Provided is an imaging apparatus that includes a pixel array portion, a plurality of unit pixels being arranged in the pixel array portion and a driving unit controls an operation of the unit pixel, in which the unit pixel includes a photoelectric converter, a charge retention unit configured to retain a charge, a charge-voltage converter converts the charge into a voltage, a first transmitting unit transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge retention unit, a second transmitting unit transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge-voltage converter, and a third transmitting unit transmits the charge from the charge retention unit to the charge-voltage converter.

An image capture apparatus has an A/D converter that compares a pixel signal read out from a pixel having a photoelectric conversion element with a reference signal whose voltage changes over time, and obtains, as an A/D conversion result of the pixel signal, a digital value corresponding to a time required for a magnitude relationship between the pixel signal and the reference signal to change. The A/D converter determines a level of the pixel signal using a threshold value, makes a change rate of the voltage of the reference signal different depending on a determination result, and changes the threshold value according to a signal expansion amount of the pixel signal after A/D conversion.

To prevent an increase in memory capacities in a device for performing image combination.

A data generation unit executes long exposure processing and short exposure processing in sequence, the long exposure processing being performed to generate data including a plurality of pixel data items as long exposure data by performing exposure over a longer time period of two different exposure time periods, the short exposure processing being performed to generate data including a plurality of pixel data items as short exposure data by performing exposure over a shorter time period of the two different exposure time periods after the long exposure processing. A compression unit compresses the long exposure data to generate compression data. A memory holds the compression data over delay time corresponding to the shorter time period of the two exposure time periods. A decompression unit decompresses the held compression data to restore the long exposure data. A combination unit combines the restored long exposure data and the short exposure data.

An image sensor of an image capture device may capture an image. The captured image may be stored in a buffer of two or more previously-captured images. An oldest image of the two or more previously-captured images may be removed from the buffer. An aggregate image of the images in the buffer may be updated. This updating may involve subtracting a representation of the oldest image from the aggregate image, and adding a representation of the captured image to the aggregate image. A viewfinder of the image capture device may display a representation of the aggregate image.

An image sensor may include a pixel array with high dynamic range functionality and phase detection pixels. The phase detection pixels may be arranged in phase detection pixel groups. Each phase detection pixel group may include three adjacent pixels arranged consecutively in a line. A single microlens may cover all three pixels in the phase detection pixel group, or two microlenses may combine to cover the three pixels in the phase detection pixel group. The edge pixels in each phase detection pixel group may have the same integration time and the same color. The middle pixel in each phase detection pixel group may have the same or different color as the edge pixels, and the same or different integration time as the edge pixels. Phase detection pixel groups may also be formed from two pixels that each are 1.5 times the size of neighboring pixels.

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.

Method and apparatus for controlling signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in high dynamic range automatic exposure control imaging are disclosed. In the method and apparatus, image data is received and a shadow threshold is determined based on the image data. Further, a respective threshold integration ratio is determined for each merge transition of a plurality of exposures having a respective plurality of exposure times. The threshold integration ratio is determined based on a threshold SNR for the merge transition. In the method and apparatus, an integration ratio for each merge transition is determined based on the shadow threshold and the threshold integration ratios. An output image is generated based on the determined integration ratios for each merge transition.

An image sensor includes a plurality of pixels, where each of the plurality of pixels includes a photodiode. The image sensor is configured to capture images of a scene exposed with a flickering light source by for each of the plurality of pixels, acquiring a value representative of a light level at a corresponding pixel by gradually varying a value of sensitivity of the corresponding pixel.

An electronic device disclosed herein includes a photodiode, and a plurality of storage components each configured to independently sample and hold charges from the photodiode during each of a plurality of integration periods without discharging the held charge between successive integration periods of the plurality thereof. Each storage component accumulates the charges from the photodiode for a given time window during each integration period, with the given time window for each storage component being different than the given time window for each other storage component. Readout circuitry is configured to transfer the charges from each storage component to a readout node in a respective read period for that storage component. The photodiodes and storage components are not configured to be reset between successive time windows during each integration period.

An image sensor which operates in a global shutter mode is provided. The image sensor includes a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, a timing generator configured to generate row driver control signals which controls an integration period of a pixel of the plurality of pixels to include at least two sub integration periods, and a row driver configured to generate a plurality of row control signals which controls each of the rows in the pixel array based on the row driver control signals, wherein the timing generator is further configured to control a single image frame to include the integration period and a readout period of the pixel, based on the row driver control signals.