Provided are an imaging apparatus, a flicker detection method, and a flicker detection program that can accurately detect a flicker even in a case in which an image of a bright object is captured. A digital camera directs a MOS imaging element 5 to perform a plurality of imaging operations at an arbitrary frame rate and compares captured image signals which are read from the imaging element 5 for frame periods F1 and F2 based on the frame rate to detect whether a flicker has occurred. The end time of a signal reading period in the frame period F1 is before the end time of the frame period F1 and the end time of a signal reading period in the frame period F2 coincides with the end time of the frame period F2.

An image pick-up apparatus and a progressive auto-focus method thereof are provided. The image pick-up apparatus includes an optical system, an image sensor, a focus circuit and a lens control circuit. In the method, an image is captured by using the image sensor and whether the optical system is in focus when the image sensor captures the image is determined by the focus circuit. If the optical system is out of focus, an in-focus location of the optical system and an in-focus distance for moving the optical system to the in-focus location are calculated by the focus circuit. The in-focus distance is transformed into a shorter progressive distance and the optical system is controlled by the lens control circuit to move by the progressive distance. Aforesaid steps are repeated until the optical system is in focus and the image captured by the image sensor is output.

The present disclosure provides an image sensor and an image collection system. The image sensor includes: a pixel collection circuitry array including a plurality of pixel collection circuitries, each pixel collection circuitry being configured to monitor a change in a light intensity in a field of view and enter a triggered state when the change in the light intensity meets a predetermined condition; a boundary triggered pixel determination array configured to determine a boundary triggered pixel collection circuitry in the pixel collection circuitries in the triggered state; and a reading unit configured to respond to the boundary triggered pixel collection circuitry and output address information about the boundary triggered pixel collection circuitry.

A detector (110) for determining a position of at least one object (118) is disclosed. The detector (110) comprises: at least one optical sensor (112), the optical sensor (112) being adapted to detect a light beam (150) traveling from the object (118) towards the detector (110), the optical sensor (112) having at least one matrix (152) of pixels (154); and at least one evaluation device (126), the evaluation device (126) being adapted to determine a number N of pixels (154) of the optical sensor (112) which are illuminated by the light beam (150), the evaluation device (126) further being adapted to determine at least one longitudinal coordinate of the object (118) by using the number N of pixels (154) which are illuminated by the light beam (150).

A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel unit in which pixels are arranged in a matrix pattern; and a pixel signal read-out unit including an AD conversion unit performing analog-to-digital (AD) conversion of a pixel signal read out from the pixel unit, wherein each pixel included in the pixel unit includes division pixels divided into regions in which photosensitivity levels or electric charge accumulating amounts are different from one another, the pixel signal reading unit includes a normal read-out mode and a multiple read-out mode, and includes a function of changing a configuration of a frame in accordance with a change of the read-out mode, and wherein the AD conversion unit acquires a pixel signal of one pixel by adding the division pixel signals while performing AD conversion for the division pixel signals.

An imaging system includes a first illuminator that irradiates a subject with light whose intensity varies over time; and a first imaging device that includes a first imaging cell having a variable sensitivity, and a first sensitivity control line electrically connected to the first imaging cell. The first imaging cell includes a photoelectron conversion area that receives light from the subject to generate a signal charge, and a signal detection circuit that detects the signal charge. During an exposure period, the first sensitivity control line supplies to the first imaging cell a first sensitivity control signal having a waveform expressed by a first function that takes only positive values by adding a first constant to one basis from among bases of a system of functions constituting an orthogonal system

An imaging apparatus including a frame buffer executes high-speed shooting consecutively in plural sessions. An imaging element includes a buffer, an image producing unit, a managing unit, and an output unit. The image producing unit produces an image in the case where an empty capacity of any of plural areas in the buffer exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The managing unit causes an area whose empty capacity exceeds the predetermined threshold value, of the plural areas to retain the image as a buffering image. The output unit extracts the buffering image from the buffer and outputting the buffering image, in order of the retention of the buffering image.

[Object] To make it possible to improve reading efficiency of pixel signals in a signal processing device in which rows of pixels having different pixel arrays are arranged at intervals of one line.

[Solution] Provided is a signal processing device, including: a pixel array unit configured to include first pixels, second pixels, third pixels, and fourth pixels which have different spectral sensitivity characteristics and are arranged in a matrix form; and a pixel signal reading unit configured to read pixel signals obtained from the plurality of pixels arranged in the pixel array unit. The first pixels are adjacent to the second pixels in a row direction and a column direction, the second pixels are arranged at a two-pixel pitch in the row direction and the column direction, the third pixels are adjacent to the second pixels in one diagonal direction, the fourth pixels are adjacent to the second pixels in the other diagonal direction, and the pixel signal reading unit adds and reads the pixel signals obtained from the plurality of first pixels.

An image sensor includes a photosensitive sensor, a floating diffusion node, a reset transistor, and a source follower transistor. The reset transistor comprises a first source/drain coupled to the floating diffusion node and a second source/drain coupled to a first voltage source. The source follower transistor comprises a gate coupled to the floating diffusion node and a first source/drain coupled to the second source/drain of the reset transistor. A first elongated contact contacts the second source/drain of the reset transistor and the first source/drain of the source follower transistor. The first elongated contact has a first dimension in a horizontal cross-section and a second dimension in the horizontal cross-section. The second dimension is perpendicular to the first dimension, and the second dimension is less than the first dimension.

An image capturing apparatus comprises an image sensor including a plurality of photoelectric conversion portions for each of a plurality of microlenses, performs readout control using one of a first readout method of reading out a plurality of image signals from the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions corresponding to each of the microlenses, and a second readout method of reading out an added image signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions corresponding to each of the microlenses, determines whether an image signal is read out using the first readout method or the second readout method, adds the plurality of image signals read out using the first readout method, and adjusts the added image signal obtained through the addition by an increased amount of the black level that has increased due to the addition as an adjustment value.