There are provided a photographing apparatus and a photographing method capable of generating an added image by adding up images, the apparatus and the method achieving image quality of the added image. A photographing apparatus includes: a photographing section that photographs a subject a plurality of times sequentially; an image processing section that adds up images so as to generate an added image; and an exposure condition calculation section that calculates the minimum number of shots of the photography, which is for calculating a plurality of predetermined exposure time periods, and unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography performed the minimum number of times, on the basis of set and input exposure conditions. The image processing section generates an added image of the plurality of exposure time periods by adding up images which are captured through the shots of the photography for the unit exposure time periods.

An image sensor is provided including a pixel array, a correlated double sampling (CDS) unit, an analog-digital converting (ADC) unit, a control unit, and an overflow power voltage control unit. The pixel array includes at least one unit pixel that generates accumulated charges corresponding to incident light in a photoelectric conversion period and outputs an analog signal based on the accumulated charges in a readout period. The CDS unit generates an image signal by performing a CDS operation on the analog signal. An ADC unit converts the image signal into a digital signal. A control unit controls the pixel array, the CDS unit, and the ADC unit. An overflow power voltage control unit controls an overflow power voltage to have a low voltage level in the photoelectric conversion period and controls the overflow power voltage to have a high voltage level in the readout period.

A modulator has a first grating pattern, and a second grating pattern having a phase shifted from the first grating pattern; a sensor processor receives a first image signal outputted by the first grating pattern, and a second image signal outputted by the second grating pattern; a difference processor calculates a difference between the first image signal and the second image signal; and a compression processor 3005 contains information that indicates a range of the difference to first compression image data. Those make it possible to reduce a data amount of images capable of focus adjustment etc. from later, and to lead to reduction in costs of a storage apparatus.

An imaging device includes an imaging section including an imaging sensor section of a rolling shutter system, a condition designator that sets an imaging condition using first auxiliary light which is non-visible light as an imaging condition for the imaging section and an imaging condition using visible light with the first auxiliary light as non-emitted light, and alternately designates the imaging condition and a light emission condition of the first auxiliary light at a cycle of at least two frames in a time division basis, a first light emitter that emits the first auxiliary light according to the light emission condition; and an image composer that composes a non-visible light image captured by the imaging section under the imaging condition using the first auxiliary light during a first period in which the first auxiliary light is emitted and a visible light image captured by the imaging section under the imaging condition using the visible light during a second period subsequent to the first period.

In a video imaging apparatus, a camera module includes the imaging unit and an imaging control unit that controls the imaging operation of the imaging unit according to imaging control values, and the imaging apparatus main body connected to the camera module via a connection cable capable of bidirectional communication includes an image signal processing unit that outputs frame images of a video in sequence from the imaging signals and generates the imaging control values for controlling imaging operation of the imaging unit from the imaging signals. The imaging unit can determine whether the imaging control values input from the image signal processing unit via the connection cable are abnormal imaging control values under influence of noise.

In an endoscope system, an imaging device is electrically connected to a signal line and is configured to output a video signal to the signal line. A receiver circuit is electrically connected to the signal line and is configured to receive the video signal. A noise detection circuit is configured to detect that noise having a higher frequency than a frequency of the video signal is mixed into the video signal. A filter circuit has a function of reducing the noise included in the video signal. An imaging control circuit is configured to set a signal-output time per one pixel of the imaging device to a second set time longer than a first set time and a filter control circuit is configured to turn on the function of the filter circuit when the noise is detected by the noise detection circuit.

A movable carrier auxiliary system includes a state detecting device, a braking device, an environmental detecting device and an emergency brake controlling device. The state detecting device detects a movement state of a movable carrier. The environmental detecting device includes at least one image capturing module and an operation module. The brake controlling method thereof includes receive the movement state detected by the state detecting device, and deriving an operating distance based on the movement state with the operation module; capture the environmental image with the image capturing module; determine whether there is an obstruction within the operating distance based on the environmental image; automatically actuate the braking device with the emergency brake controlling device when there is the obstruction within the operating distance in the environmental image, thereby to stop the movable carrier within the operating distance.

Methods and digital imaging devices disclosed herein are adapted to capture images of a specimen in a chemical reaction using a series of short exposures of light emissions from the specimen over a period of time. The series of short exposures is captured using an array of pixels of an image sensor in the digital imaging device that are configured for performing continuous non-destructive read operations to read out a set of non-destructive read images of the specimen from the pixel array. In one embodiment, images are captured by delaying the read out until at or near the end of the chemical reaction to reduce read noise in the images. The signals read out from the image sensor can be continuously monitored and the capturing of images can be discontinued either automatically or based on a command from a user. The captured images can then be displayed in a graphical display.

To eliminate image defects produced by high-energy particles passing through a time delay integration image sensor, upstream detection is effected on the digital values supplied by the pixels of the same rank that have successively observed the same scene point. This detection makes it possible to ignore or to correct values from corrupted pixels in establishing the digital signal representing the luminance of an observed scene point. Detection is based on the calculation of the difference between a first digital value p.sub.i,a(t.sub.1) and a second digital value p.sub.i,b(t.sub.2) supplied by two pixels Px.sub.i,a and Px.sub.i,b that have observed the same scene point, subtracting the second value from the first, and comparing it to a predetermined threshold k. If this difference is above the threshold, the first value is too high, the first value is ignored in the summation Σ′.sub.i effected to establish the luminance of the scene point, replacing this value with the second value to which it has been compared. Alternatively it is replaced by a mean value or excluded from the calculation.

A vehicular object detection system includes a camera and a lidar. With the camera mounted at a windshield of a vehicle, and with the lidar mounted at an exterior portion of the vehicle, and based at least in part on processing of image data captured by the camera and lidar data captured by the lidar, a plurality of individual objects present exterior of the vehicle are detected. Based at least in part on processing of captured image data and captured lidar data, (i) respective proximity relative to the vehicle of individual objects is determined, (ii) respective speed relative to the vehicle of individual objects is determined and (iii) respective location relative to the vehicle of individual objects is determined. Based at least in part on processing of captured image data and/or processing of captured lidar data, the system determines collision potential between the vehicle and an individual object.