Methods of calibrating a linear-logarithmic image sensor pixel include performing a reset of the pixel in advance of establishing a leakage current between a photodiode and a floating diffusion region of the pixel. A first voltage of the floating diffusion region is then read through a source follower and selection transistor, after the leakage is terminated. A step is then performed to transfer charge between the photodiode and the floating diffusion region of the pixel so that a voltage of a cathode of the photodiode is increased. Thereafter, a second voltage of the floating diffusion region is read. The first and second read voltages are then used to perform a calibration operation. These steps may be repeated to establish another leakage current of different duration/magnitude and yield third and fourth read voltages, which support further calibration.

An imaging apparatus includes a plurality of groups one of a part of which has a capacitance changing unit configured to change a capacitance value of an input node.

Respective first signal holding units of a plurality of sets are commonly connected to an input node of an amplification unit of one set via a second transfer unit of a set to which the first signal holding unit corresponds, and respective second signal holding units of the plurality of sets are commonly connected to the input node of the amplification unit of one set via a fourth transfer unit of a set to which the second signal holding unit corresponds.

An imaging element for acquiring signals from a plurality of pixel units to perform a plurality of types of signal processing on the signals is provided that includes a setting unit configured to set signal output conditions for first and second photoelectric conversion units provided in each of first and second pixel units; and a signal processing unit configured to perform first signal processing using signals of the first and second photoelectric conversion units set with first to third output conditions by the setting unit and second signal processing for processing the signals of the first and second photoelectric conversion units set with any one of the first to third output conditions by the setting unit.

An imaging element includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion units that respectively receives lights passing through different partial pupil regions with respect to lights from a shooting lens. Each of the pixel units has first and second photoelectric conversion units, and a video image signal processing unit and a phase difference signal processing unit obtain and process each of signals output from the first and second photoelectric conversion units. A video image signal processing unit obtains the signals of the first and second photoelectric conversion units having the setting of different output conditions of pixel signals, and performs a dynamic range expanding process of the image signal. The phase difference signal processing unit corrects the signals of the first and second photoelectric conversion units and performs focus detection of the phase difference detection method. The video image signal processing unit and the phase difference signal processing unit execute the respective signal processes in parallel in a single shooting operation.

An event driven pixel includes a photodiode configured to photogenerate charge in response to incident light received from an external scene. A photocurrent to voltage converter is coupled to the photodiode to convert photocurrent generated by the photodiode to a voltage. A filter amplifier is coupled to the photocurrent to voltage converter to generate a filtered and amplified signal in response to the voltage received from the photocurrent to voltage converter. A threshold comparison stage is coupled to the filter amplifier to compare the filtered and amplified signal received from the filter amplifier with thresholds to asynchronously detect events in the external scene in response to the incident light. A digital time stamp generator is coupled to asynchronously generate a digital time stamp in response to the events asynchronously detected in the external scene by the threshold comparison stage.

An image sensor having photosites forming an array (K×L) of K rows and L columns, including a first set of integrator circuits, with a first regulation by analog weighting in blocks of n×n′ photosites, said photosites belonging to n adjacent columns and to n′ adjacent rows, and a second set of integrator circuits, with a second regulation by analog weighting in blocks of m×m′ photosites, said photosites belonging to m adjacent columns and to m′ adjacent rows, n adjacent columns of a first set of columns of the array being connected to n×n′ integrator circuits of the first set, m adjacent columns of a second set of columns of the array being connected to m×m′ integrator circuits of the second set, n columns of the first set alternating with m columns of the second set to form the array of photosites.

A radiation imaging apparatus, comprising a sensor array in which a plurality of sensors are arranged, each includes a first holding unit for holding a first signal obtained with a first sensitivity and a second holding unit for holding a second signal obtained with a second sensitivity, a row selecting unit for selecting each sensor on a row basis, a signal readout unit for reading out a signal from each of the selected sensors, and a control unit configured to perform first control to control the sensor array so as to make the first holding units hold the first signals and make the second holding units hold the second signals, and perform second control to control the row selecting unit so as to make the signal readout unit read out the first and the second signals.

A method of correcting errors in the output of an image detector is disclosed. The method comprises measuring an output signal (V.sub.m) of a capacitor (C.sub.sh) holding a voltage corresponding to a signal detected by the image detector; comparing the value of output signal (V.sub.m) to the value of the previously measured output signal (V.sub.m−1) of the capacitor (C.sub.sh); calculating the error in the output signal (V.sub.m) using a predetermined correction factor and the difference between the value of the output signal (V.sub.m) and the value of the previously measured output signal (V.sub.m−1); and providing a corrected output value (V.sub.crt) in accordance with the calculated error. Detectors, methods of calibrating detectors, image correction apparatus and guidance systems comprising the detectors are also disclosed.

The invention relates to a method for adapting a brightness (28) of a high-contrast image (20, 22) of an environmental region (9) of a motor vehicle (1) including the following steps of: a) capturing a first image with a first camera parameter of a camera system (2) of the motor vehicle (1) and a second image with a second camera parameter of the camera system (2) by means of the camera system (2), b) generating a first high-contrast image (20) of the environmental region (9) with the first image and the second image, c) determining a high-contrast brightness value (23) of the first high-contrast image (20), d) comparing the high-contrast brightness value (23) to a predetermined high-contrast target brightness value, e) adapting the first high-contrast image (20) depending on the comparison according to step d), f) determining a first brightness value of the first image and/or a second brightness value of the second image, g) comparing the first brightness value to a first target brightness value (26) and/or the second brightness value to a second target brightness value (27), h) adapting the first camera parameter and/or the second camera parameter depending on the comparison according to step g), i) capturing a third image of the environmental region (9) with the adapted first camera parameter and a fourth image of the environmental region (9) with the adapted second camera parameter by means of the camera system (2), j) generating a second high-contrast image (22) of the environmental region (9) with the third image and the fourth image, k) providing the second high-contrast image (22) as a high-contrast image (20, 22) adapted in brightness for representing the environmental region (9) of the motor vehicle (1).