An imaging device with low power consumption is provided. It includes a pixel capable of outputting difference data between two different frames, a circuit determining the significance of the difference data, a circuit controlling power supply, an A/D converter, and the like; obtains image data and then obtains difference data; and shuts off power supply to the A/D converter and the like in the case where it is determined that there is no difference, and continues or restarts the power supply to the A/D converter and the like when it is determined that there is a difference. Determining the significance of the difference data can be performed row by row in a pixel array or at nearly the same time in all the pixels included in the pixel array.

A light sensing circuit and an image sensor are provided. The image sensor includes a first pixel unit including a plurality of first photodiodes and a first driving circuit to generate a first pixel signal based on an amount of charges stored in the plurality of first photodiodes, a second pixel unit including a plurality of second photodiodes and a second driving circuit to generate a second pixel signal based on an amount of charges stored in the plurality of second photodiodes, and a switching circuit connected to the first driving circuit through a first diffusion node and connected to the second driving circuit through a second diffusion node. The switching circuit connects or disconnects the first diffusion node and the second diffusion node based on a mode selection signal.

An image sensing device that can adjust parameters of an image before sending it to a processor for reducing computing power and/or storage requirement is disclosed. The image sensing device includes an array of sensing pixels; an output amplifier; an analog-to-digital converter; a first set of registers and a second set of registers; an activation circuit; and a profiling logic. The profiling logic conducts statistical analysis on output data and adjusts parameters stored in the first set of registers until results of the statistical analysis reaches a target standard, wherein the adjusted parameters are used to generate an output image by each sensing pixel of the array of sensing pixels once the target standard is reached and a notification signal is sent to an external device for notifying the failure of parameter adjustment if the target standard fails to be reached within a predetermined times of adjustment.

A system for transmitting optical communications includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor. The transmitter includes a light source driven by a driver circuit under control of a micro-controller to transmit an optical signal. The optical signal can be encoded by a frequency-modulated encoding scheme. The receiver includes an optical lens, an imaging sensor configured to receive the optical signal and a memory. The processor is configured to extract one or more frequencies from the optical signal for only those pixels that are changing and thus decreases an overall data rate for the system and allows for larger pixel arrays, thereby decreasing the accuracy requirements of any pointing hardware and to reconstruct a waveform for each of the extracted frequencies.

A driving method of a semiconductor device that takes three-dimensional images with short duration is provided. In a first step, a light source starts to emit light, and first potential corresponding to the total amount of light received by a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element is written to a first charge accumulation region. In a second step, the light source stops emitting light and second potential corresponding to the total amount of light received by the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element is written to a second charge accumulation region. In a third step, first data corresponding to the potential written to the first charge accumulation region is read. In a fourth step, second data corresponding to the potential written to the second charge accumulation region is read.

An imaging apparatus acquires pixel signals for each region of a plurality of regions obtained by dividing an imaging plane having a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional pattern and detects a region among the plurality of regions in which a subject image has changed. The imaging apparatus determines an image capturing mode and controls to perform image capturing in the determined image capturing mode in response to the region in which the subject image has changed being detected and to output a captured image. The imaging apparatus determines the image capturing mode by selecting a first image capturing mode or a second image capturing mode based on the region in which the subject image has changed.

A driving method of a semiconductor device that takes three-dimensional images with short duration is provided. In a first step, a light source starts to emit light, and first potential corresponding to the total amount of light received by a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element is written to a first charge accumulation region. In a second step, the light source stops emitting light and second potential corresponding to the total amount of light received by the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element is written to a second charge accumulation region. In a third step, first data corresponding to the potential written to the first charge accumulation region is read. In a fourth step, second data corresponding to the potential written to the second charge accumulation region is read.

The present disclosure relates to an image sensor, an image processing method, and an electronic device capable of executing image processing with fewer resources. The image sensor is provided with a pixel region in which pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit which converts light to a charge and an in-pixel memory unit which holds the charge generated in the photoelectric conversion unit are arranged in a matrix manner, a driving unit which drives to read out a pixel signal from the pixel, and an image processing unit which performs image processing based on a plurality of images read out by a plurality of times of readout from the pixel region according to driving of the driving unit. The present technology may be applied to, for example, an image sensor including a logic circuit.

Power consumption of an imaging element which outputs only a region of interest (ROI) at high resolution is reduced. In a two-dimensional pixel array in which pixel rows arranged in a predetermined direction are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction, the imaging element performs imaging at high resolution for a first pixel row including a predetermined region and performs imaging at low resolution for a second pixel row other than this. The first image processing unit generates an image of a predetermined region on the basis of an imaging signal of the first pixel row. A pixel adding unit performs an adding process between pixels on the imaging signal of the first pixel row to make resolution the same as resolution of the imaging signal of the second pixel row. The second image processing unit generates an image of an entire region on the basis of the imaging signal of the second pixel row and the imaging signal of the first pixel row subjected to the adding process.

An imaging element includes a reading circuit, a memory that is capable of storing read captured image data, and an output circuit that outputs output image data based on the captured image data to an outside, in which the reading circuit reads out the captured image data using a first reading method or a second reading method having a smaller read data amount than the first reading method, in a case of the first reading method, a first frame rate corresponds to a second frame rate, in a case of the second reading method, the first frame rate is a frame rate lower than in the case of the first reading method, and the first and second reading methods are switched in accordance with a motion of a subject.