Provided is an a imaging device that acquires a distance image excluding influence of background light in one frame scanning period and acquires a visible image in a separate frame from a single imaging sensor, and includes an infrared light source that emits infrared light, and a solid state imaging device including a plurality of first pixels and a plurality of second pixels, which respectively include vertical overflow drains, and are arranged in a matrix on a semiconductor substrate, the plurality of first pixels converting the infrared light into signal charges, and the plurality of second pixels converting visible light into signal charges. The solid state imaging device outputs a first signal obtained from the plurality of first pixels in an irradiation period of infrared light, and a second signal obtained from the plurality of first pixels in a non-irradiation period of infrared light, in a first frame scanning period, and outputs a third signal obtained from the plurality of first pixels and a fourth signal obtained from the plurality of second pixels, in a second frame scanning period.

An image capturing apparatus comprises an image sensor that outputs a first added signal and a first average partial signal amplified by a first gain, and a second added signal and a second averaged partial signal amplified by a second gain, a processing unit that generates a third added signal by synthesizing the first and second added signals with a first ratio and a third averaged partial signal by synthesizing the first and second averaged partial signals with a second or third ratio, a determination unit that determines the first ratio based on the first or second added signal and determines the second ratio based on the first ratios, and changes the second ratio of a pixel group that includes a pixel corresponding to the saturated first or second added signal to the third ratio, which is not based on the first ratio.

Various image acquisition control methods and apparatuses, and various image acquisition devices are disclosed. One of the image acquisition control methods comprises: acquiring target pixel density distribution information of an image to be acquired; adjusting pixel density distribution of an image sensor according to the target pixel density distribution information; and acquiring the image to be acquired according to the adjusted image sensor. Technical solutions provided can fully utilize integral pixels of an image sensor to achieve differentiated resolution of different displayed regions of an acquired image, improve efficiency of image acquisition, and/or better satisfy diversified application demands of a user.

The invention relates to a method of 3D reconstruction of a scene by means of 2D panoramic images of the scene, which comprises a step of processing these images. These images arise from a panoramic system moving in displacement along a determined trajectory, such that the image of at least one point of the scene is in at least 3 successive images obtained according to various directions; the step of processing these 2D successive images comprises the sub-steps: a) determining reconstruction planes in the scene to be reconstructed, b) determining, on the basis of pairs of panoramic images and for each pair, rectification planes corresponding to the reconstruction planes and projecting onto each of them a sector of each image of the pair, in a direct manner, so as to obtain two 2D rectified images, c) matching the two 2D rectified images so as to obtain an intermediate 3D reconstruction, d) transforming each intermediate 3D reconstruction into a 3D frame including the reconstruction planes so as to obtain a transformed intermediate 3D reconstruction, e) repeating steps b) to d) on the basis of a new pair of 2D panoramic images and of at least one other rectification plane, so as to obtain at least one other transformed intermediate 3D reconstruction, f) temporally fusing at least two transformed intermediate 3D reconstructions so as to obtain a 3D reconstruction of the scene.

An image sensor, comprising a pixel region in which a plurality of pixel units are arranged, each pixel unit having first and second photoelectric conversion portions, a first output portion that outputs, outside of the image sensor, a first signal based on a signal from the first photoelectric conversion portion of the pixel units, and a second output portion that outputs a second signal based on a signal from the first photoelectric conversion portion and a signal from the second photoelectric conversion portion of the pixel units, wherein output of the first signal from the first output portion and output of the second signal from the second output portion are performed in parallel.

Methods and systems described herein address the issue of how to efficiently capture an image circle within an image sensor associated with a wide field of view camera. In one embodiment, a processor obtains several criteria, such as a plurality of sizes of a plurality of image circles, a minimal portion of the image circle to be recorded by the image sensors, and a minimal portion of the image sensors engaged in recording the image. Based on these criteria, the processor determines a number of image sensors, a number of image sensor sizes, and a number of image sensor shapes. In another embodiment, the processor receives additional criteria, such as the desired aspect ratio and the desired shape associated with the image sensor. Based on these criteria, the processor determines a number of image sensors and a number of image sensor sizes.

A method for implementing H-Banding cancellation in an image sensor starts with a pixel array capturing image data. Pixel array includes a plurality of pixels to generate pixel data signals, respectively. ADC circuitry acquires the pixel data signals. ADC circuitry includes a comparator circuitry. In one embodiment, comparator circuitry 310 includes a plurality of comparators. Comparators included in comparator circuitry compare the pixel data signals, respectively, to a ramp signal received from a ramp generator to generate comparator output signals. Adjacent comparators output signals may be opposite in polarity. Other embodiments are described.

The invention concerns a detector arrangement for detection of radiation, in particular particle radiation or electromagnetic radiation, with a semi-conductor detector with several pixels for detection of the radiation. It is proposed that the individual pixels each have a first subpixel (1) and a second subpixel (2). The semi-conductor detector can be switched between a first collection state, in which the first subpixel (1) is sensitive and the second subpixel (2) is insensitive so that radiation-generated signal charge carriers are substantially collected only in the first subpixel (1), and a second collection state in which the second subpixel (2) is sensitive and the first subpixel (1) is insensitive so that the radiation-generated signal charge carriers are collected substantially only in the second subpixel (2). The invention furthermore concerns a corresponding operating method and detector arrangements based on the same concept with a higher number of subpixels per pixel.

An image pickup apparatus includes: an image sensor; a first detection unit configured to detect movement of the image sensor; a second detection unit configured to compare images to detect a positional deviation thereof; a combining unit configured to combine the images on a basis of the detected positional deviation and to generate a panoramic image; and a display control unit, in which in a case where combining of images up to an Nth frame is completed by the combining unit, on a basis of information about a size of the panoramic image generated by combining the images up to the Nth frame and the movement of the image sensor, which is detected by the first detection unit and corresponds to frames from an (N+1)th frame to an (N+M)th frame, the display control unit generates information indicating progress of combining of the panoramic image.

An imaging apparatus includes a pixel that generates charge; an integral amplifier that integrates charge transferred from the pixel; a low pass filter to which output of the integral amplifier is supplied and whose time constant is variable; first and second sample-and-hold circuits that sample and hold output of the low pass filter before and after the charge is transferred from the pixel to the integral amplifier, respectively; a differential circuit that outputs a difference between signals held by the first and second sample-and-hold circuits; and a control circuit that changes the time constant. The control circuit decreases the time constant after the sampling by the first sample-and-hold circuit ends, and increases the time constant in the middle of the sampling by the second sample-and-hold circuit.