Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Teruyuki Okado

Satoshi Suzuki

Nobuhiro Takeda

Masanori Tanaka

Akira Egawa

Mie Ishii

Toshiharu Ueda

Osamu Harada

Minoru Takasaki

Yuuichi Matsuda

Ken Kamiya

A solid-state imaging apparatus comprises a pixel array, a first column output line provided for each column of the pixel array, a first constant current source, a scanning unit configured to select the pixel portions for each row, and a current control unit configured to control current values, wherein the scanning unit can switch between a normal readout mode and a mixing readout mode, and in the mixing readout mode, the current control unit controls the current values of the first column output lines so that the current value of the first column output line to which the signals of at least one color are simultaneously output is smaller than the current value of the first column output line to which the signals of another color are simultaneously output.

Solid-state imaging apparatus and method of controlling the same

In an image pickup element, a plurality of unit pixels constituted by one micro lens and a photodiode arranged underneath the micro lens are arranged in rows and columns. The image pickup element includes first unit pixels in which a plurality of photodiodes are arranged underneath one micro lens, second unit pixels different from the first unit pixels, m first output lines per column from which signals of the first unit pixels are output, and n second output lines per column from which signals of the second unit pixels are output.

Image pickup element and image pickup apparatus

An image sensor comprises: a plurality of pixels; a plurality of column output lines; and a control unit configured to control a signal to be output from pixels selected from the plurality of pixels to the plurality of column output lines, and each of the plurality of pixels includes: a photoelectric conversion portion; a floating diffusion portion for holding charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion portion; and an addition portion to add capacitance to the floating diffusion portion. The control unit controls to add the capacitance to the floating diffusion portion in a case where signals are simultaneously output to the same column line from the selected pixels.

Image sensor and control method thereof, and image capturing apparatus

An image capturing apparatus including an image sensor including a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a row direction and a column direction, and readout unit for reading out pixel signals from the plurality of pixels, setting unit for setting an imaging condition and control unit for selecting one of a readout mode between thinning readout mode in which the pixel signals are read out from the plurality of pixels while thinning out the plurality of pixels and a mixing readout mode in which the pixel signals of the plurality of pixels are mixed and readout according to the imaging condition set by the setting unit.

Image capturing apparatus and method of reading out pixel signals from an image sensor

An image sensor comprises a plurality of pixels covered by color filters and arranged two-dimensionally in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a read out means capable of reading by switching between a first read out method for reading a signal from each of the plurality of pixels and a second read out method for reading by adding signals in the first direction within each pixel group including a predetermined number of pixels covered by a color filter of a same color. The plurality of pixels include a plurality of pixel groups of first focus detection pixels and a plurality of pixel groups of second focus detection pixels, arranged discretely, and the first and second focus detection pixels are partially shielded from light on different sides in the second direction so as to receive light transmitted through different exit pupil regions.

Image sensor and image capturing apparatus with focus detection pixels

An image pickup apparatus that make it possible to perform image processing under appropriate conditions and secure appropriate image qualities of taken images. The image pickup device has a photoelectric conversion element portion that generates signal electric charge according to the amount of received light, a first optical black unit having a light-shielded photoelectric conversion element structure and having first output characteristics, and a second optical black unit having a light-shielded photoelectric conversion element structure and having second output characteristics different from the first output characteristics. A dark current value is measured based on an output from the first optical black unit and an output from the second optical black unit. Whether or not to perform image processing is determined according to the measured dark current value.

Image pickup apparatus and control method that correct image data taken by image pickup apparatus

An image capturing apparatus comprises: an image sensor having an effective pixel area where plural pixels not shield from light are two-dimensionally arranged, and a first optical black area and a second optical black area including pixels shielded from light provided on the both sides of the effective pixel area; and a correction unit to, upon incident of high luminance light on the image sensor, correct an output signal of a pixel between a high luminance portion as a pixel part on which the high luminance light is incident in the effective pixel area and the first optical black area using an output signal of the first optical black area, and correct an output signal of a pixel between the high luminance portion and the second optical black area, using an output signal of the second optical black area.

Image capturing apparatus with correction using optical black areas, control method therefor and program

An image processing apparatus is configured to include a first storage unit, a second storage unit, and a control unit. The control unit is adapted to perform a control operation to divide, into first data and second data, correction data which is used to correct a defective pixel signal included in an image signal representing one shot image, to transfer the first data from the first storage unit to the second storage unit before starting to shoot an image, and to transfer the second data from the first storage unit to the second storage unit after starting to shoot an image.

Image processing apparatus adapted to correct image signal

A camera in which a film is fed from a film cartridge and is wound around a film winding portion, the camera having a recording head for recording magnetic information on the film and a reading head for reading the magnetic information from the film. The reading head is placed away from the film winding portion farther than the recording head is away from the film winding portion.

Apparatus including recording head, reading head, and winding portion with internal motor

Apparatus for enhancing signal-to-noise ratio in reading a film magnetic recording part includes a reproducing device which reproduces a signal recorded on the magnetic recording part of the film and a signal processing device which performs at least one of causing the reproducing device not to reproduce the signal and disabling the signal reproduced by the reproducing device, in at least one of a case where a predetermined signal is included in the signal reproduced by said reproducing device during transportation of the film and a case where the presence and time position of the predetermined signal in the signal reproduced by said reproducing device during transportation of the film are predicted.

Camera having apparatus for enhancing signal-to-noise ratio in reading a

Disclosed is a distance measuring apparatus for measuring the distance to an object on the basis of reflected light obtained as a result of projecting light onto an object, in which different reliability or contrast discrimination values are set in active and passive distance measurements. When the distance to the object is calculated by performing a correlation calculation on the basis of two received-light images obtained by an active or passive distance measurement, the reliability of the calculated distance and contrast values of the two received-light images are discriminated using the discrimination value.

Growing community of inventors

Matsudo, Japan

Teruyuki Okado