Optimizations are provided for a high dynamic range (HDR) sensor. This sensor is a spatially multiplexed image sensor that includes at least two sets of red, green, and blue (RGB) pixels. Each red pixel in the second set of RGB pixels is positioned proximately and sometimes, adjacently, to at least one red pixel in the first set of RGB pixels. Each green pixel in the second set of RGB pixels is positioned proximately to at least one green pixel in the first set of RGB pixels. Each blue pixel in the second set of RGB pixels is positioned proximately to at least one blue pixel in the first set of RGB pixel. This spatially multiplexed image sensor is able to generate a digital image with reduced motion blurring artifacts.

To generate multiple types of images of the same subject, an electronic apparatus includes a drive control unit that controls the drive of an image sensor, a division unit that divides an image capture region of the image sensor into at least first and second regions, and an image generation unit that generates a first image by capturing an image of the same subject in the first region and generates a second image by capturing an image of the same subject in the second region.

An apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to capture an image of a subject formed on a surface having an array of a plurality of pixels, an acceptance unit configured to accept a designation of a pixel or a region including a plurality of pixels on the surface, a determination unit configured to determine an exposure of the pixel or the accepted region to have a predetermined luminance, and to determine an exposure of other pixels or other regions according to a distance from the pixel or the accepted region on the surface, and an output unit configured to output an image signal captured by the imaging unit at the determined exposure.

Provided is an imaging unit including an imaging section that includes a pixel capable of performing charge accumulation a plurality of times in response to an imaging instruction for generating one frame of image data; a storage section that stores a pixel signal based on output from the pixel; an updating section that updates the pixel signal already stored in the storage section by performing an integration process to integrate the pixel signal output from the pixel as a result of a new charge accumulation and the pixel signal already stored in the storage section; and a control section that controls whether the updating section performs the update, for each of a plurality of pixel groups that each include one or more pixels.

An image sensor includes unit pixels of a first pixel group sharing a first floating diffusion region and associated with a single color filter, and unit pixels of a second pixel group sharing a second floating diffusion region and associated with the single color filter. Control logic may generate an image by obtaining capacitance having a first value from the first floating diffusion region at a first time, and obtaining capacitance having a second value different from the first value from the second floating diffusion region at a second time following the first time. The first pixel group and the second pixel s group have different sensitivity levels.

A pixel arrangement comprises a photodiode, a circuit node, a transfer transistor coupled to the photodiode and to the circuit node, an amplifier with an input coupled to the circuit node, a first and a second capacitor, a first transistor coupled to an output of the amplifier and to the first capacitor, a second transistor coupled to the first transistor and to the second capacitor, and a coupling transistor coupled to the circuit node and to the second capacitor.

An imaging apparatus includes a first output unit configured to output, outside the imaging apparatus, a first image that an image sensor, an imaging region of which is divided into a plurality of regions, has captured while an exposure condition is controlled for each of the plurality of regions, and a second output unit configured to output, outside the imaging apparatus, exposure information for each of the plurality of regions, the exposure information indicating the exposure condition to be applied to the corresponding one of the plurality of regions when the first image is captured. The second output unit is configured to complete outputting exposure information for a region to be subjected to exposure correction processing in the first image, out of the plurality of regions, before the first output unit completes outputting an image of the region to be subjected to exposure correction processing.

A light receiving element array includes one or more unit element blocks. Each of the unit element blocks includes different light receiving elements with different element structures.

Pixel values are read out of an OB pixel region under a predetermined exposure condition, and predetermined processing is performed on the pixel values to derive a dark current component value. The dark current component value of a segmented pixel region is estimated from the OB dark current component value by taking into account the difference between the exposure conditions of the OB pixel region and the segmented pixel region. Specifically, a conversion ratio for calculating the dark current component value from the OB dark current component value is derived based on the ratios between exposure time and gain in the exposure conditions of the two pixel regions. This conversion ratio is applied to the pixel values of the OB pixel region or the OB dark current component value calculated from them to thereby calculate an estimated dark current component value for the exposure condition of the segmented pixel region.

An image capturing apparatus includes an image capturing circuit configured to generate an image signal, a processor, and a memory storing instructions executed by the processor to perform operations including generating image data based on the image signal, determining, acquiring, calculating, and controlling. The determining determines a first exposure condition to be applied to a first region and a second exposure condition to be applied to a second region of the image capturing circuit. The acquiring acquires, based on the image data, a first evaluation value for the first region and a second evaluation value for the second region. The calculating calculates a third evaluation value for the image data based on the first and second evaluation value weighted based on the first and second exposure condition. The control performs focus control of an optical system based on the third evaluation value.