second image data. The image signal processor includes a normalization circuit that normalizes the first image data based on a dynamic range of the second image data to generate third image data, and a blending circuit that generates the output image based on the second image data and the third image data.

Disclosed is a device for noise reduction using dual conversion gain, which includes an image sensor including a pixel array, the pixel array configured to generate a first pixel signal corresponding to a first conversion gain and a second pixel signal corresponding to a second conversion gain from pixels sharing a floating diffusion region and the image sensor configured to generate first image data and second image data based on the first pixel signal and the second pixel signal, and an image signal processor that generates an output image based on the first image data and the second image data. The image signal processor includes a normalization circuit that normalizes the first image data based on a dynamic range of the second image data to generate third image data, and a blending circuit that generates the output image based on the second image data and the third image data.

Systems and methods are disclosed for image signal processing. For example, methods may include receiving a current image of a sequence of images from an image sensor; combining the current image with a recirculated image to obtain a noise reduced image, where the recirculated image is based on one or more previous images of the sequence of images from the image sensor; determining a noise map for the noise reduced image, where the noise map is determined based on estimates of noise levels for pixels in the current image, a noise map for the recirculated image, and a set of mixing weights; recirculating the noise map with the noise reduced image to combine the noise reduced image with a next image of the sequence of images from the image sensor; and storing, displaying, or transmitting an output image that is based on the noise reduced image.

A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a processing circuit, and a memory that stores a computer-readable instruction for causing, when executed by the processing circuit, the photoelectric conversion apparatus to generate control signals for controlling an operation of an image capturing unit configured to perform image capturing using avalanche light emission, control a first generation unit to generate control signals of a first frame and a second frame, wherein a number of the control signals during an exposure period of the second frame is smaller than a number of the control signals during an exposure period of the first frame, acquire an output of the first frame captured by the image capturing unit and an output of the second frame captured by the image capturing unit, and generate an image based on the output of the first frame and the output of the second frame.

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 object of the present invention is to obtain an image having a better S/N ratio in accordance with gain settings in an image pickup apparatus that enables amplifying a signal based on output of a photoelectric conversion unit, with a plurality of gains. An image pickup element provided in an image pickup apparatus has a photoelectric conversion unit in which unit pixels are arranged in a matrix and a signal voltage is generating by photoelectric conversion. A column amplifier of the image pickup element can amplify the signal voltage photoelectrically converted with a plurality of gains. An image pickup element control unit performs drive control of the image pickup element to perform gain settings. An image composition unit performs image composition by using a plurality of image signals having different gains. When the image pickup element changes an amplification factor of the column amplifier to output image signals with a plurality of gains, the image pickup element control unit changes a value of a second gain that is smaller than that of a first gain among the gains and performs control so as not to change the value of the first gain.

An image processing device includes an imaging element. The imaging element includes a pixel unit including a photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert light to electric charge and a charge accumulating unit configured to accumulate the electric charge and a column AMP configured to amplify a signal output from the pixel unit with different gains, and outputs a plurality of image signals with different gains applied thereto through one exposure. The image processing device further includes an image synthesizing unit configured to generate a synthetic image signal by synthesizing the plurality of image signals. An image synthesis control unit configured to control the image synthesizing unit determines synthesis proportions of the plurality of image signals in the synthetic image signal according to a common capacity of the charge accumulating unit when the capacity of the charge accumulating unit is shared by the plurality of image signals.

An electronic device including an image sensor and a processor may be provided. The image sensor may provide, in a first mode, to the at least one processor, first image data may be obtained by outputting data input to a unit pixel of the image sensor with a first conversion gain, the first image data may have a first number of bits. The image sensor may provide, in a second mode, to the at least one processor, second image data may be obtained by outputting data input to the unit pixel of the image sensor with the first conversion gain and a second conversion gain. The second conversion gain may be lower than the first conversion gain. The second image data may have a second number of bits which may be larger than the first number of bits.

A method includes capturing, by a camera disposed behind a display panel of the electronic device, a plurality of images at a plurality of exposures, respectively. One or more captured images include one or more flare artifacts. The method further includes generating a high dynamic range (HDR) image by fusing the captured images. The method further includes accessing a HDR point spread function (PSF) from a memory of the electronic device. The HDR PSF may be generated, at an initial camera calibration stage, by fusing a plurality of PSFs captured at the plurality of exposures, respectively. The method further includes generating, using an image deconvolution technique, a reconstructed image with flare artifacts mitigated based on the HDR image and the HDR PSF.