H04N25/707

CONE-ROD DUAL-MODALITY NEUROMORPHIC VISION SENSOR
20230050794 · 2023-02-16 ·

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cone-rod dual-modality neuromorphic vision sensor, including: a first preset quantity of voltage-mode active pixel sensor (APS) circuits and a second preset quantity of current-mode APS circuits, where each of the voltage-mode APS circuits includes a first-type photosensitive device, and each of the current-mode APS circuits includes a second-type photosensitive device. The voltage-mode APS can output a target voltage signal representing light intensity information in a target light signal. The obtained target voltage signal represents the light intensity information with a higher precision, and therefore an image with higher quality can be obtained, that is, the image has a higher signal-noise ratio. The voltage-mode APS can output a specified digital signal representing light intensity gradient information in the target light signal, to ensure performance indicators such as an image dynamic range and a shooting speed of the neuromorphic vision sensor, thereby making the neuromorphic vision sensor more stable and robust.

IMAGING DEVICE AND IMAGING METHOD

An imaging device capable of reducing a useless region on a substrate is provided. An imaging device including a plurality of substrates to be stacked includes a readout-only circuit disposed on a substrate different from a substrate having a pixel array unit including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements disposed thereon, and performing an operation of reading out electrical signals obtained through photoelectric conversion in the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, and a circuit disposed on a substrate different from the substrate having the readout-only circuit disposed thereon and performing an operation other than an operation of the readout-only circuit on the basis of the electrical signals.

IMAGE SENSOR
20230039144 · 2023-02-09 ·

The present disclosure provides an image sensor, which includes: a pixel collection circuit array including a plurality of pixel collection circuits, each pixel collection circuit 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 global control unit configured to reset the pixel collection circuit array when the image sensor is powered on, and control the pixel collection circuit array in a stable initial state to operate; a photo current detection unit configured to determine whether there is the change in the light intensity, and control an operating state of at least one pixel collection circuit in accordance with the detected change in the light intensity; and a reading unit configured to respond to the pixel collection circuit in the triggered state and output corresponding address information.

SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE AND DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICE
20230039270 · 2023-02-09 ·

Distance measurement accuracy is improved while an increase in power consumption is suppressed. A solid-state imaging device includes a first pixel (210) that detects an address event based on incident light, and a second pixel (310) that generates information on a distance to an object based on the incident light. The second pixel generates the information on the distance to the object when the first pixel detects the address event.

IMAGE SENSOR CONTROL CIRCUITRY AND IMAGE SENSOR CONTROL METHOD
20230026592 · 2023-01-26 · ·

The present disclosure generally pertains to image sensor control circuitry for event-based controlling of an image sensor, the image sensor control circuitry being configured to: obtain events from a plurality of event-based vision elements of an event-based vision sensor; determine event groups based on an event-detection property; and generate an imaging control signal for controlling the imaging elements of the image sensor based on the event groups, for imaging with imaging element groups corresponding to the event groups.

IMAGING DEVICE

The present disclosure provides an imaging device capable of outputting a signal other than an event detection signal, such as a pixel signal at a gradation level. The imaging device has a stacked chip structure formed by stacking at least two semiconductor chips including a first-layer semiconductor chip and a second-layer semiconductor chip. The first-layer semiconductor chip has a pixel array unit in which an event pixel that outputs an event detection signal, and a distance measurement pixel are mixed. The second-layer semiconductor chip is provided with an analog front-end unit for an event pixel that processes the event detection signal and with an analog front-end unit for a distance measurement pixel that processes the signal from the light-receiving element, corresponding to each of the event pixel and the distance measurement pixel.

IMAGING DEVICE

The present disclosure provides an imaging device capable of outputting a signal other than an event detection signal, such as a pixel signal at a gradation level. The imaging device has a stacked chip structure formed by stacking at least two semiconductor chips including a first-layer semiconductor chip and a second-layer semiconductor chip. The first-layer semiconductor chip has a pixel array unit in which an event pixel that outputs an event detection signal, and a distance measurement pixel are mixed. The second-layer semiconductor chip is provided with an analog front-end unit for an event pixel that processes the event detection signal and with an analog front-end unit for a distance measurement pixel that processes the signal from the light-receiving element, corresponding to each of the event pixel and the distance measurement pixel.

SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP ELEMENT AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS
20230217130 · 2023-07-06 ·

There is provided a solid-state image pickup element including: a photodiode configured to convert incident light into a photocurrent; an amplification transistor configured to amplify a voltage between a gate having a potential depending on the photocurrent and a source having a predetermined reference potential and output the amplified voltage from a drain; and a potential supply section configured to supply an anode of the photodiode and a back-gate of the amplification transistor with a predetermined potential lower than the reference potential.

OBJECT RECOGNITION SYSTEM, SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD OF OBJECT RECOGNITION SYSTEM, AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS
20220375256 · 2022-11-24 ·

An object recognition system of the present disclosure includes: a light source section that irradiates a subject with dot light having a predetermined pattern; an event detection sensor that receives the dot light having the predetermined pattern reflected by the subject and detects, as an event, that a change in luminance of a pixel exceeds a predetermined threshold; and a signal processor that performs, in a case where a plurality of successive pixels in a pixel array section of the event detection sensor detects occurrence of an event in a certain period, processing of removing the event as noise, the plurality of successive pixels being equal to or greater than a predetermined number of pixels.

SOLID-STATE IMAGING ELEMENT, IMAGING DEVICE, AND CONTROL METHOD OF SOLID-STATE IMAGING ELEMENT
20230085900 · 2023-03-23 ·

An object is to reduce a circuit scale in a solid-state imaging element that detects an address event.

The solid-state imaging element is provided with a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, a signal supply unit, and a detection unit. In this solid-state imaging element, each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements photoelectrically converts incident light to generate a first electric signal. Furthermore, in the solid-state imaging element, the detection unit detects whether or not a change amount of the first electric signal of each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements exceeds a predetermined threshold and outputs a detection signal indicating a result of the detection result.