A timing of the readout from an imaging circuit is controlled from the outside of the imaging circuit. An exposure control signal receiving section is configured to receive, from outside, an exposure control signal that controls a timing at which plural pixels are exposed. A control signal receiving section is configured to receive, from the outside, a readout control signal that controls a timing at which the plural pixels are read out. A vertical driving control signal generating section is configured to generate, on the basis of the exposure control signal and the readout control signal, a vertical driving control signal that generates a control signal for exposure and readout with respect to each of pixel columns of a pixel section. A vertical driving circuit is configured to drive and control each of the pixel columns according to the vertical driving control signal.

An imaging device includes an imaging unit including a plurality of pixels, respectively including photoelectric converters and charge accumulation nodes that accumulate signal charge. The imaging unit outputs image data based on signals corresponding to the signal charge accumulated in the charge accumulators. The imaging device includes an image processing unit that processes the image data output by the imaging unit. The imaging unit sequentially outputs a plurality of pieces of image data in one frame period by performing readout nondestructively. The image processing unit generates difference image data by determining a difference between two pieces of image data, selects output image data from initial image data and the difference image data, and combines the output image data and normal readout image data included in the plurality of pieces of image data, to generate combination-result image data.

An imaging device includes a first chip on which a plurality of first blocks is arranged in a matrix, and a second chip which includes a first block scanning circuit and a second block scanning circuit. The second chip includes a selection circuit configured to select driving timing given to a plurality of pixels, based on a signal output from the first block scanning circuit and a signal output from the second block scanning circuit. A second block includes a circuit other than the selection circuit.

The dynamic range of a pixel is increased by using selective photosensor resets during a frame time of image capture at a timing depending on the light intensity that the pixel will be exposed to during the frame time. Pixels that will be exposed to high light intensity are reset later in the frame than pixels that will be exposed to lower light intensity.

An imaging apparatus, comprising: a signal processing unit reads pixel signals from a plurality of pixel circuits during a predetermined time, and stores at least first image data corresponding to a first frame which corresponds to a first exposure time, second image data corresponding to a second frame which corresponds to a second exposure time that is different from the first exposure time, and third image data corresponding to a third frame which corresponds to a third exposure time that is different from the second exposure time, a computing unit generates a first image using the image data corresponding to the first frame and third frame, and generates a second image using the image data corresponding to the second frame, wherein the exposure for the second frame is performed between the exposure for the first frame and the exposure for the third frame.

An image sensor has a plurality of rows and columns of pixels, including RGB and bandpass I filters in a predetermined pattern shifted between adjacent columns so that none of the RGBI filters is adjacent the same type of filter. Each pixel includes a photodiode, a transfer gate and a floating diffusion. The transfer gate for all pixels in a pattern is controlled by the same signal, which can be a separate synchronous control signal controlled based on a predefined integration period or an asynchronous signal generated internally by the bandpass filter I and that is compared to a predefined voltage level indicative of a predetermined intensity at filter I. Upon activation of either signal, the integration period for the pixels ends and the charge on the floating diffusion for the R, G and B pixels is digitized in relation to the bandpass pixel I using a ratio-to-digital converter.

A method for imaging controlling is applied to an electronic device. The electronic device includes a pixel-unit array that includes multiple photosensitive pixel units. The method includes the following. If an exposure ratio of a long-exposure pixel in a shooting scene to a short-exposure pixel in the shooting scene is larger than a first exposure-ratio threshold and brightness in the shooting scene is larger than a brightness threshold, in each photosensitive pixel unit, control a long-exposure pixel, a medium-exposure pixel, and a short-exposure pixel to output original pixel information in conditions of different exposure time correspondingly. In each photosensitive pixel unit, select the original pixel information of the long-exposure pixel, the original pixel information of the medium-exposure pixel, or the original pixel information of the short-exposure pixel. Image according to the selected original pixel information.

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging device that makes it possible to suppress deterioration of phase difference information, and an electronic device.

There is provided a solid-state imaging device including a pixel array unit in which a plurality of pixels is two-dimensionally arrayed. The plurality of pixels includes a phase difference pixel for phase difference detection, the pixel array unit has an array pattern in which pixel units including neighboring pixels of a same color are regularly arrayed, and the phase difference pixel is partially not added when horizontal/vertical addition is performed on a pixel signal of a predetermined pixel in a horizontal direction and a pixel signal of a predetermined pixel in a vertical direction, in reading the plurality of pixels. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a CMOS image sensor having a phase difference pixel.

Provided is an imaging device capable of adaptively acquiring a captured image according to an imaging condition. An imaging device (1) according to an embodiment includes: an imaging unit (10) that includes a pixel array (110) including a plurality of pixel groups each including N×N pixels (100) (N is an integer of 2 or more), and outputs a pixel signal read from each pixel; and a switching unit (14) that switches a reading mode in which the pixel signal is read from each of the pixels by the imaging unit, in which the switching unit switches the reading mode between an addition mode in which the pixel signals read from the N×N pixels included in the pixel group are added to form one pixel signal and an individual mode in which each of the pixel signals read from the N×N pixels included in the pixel group is individually output.

An apparatus comprises a generating unit configured to generate a plurality of pieces of RAW data for respective exposure times from RAW data obtained from a sensor that can perform shooting at an exposure time that is different for each pixel, and an encoding unit configured to encode the generated plurality of pieces of RAW data.