In order to improve imaging performance, an imaging apparatus is provided to include an image capturing unit configured to detect incident light and generate a raw image data, a compression unit configured to compress the raw image data to generate a coded data having a data amount smaller than that of the raw image data, and an output unit configured to output the coded data to a processing unit for processing the coded data. Furthermore, the image capturing unit, the compression unit, and the output unit are configured to be within a same semiconductor package.

A large area, gapless, detection system comprises at least one sensor; an interposer operably connected to the at least one sensor; and at least one application specific integrated circuit operably connected to the sensor via the interposer wherein the detection system provides high dynamic range while maintaining small pixel area and low power dissipation. Thereby the invention provides methods and systems for a wafer-scale gapless and seamless detector systems with small pixels, which have both high dynamic range and low power dissipation.

An image sensor may include a substrate including first and second surfaces opposite each other, a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices isolated from direct contact with each other within the substrate, a first trench configured to extend into an interior of the substrate from the first surface of the substrate and between adjacent photoelectric conversion devices of the plurality of photoelectric conversion devices, a first supporter within the first trench, and a first isolation layer at least partially covering both sidewalls of the first supporter within the first trench, wherein a lower surface of the first supporter is coplanar with the first surface of the substrate.

There is provided an imaging apparatus including a first polarizing unit that polarizes light from an object, a lens system that condenses light from the first polarizing unit, and an imaging element array that has imaging elements arranged in a matrix of a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, has a second polarizing unit arranged on a light incident side, and converts the light condensed by the lens system into an electric signal.

A substance detection device includes an illuminator that illuminates a monitoring range with light at a first wavelength and light at a second wavelength at different timings, an image capturer that obtains a first actual image by capturing an image of the monitoring range which is illuminated by the light at the first wavelength and obtains a second actual image by capturing an image of the monitoring range which is illuminated by the light at the second wavelength, and an image processor that acquires a difference in lightness of corresponding pixels between the first actual image and the second actual image that are obtained by the image capturer, compares the acquired difference in lightness of the corresponding pixels with a reference value, and detects a specific substance that is present in the monitoring range based on a result of the comparison.

A solid-state image apparatus includes a pixel unit including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, a plurality of amplifiers each provided to each of columns of the pixel unit, and each configured to amplify a signal output from a pixel in the corresponding one of the columns, a plurality of comparison units each provided to each of the plurality of amplifiers, and each configured to compare a level of an output signal from a corresponding one of the plurality of amplifiers with a predetermined threshold value and a control unit configured to control a gain of each of the plurality of amplifiers based on a result of comparing of a corresponding one of the plurality of comparison units.

Embodiments of the subject application disclose various imaging control methods and apparatuses for a digital zoom image and various imaging devices. One of imaging control methods for a digital zoom image comprises: acquiring a digital zoom parameter; determining an actual imaging area of an image sensor according to the acquired digital zoom parameter; adjusting a pixel density distribution of the image sensor, to cause an average pixel density of the actual imaging area after adjustment to become greater than those of other areas of the image sensor; and acquiring, by using the actual imaging area with the adjusted average pixel density, an image of a scene to be photographed. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the subject application cause that as many as possible pixels of the image sensor gather at an actual imaging area corresponding to a digital zoom parameter to participate in image collection, thereby improving efficiency of image collection and the definition of a collected image.

A solid state image sensor includes a pixel array, as well as charge-to-voltage converters, reset gates, and amplifiers each shared by a plurality of pixels in the array. The voltage level of the reset gate power supply is set higher than the voltage level of the amplifier power supply. Additionally, charge overflowing from photodetectors in the pixels may be discarded into the charge-to-voltage converters. The image sensor may also include a row scanner configured such that, while scanning a row in the pixel array to read out signals therefrom, the row scanner resets the charge in the photodetectors of the pixels sharing a charge-to-voltage converter with pixels on the readout row. The charge reset is conducted simultaneously with or prior to reading out the signals from the pixels on the readout row.

The invention relates to a pixel of a CMOS imager, the pixel comprising: an infrared photodiode suitable for generating an electric current when it is exposed to an optical radiation having a wavelength greater than 950 nanometers, a conversion circuit able to receive electrons and deliver a voltage with a value varying as a function of the number of received electrons, a first switch connected between the infrared photodiode and the conversion circuit.

Methods and apparatus for performing multi-step image processing using a reconfigurable fabric device (RFD) in place of multiple discrete ICs. In one embodiment, the methods and apparatus operate according to a flexible time-divided schedule, and the processing is configured to process image sensor data by at least: (i) receiving RAW image data, programming an RFD to operate as a first functional unit such as an image signal processor (ISP), using the programmed RFD to perform image signal processing on the RAW image data, storing the ISP-result in temporary memory; and (ii) programming the RFD to operate as a second functional unit (e.g., deep learning accelerator (DLA)), using the programmed RFD to read out ISP-result from the temporary memory, perform deep learning processing on the ISP-result, and storing the DLA-result back into the temporary memory. In one variant, an on-die controller and memory are used in support of the RFD operations, thereby enabling a single-die processing solution.