Denso Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Mitsuhiko Ohta

Hiroyuki Matsubara

Noriyuki Ozaki

Isamu Takai

Shinji Kashiwada

Teiyu Kimura

Kenta Azuma

Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka

Mineki Soga

Keiichi Yamada

A photodetector includes plural detectors. Each of the plural detectors has a single photon avalanche diode (hereinafter referred to as SPAD) which responds to incidence of a photon. The plural detectors include at least a first detector and a second detector. The SPAD has a recovery time period until the SPAD reaches a next photon-responsive state, in response to the SPAD responding to the incidence of the photon. The recovery time period of the SPAD in the first detector is different from the recovery time period of the SPAD in the second detector.

Photodetector and distance measurement apparatus comprising plural single photon avalanche diodes with different recovery time periods

A photodetector includes: a photoreceptor provided with a SPAD that is configured to respond to incidence of a photon, and as the response of the SPAD, configured to output a pulse signal; and a pulse rate control circuit configured to control sensitivity of the photoreceptor to have a pulse rate as the number of pulse signals outputted per unit time from the photoreceptor to be a set value set in advance, (i) in a set range including the set value, (ii) in a set range of the set value or more, or (iii) in a set range of the set value or less.

Photodetector

In an image conversion method and apparatus, luminance Yof each pixel of a converted image is obtained by use of an expression Y=CY+CYand from luminance Yof a corresponding pixel of a source image, luminance Yof a corresponding pixel of a low frequency image, and Cand Cwhich are functions of the luminance Y. Since C+Cis constant when Y&#x2266;T, contrast of a low frequency component can be prevented from decreasing. In a portion in which the luminance Yof the low frequency image is low, the low frequency image is enhanced. In a portion in which the luminance Yof the low frequency image is high, the low frequency image is suppressed. In a method and apparatus for detecting noise level of an original signal in real time, a plurality of local regions are set on an input image in such a manner that the local regions are distributed uniformly over the entire area of an image. In each local region, determination as to whether or not luminance is saturated is performed. Variation in luminance is detected in each of a plurality of unsaturated local regions. Noise level is determined on the basis of the detected variation.

Image processing method and apparatus

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Aichi, Japan

Mitsuhiko Ohta