An imaging apparatus includes a first photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert light into charge, a second photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert light into charge, and a comparison unit. The comparison unit includes a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor receives a signal that is based on the charge converted by the first photoelectric conversion unit. The second transistor receives a signal that is based on the charge converted by the second photoelectric conversion unit.

The present disclosure relates to an imaging circuit and an imaging device capable of performing reading at high speed while reducing a circuit scale.

An imaging circuit according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of circuit blocks each including a photoelectric conversion element configured to photoelectrically convert incident light to generate a photocurrent and a current-voltage conversion circuit configured to convert the photocurrent into a voltage signal, a quantizer configured to generate a detection signal of an address event in accordance with a result of comparing the voltage signal supplied from at least one of the plurality of circuit blocks with a threshold, a demultiplexer connected to a subsequent stage of the quantizer, and a plurality of latch circuits connected to different output terminals of the demultiplexer.

Provided are a vision sensor, an image processing device including the vision sensor, and an operating method of the vision sensor. The vision sensor includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, wherein each of the plurality of pixels includes: a sensing circuit configured to output an output voltage by sensing a change of light; a comparison circuit configured to output a comparison signal indicating whether an event has occurred by comparing the output voltage to an event threshold; and an event detection circuit configured to generate internal event signals by sampling the comparison signal at each of a plurality of sampling time points, and configured to output a valid event signal based on the internal event signals.

To shorten time required for AD conversion when a solid-state imaging element that detects presence or absence of an address event further captures image data. In a detection block, a first pixel that generates a first analog signal by photoelectric conversion and a second pixel that generates a second analog signal by photoelectric conversion are arrayed. A first analog-digital converter converts the first analog signal into a digital signal on the basis of whether or not a change amount of an incident light amount of the detection block exceeds a predetermined threshold. A second analog-digital converter converts the second analog signal into a digital signal on the basis of whether or not the change amount exceeds the threshold.

Improvement of noise characteristics is achievable. A solid-state imaging device according to an embodiment includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (333) arranged in a two-dimensional grid shape in a matrix direction and each generating a charge corresponding to a received light amount, and a detection unit (400) that detects a photocurrent produced by the charge generated in each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements. A chip (201a) on which the photoelectric conversion elements are disposed and a chip (201b) on which at least a part of the detection unit is disposed are different from each other.

Techniques are described for disparity-preserving pixel binning during consistently binned parallel readout of an imaging sensor array having both phase detection autofocus (PDAF) pixels and imaging pixels. Each group of PDAF pixels and each group of imaging pixels is coupled with pixel actuators according to an particular arrangement, so that consistently applied control of the pixel actuators results in desired binning of both the PDAF pixels and the imaging pixels. According to some implementations, though such control of the pixel actuators is consistently applied across the pixels of the array, parallel readout of the sensor array yields diagonally binned imaging pixels, but vertically binned PDAF pixels to preserve horizontal PDAF disparity information. Additionally or alternatively, disparity-inducing structures are configured to position same-disparity PDAF pixels so that consistently applied control of the pixel actuators preserves disparity information during binning.

An image sensing device, method, an electronic apparatus, and a medium are provided. The image sensing device includes an image acquisition circuit comprising a plurality of image acquisition layer arrays, where at least one of the plurality of image acquisition layer arrays includes a reference layer, a first acquisition layer, and a second acquisition layer. The first acquisition layer is located under the reference layer and is configured to interact with the reference layer, to which a first electric signal is applied, to generate a first image signal. The second acquisition layer is located under the first acquisition layer and is configured to interact with the first acquisition layer to generate a second image signal. An image processing circuit is connected with the image acquisition circuit and configured to generate a target image according to the first image signal and the second image signal.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to: sensing and/or authentication using luminescence imaging; diagnostic assays, systems, and related methods; temporal thermal sensing and related methods; and/or to emissive species, such as those excitable by white light, and related systems and methods.

A photoelectric conversion device includes first to fourth pixel columns. Each of the first to fourth pixel columns includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a predetermined direction. Each of the plurality of pixels arranged in the first to fourth pixel columns includes a photoelectric conversion element configured to receive light of a wavelength region and generate a signal charge. Each of the plurality of pixels arranged in the first to fourth pixel columns further includes a circuit configured to convert the signal charge generated by the photoelectric conversion element into a voltage signal. Directions of reading the voltage signals from the first pixel column and the second pixel column are different from directions of reading the voltage signals from the third pixel column and the fourth pixel column.

Provided is a depth sensor which includes a pixel and a row driver that controls the pixel, the pixel including a first tap, a second tap, a third tap, and a fourth tap, an overflow transistor, and a photoelectric conversion device. Each of the first tap, the second tap, the third tap, and the fourth tap includes a photo transistor, a transfer transistor, and a readout circuit. In a first integration period of a global mode, the row driver activates a second photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the second tap and a third photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the third tap. In a second integration period of the global mode, the row driver activates a first photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the first tap and a fourth photo gate signal controlling the photo transistor of the fourth tap.