The present disclosure provides a method for generating an HDR image. The method includes: providing an image sensor, in which the image sensor includes a pixel array and a filter array disposed on the pixel array, and each filter unit in the filter array covers a plurality of pixel units in the pixel array so as to constitute a pixel structure unit; and performing an exposure control to pixel units within each pixel structure unit respectively, in which a first part of the pixel units within each pixel structure unit are exposed for a first exposure time, a second part of the pixel units within the pixel structure unit are exposed for a second exposure time, and the first exposure time is greater than the second exposure time.

The invention relates to an image acquisition device comprising a sensor composed of an array of photosensitive pixels, and an array of elementary filters covering the sensor. Pixels may be of three different types: panchromatic pixels, primary colour pixels and infrared pixels. Under low illumination conditions, the device displays a monochrome image using panchromatic pixels, and under high illumination conditions, a colour image with a high signal to noise ratio, by combining primary colour images and subtracting the infrared image.

The present disclosure relates to an image pickup device that enables inhibition of occurrence of color mixture or noise, and an electronic apparatus. The image pickup device of the present disclosure includes an image plane phase difference detection pixel for obtaining a phase difference signal for image plane phase difference AF. The image plane phase difference detection pixel includes: a first photoelectric conversion section that generates an electric charge in response to incident light; an upper electrode section that is one of electrodes disposed facing each other across the first photoelectric conversion section, the upper electrode section being formed on an incident side of the incident light on the first photoelectric conversion section; and a lower electrode section that is another of the electrodes disposed facing each other across the first photoelectric conversion section, the lower electrode section being formed on an opposite side of the incident side of the incident light on the first photoelectric conversion section, the lower electrode section being multiple-divided at a position that avoids a center of the incident light. The present disclosure is applicable to image sensors.

An image sensor includes a photodiode array and a color filter array optically aligned with the photodiode array. The photodiode array includes a plurality of photodiodes disposed within respective portions of a semiconductor material. The color filter array includes a plurality of color filters arranged to form a plurality of tiled minimal repeating units. Each minimal repeating unit includes at least a first color filter with a red spectral photoresponse, a second color filter with a yellow spectral photoresponse, and a third color filter with a panchromatic spectral photoresponse.

A vehicle camera system includes a camera that includes an image sensor, a filter mask, and a control and evaluation device, to which the image sensor outputs an image signal with frames that correspond to different exposure times. The image sensor includes an arrangement of sensor pixels outputting pixel signals, and the filter mask includes an arrangement of filter pixels situated in front of respective ones of the sensor pixels, where different filter pixels have different transmission behavior. The control and evaluation device compares to each other pixel signals (a) contained in the frames of different exposure times, and (b) output by sensor pixels which record light filtered differently by the filter pixels.

An image sensor may include an array of image sensor pixels. Each image sensor pixel may have signal storage capabilities implemented through a write-back supply line and a control transistor for the supply line. Each image sensor pixel may output pixel values over column lines to switching circuitry. The switching circuitry may route the pixel values to signal processing circuitry. The signal processing circuitry may perform analog and/or digital processing operations utilizing analog circuits or pinned diode devices for image signal processing on the pixel values to output processed pixel values. The processing circuitry may send the processed pixel values back to the array. This allows the array to act as memory circuitry to support processing operations on processing circuitry in close proximity to the array. Configured this way, signal processing can be performed in close proximity to the array without having to move pixel signals to peripheral processing circuitry.

A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel signal processing unit including a plurality of pixels; a plurality of first charge storage circuits which are configured to hold the first signal charges generated by the photoelectric conversion units and output first signal voltages as first pixel signals; and a plurality of second charge storage circuits which are configured to hold second signal charges and output second signal voltages, and a differential analog/digital conversion unit includes: a plurality of first differential calculation units; a plurality of first analog/digital conversion units which are configured to perform analog/digital conversion to the first differential pixel signals and output digital values indicating magnitudes of the first differential pixel signals; and a plurality of second analog/digital conversion units which are configured to perform analog/digital conversion to the second pixel signal and output digital values indicating magnitudes of the second pixel signals.

An imaging apparatus of an embodiment includes a plurality of light receiving units arranged in an array to each detect light with a specific color and a specific polarization angle. In the plurality of light receiving units, both the color and polarization angle to be detected differ between the light receiving units adjacent to each other.

An image processing apparatus processes a color filter mosaic, CFM, image of a scene into a final image of the scene. The image processing apparatus includes processing circuitry configured to implement a neural network. The neural network is configured to process the CFM image into an enhanced CFM image. The processing circuitry is further configured to transform the enhanced CFM image into the final image.

The present disclosure relates to an image pickup device that enables inhibition of occurrence of color mixture or noise, and an electronic apparatus. The image pickup device of the present disclosure includes an image plane phase difference detection pixel for obtaining a phase difference signal for image plane phase difference AF. The image plane phase difference detection pixel includes: a first photoelectric conversion section that generates an electric charge in response to incident light; an upper electrode section that is one of electrodes disposed facing each other across the first photoelectric conversion section, the upper electrode section being formed on an incident side of the incident light on the first photoelectric conversion section; and a lower electrode section that is another of the electrodes disposed facing each other across the first photoelectric conversion section, the lower electrode section being formed on an opposite side of the incident side of the incident light on the first photoelectric conversion section, the lower electrode section being multiple-divided at a position that avoids a center of the incident light. The present disclosure is applicable to image sensors.