Nikon Corporation

Naoki Ohkouchi

Satoshi Suzuki

Yojiro Tezuka

Toru Takagi

Hiroshi Ohki

Masahiro Juen

Wataru Funamizu

Shigeru Aoki

Tomohisa Ishida

Sota Nakanishi

Tadao Isogai

An image sensor that captures an image of light from a predetermined depth of a subject, includes: a photoelectric converter that photoelectrically converts light including interference light of light from the subject and reference light; a discrimination unit that locks in and detects a signal component having an interference frequency in an interference light component corresponding to the predetermined depth from a signal output from the photoelectric converter; and a floating diffusion unit that temporarily accumulates an electric charge resulting from the photoelectric conversion by the photoelectric converter; wherein: the discrimination unit includes: a transfer unit that transfers the signal to the floating diffusion unit; and a sampling unit that samples the electric charge accumulated in the floating diffusion unit at a sampling frequency determined based on the interference frequency.

Image sensor, measuring device, and measuring method

Provided is an image processing apparatus including as image acquiring section that acquires a plurality of images obtained by imaging, at different times, a subject irradiated with lights intensity-modulated with a plurality of modulation frequencies or modulation frequency bands; and a demodulating section that demodulates pixel values of the plurality of images with a plurality of demodulation frequencies or demodulation frequency bands based on the plurality of modulation frequencies or modulation frequency bands, for each pixel, thereby generating a plurality of pieces of pixel information indicating subject light amounts from the subject caused by each of the lights intensity-modulated with the plurality of modulation frequencies or modulation frequency bands, for each pixel.

Image processing apparatus, imaging apparatus, and machine-readable medium storing a program

Providing a solid-state imaging device having a degree of freedom capable of changing which of the pixels functions as a pixel having a photoelectric converter portion bisected in which direction. When a gate electrodeis high and a gate electrodeis high, photodiodesthroughare electrically connected each other. When the gate electrodeis high and the gate electrodeis low, photodiodesand, and photodiodesandare electrically connected each other. On the other hand, photodiodesand, and photodiodesandare electrically separated. When the gate electrodeis low and the gate electrodeis high, photodiodesand, and photodiodesandare electrically separated. On the other hand, photodiodesand, and photodiodesandare electrically connected with each other.

Solid-state imaging device and imaging apparatus using the same

The present invention provides a solid-state image sensor wherein the color shading is decreased, and/or a solid-state image sensor wherein the shading effect is outstanding. Moreover, the invention provides a digital camera having the solid-state image sensor. The solid-state image sensor of the present invention has color filters and/or apertures of a light blocking layer, and the center of the color filters and/or the center of the apertures of the light blocking layer is offset with respect to the center of a light-receiving part, in the direction to the center of a valid cell area. In each photodetecting cell of a preferred solid-state image sensor, micro-lenses are further placed on the light-receiving side of the solid-state image sensor, and preferably, the center of the micro-lens is similarly offset with respect to the center of the light-receiving part. Also, the digital camera is mounted with an above-described solid-state image sensor.

Solid-state image sensor, production method of the same, and digital camera

A photoelectric conversion device suitable for use as an element of a photodetector array includes a photodiode for generating a first signal charge in response to incident light, an output unit including a JFET, and at least one transistor having an electrode that generates a second signal charge in response to incident light. The first and second signal charges may be output separately or combined. The second signal charge, or the first and second signal charges combined, may be monitored during an exposure time to determine the desired end of the exposure. An image sensor array may have one or more pixels with such light monitoring capability. The output signal for monitoring the light may be output over a reset drain interconnection, directly from the monitoring pixel or through other pixels via inter-pixel MOSFETS. Exposure time may be controlled, by timing a shutter or a strobe or the like, based on the monitored accumulation of signal charge during exposure. Microlenses may be provided on-chip to increase the effective aperture ratio of the array. The microlenses are designed to avoid interfering with the incident light used for monitoring. Resulting pixel-to-pixel variations in effective aperture ratio, if any, may be electronically compensated.

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Tokyo, Japan

Naoki Ohkouchi