An apparatus and a method for acquiring an image in an electronic device are provided. The method includes acquiring a first image using an image sensor that comprises a plurality of first pixels having a first exposure and a plurality of second pixels having a second exposure, determining a reference exposure value based on image information, adjusting at least one of the first exposure or the second exposure based on the reference exposure value, and acquiring a second image using the image sensor based on exposure control.

A system, comprising: an image sensor including: a first pixel including a first photoelectric conversion element of a first phase group and configured to have a first exposure and the second photoelectric conversion element of a second phase group and configured to have a second exposure; and a second pixel including a third photoelectric conversion element of the first phase group and configured to have the second exposure and a fourth photoelectric conversion element of the second phase group and configured to have the first exposure; and an image signal processor coupled to the image sensor and configured to: receive a first image from the image sensor; receive a second image from the image sensor; and configured to output an image based on at least one of the first image and the second image; wherein the first exposure is longer than the second exposure.

An auto exposure method for an image sensor includes (a) evaluating variance, for each of a plurality of histograms of the pixel values from a respective plurality of individual exposures of the image sensor at respective exposure 5 time settings, of contribution from individual bins of the histogram to total entropy of the histogram, to determine an optimal exposure time for the image sensor corresponding to a minimum value of the variance, and (b) outputting the optimal exposure time to the image sensor.

An imaging device includes a drive unit that drives pixels each including a photoelectric converter to output a first signal based on charge generated by the photoelectric converter in a first exposure period and a second signal based on charge generated by the photoelectric converter in a second exposure period shorter than the first exposure period, a detection unit that detects a change in a relative position between an object and the imaging device by using the first and second signals, and an image generation unit that generates an image by using the first and second signals. When selecting the first or second signal for each pixel, in accordance with a result of determination whether the first signal is saturated, the image generation unit decides whether or not to use a detection result from the detection unit as a criterion in selecting the first or second signal.

An image sensor including: a plurality of pixels each including a photodiode coupled to first and second capacitive elements by first and second transistors; a control circuit provided to acquire, for each pixel, a first and second value V_S and V_M representative of illumination levels of the photodiode during the first second periods, the first period being divided into a plurality of first sub-periods and the second period being divided into a plurality of second sub-periods, the first and second sub-periods sub-periods being interlaced; and a sum circuit capable of calculating, for each pixel, a value V_MS=C_S*V_S+C_M*V_M, C_S et C_M being first and second coefficients such that values C_S*V_S and C_M*V_M are substantially equal when the illumination of the photodiode is continuous.

An image sensor is operated for shutter modulation and high dynamic range, suitable for use with a local lamp. In one example, charge is collected at a photodetector of a photodetector circuit for a first duration for a first mini-exposure. The photodetector charge is transferred to a charge collection node of the photodetector circuit. A portion of the transferred charge is spilled from the charge collection node. Charge is collected at the photodetector for a second duration for a second mini-exposure. The second mini-exposure photodetector charge is transferred to the charge collection node after spilling the portion. The collected charge is read after transferring the second mini-exposure photodetector charge and the spilled portion of the charge is estimated and the spilled portion is added to the collected charge reading to obtain a total charge value for the combined exposures.

An image sensor may have a pixel array that includes an array of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each pixel may include a number of adjacent sub-pixels covered by a single microlens. The adjacent sub-pixels of each pixel may include color filter elements of the same color. Image signals from the sub-pixels may be used to calculate phase information in each pixel in the array. This information may be used to generate a depth map of the entire captured image. The pixels may each be able to detect vertical, horizontal, or diagonal edges. Additionally, the image signals from each photodiode in a pixel may be binned or average to obtain image data for each pixel. The image sensor also may generate high-dynamic-range images using the pixel array.

A system and method for obtaining, by an electronic device, a first set of image data recorded during an image capture event and a second set of image data recorded during an image capture event. During the image capture event, a characteristic of an image capture device is changed from a first state to a second state. The first and second sets of image data are recorded by an image capture device having one or more image recording components with one or more image sensor arrays. An image is generated based at least in part on the first and second sets of image data.

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.

According to the present invention, an imaging device and a reproducing device that allow for high quality reproduction of images generated by using two image signals having different lengths of accumulation periods output form a single imaging element are provided. A solid state imaging device of the invention includes a pixel array including a pixel having first and second photoelectric conversion units; a scanning unit that drives the pixel such that an accumulation period of an intermediate time of the first photoelectric conversion unit matches an intermediate time of an accumulation period of the second photoelectric conversion unit; a readout unit that reads out a first image signal from the first photoelectric conversion unit and reads out a second image signal from the second photoelectric conversion unit; and a generating unit that generates images by using the first and second image signals whose accumulation periods have the matched intermediate time.