An imaging device includes a focal plane array of demodulation pixel cells. Each of the demodulation pixel cells includes a pinned photodiode, demodulation gates operable to demodulate optical signals sensed by the pinned photodiode and to transfer accumulated photo-charges to a respective one of a multitude of sense nodes, a readout circuit operable selectively to read out signals from the sense nodes, and a background light suppression circuit including cross-coupled current mirrors.

Various embodiments of the present technology may comprise a method and apparatus for optical image stabilization. The apparatus may comprise a lens coupled to an actuator. The actuator may receive signals from an OIS circuit corresponding to a magnitude and direction, and the actuator may act on these signals by positioning the lens accordingly. The OIS circuit may comprise a gain control circuit configured to limit the magnitude of the signal sent to the actuator.

An image processor is provided for correcting brightness of saturated pixels of a captured image. The image processor can include a pixel saturation determiner that whether one or more pixels in an image sensor have been saturated by comparing pixel brightness levels of the pixels to a predetermined saturation threshold. Moreover, the image processor includes an image enhancer that generates a corrected image without artifacts due to the saturated pixel(s) by replacing the pixel brightness of the saturated pixel(s) with a pixel correction value that is based on a pixel brightness of one or more unsaturated pixel in the image sensor.

An imaging device further includes a correction gain calculating unit configured to calculate a first correction gain of a first partial image captured by the first imaging element and calculate a second correction gain of a second partial image captured by the second imaging element based on the first exposure amount and the second exposure amount; a photographing processing unit configured to make an imaging element having a smaller one of the first exposure amount and the second exposure amount image with an exposure amount of the imaging element and makes an imaging element having a larger one of the first exposure amount and the second exposure amount image with the third exposure amount; and an image correction unit configured to correct the first partial image with the first correction gain and correct the second partial image with the second correction gain calculated by the correction gain calculating unit.

An endoscope system includes a light source apparatus for emitting narrow band light of green and violet in field sequential lighting, for endoscopic imaging. An image sensor has multiple pixels arranged on an imaging surface, for imaging an object in a body cavity illuminated with the narrow band light, to output a pixel signal. The multiple pixels include first and second pixels. The first pixel has a lower spectral sensitivity than the second pixel. A gain corrector is supplied with the pixel signal by the image sensor, for performing gain correction of multiplying the pixel signal of the first pixel by a gain value, so as to compensate for a difference in the spectral sensitivity of the first pixel from the second pixel. Also, a noise reduction device performs noise reduction of the pixel signal after the gain correction according to the gain value.

According to the invention, an image sensor is disclosed. The image sensor may include a plurality of pixels. Each pixel of a first portion of the plurality of pixels may include a near-infrared filter configured to block red, green, and blue light; and pass near-infrared light. Each pixel of a second portion of the plurality of pixels may be configured to receive at least one of red, green, or blue light; and receive near-infrared light.

Systems and methods for performing photometric normalization in an array camera in accordance with embodiments of this invention are disclosed. The image data of scene from a reference imaging component and alternate imaging components is received. The image data from each of the alternate imaging components is then translated to so that pixel information in the image data of each alternate imaging component corresponds to pixel information in the image data of the reference component. The shifted image data of each alternate imaging component is compared to the image data of the reference imaging component to determine gain and offset parameters for each alternate imaging component. The gain and offset parameters of each alternate imaging component is then applied to the image data of the associate imaging to generate corrected image data for each of the alternate imaging components.

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.

An image processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a setting unit that sets an operator including a target pixel in a process target image, a totaling unit that acquires a gradation value of each pixel within the operator, and generates a histogram indicating the number of pixels corresponding to each gradation value from 0 to a natural number N, and a conversion unit that calculates a new gradation value by adding together the number of pixels corresponding to each of the respective gradation values ranging from gradation value 0 to the gradation value of the target pixel, or by subtracting, from gradation value N, the combined number of pixels corresponding to the respective gradation values ranging from the gradation value of the target pixel to gradation value N, and converts the gradation value of the target pixel into the new gradation value.

An image obtaining apparatus, for obtaining an image from an image sensor provided in a vehicle, is provided. The image obtaining apparatus includes: a processor, and a memory including at least one instruction executable by the processor. In response to the at least one instruction being executed by the processor, the processor is configured to: obtain an initial image from the image sensor, the initial image including an object; determine a type of the object included in the initial image; adjust a shutter speed of the image sensor based on the determined type of the object included in the initial image; and obtain a first image from the image sensor based on the adjusted shutter speed.