Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yusuke Yamashita

Takenori Kobuse

Takayuki Kimura

Yoshikazu Ishikawa

Tokuro Nishida

Koki Nakamura

Hiroyuki Hasegawa

Shoji Kono

Kazuya Kitamura

Shigeharu Aoki

Masahiro Kobayashi

Toru Koizumi

Yusuke Onuki

Daisuke Kobayashi

Naoki Ishikawa

Hajime Ikeda

Yasuhiro Itoh

Hiroo Akabori

Kento Watanabe

Takahiro Kamikura

Taro Takita

Shuhei Hayashi

An image pickup apparatus in which noise caused by global shutter driving of an image pickup device can be suppressed. The image pickup apparatus comprises an image pickup device including pixels each including a photoelectric conversion part that generates a charge by photoelectric conversion and charge storage parts that are connected to the photoelectric conversion part and store a charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion part, and a controller configured to control to switch a driving mode of the image pickup device according to exposure setting, wherein the driving mode includes a first mode in which the charge is transferred from the photoelectric conversion part to the charge storage part in multiple transfers in one frame period, and a second mode in which the charge is transferred from the photoelectric conversion part to the charge storage part only once in one frame period.

Image pickup apparatus in which global shutter driving of image pickup device is performed

A photoelectric conversion device includes pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit for generating charge by photoelectric conversion, first to fourth charge holding portions configured to be transferred charge from the photoelectric conversion unit, and an output unit for outputting a signal corresponding to charge transferred from one of the first to fourth charge holding portions, and a control circuit for controlling the plurality of pixels. The control circuit performs, during one frame, transferring charge in the photoelectric conversion unit to the first or second charge holding portion a plural times for each of the first and second charge holding portions in each of the pixels at the same time, and performs, during the one frame, reading out from each pixel a signal corresponding to charge in the third charge holding portion and a signal corresponding to charge in the fourth charge holding portion.

Photoelectric conversion device and method of driving photoelectric conversion device

An image sensor comprises: a pixel region including a plurality of microlenses arranged in a matrix, and a plurality of photoelectric conversion portions provided for each of the microlenses; a plurality of amplifiers that apply a plurality of different gains to signals output from the pixel region; and a scanning circuit that scans the pixel region so that a partial signal and an added signal are read out, the partial signal being a signal from some of the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions, and the added signal being a signal obtained by adding the signals from the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions.

Image sensor, image capturing apparatus and image processing apparatus

A device includes a conversion unit, a generation unit configured to generate a pulse signal based on a signal from the conversion unit, a counter circuit configured to count the generated pulse signal, and a time measurement circuit configured to measure a time wherein one of a count value counted by the counter circuit or a time measurement value measured by the time measurement circuit is selectively output.

Photoelectric conversion device for counting a pulse signal and measuring a time when a count value is output

An image capturing apparatus that has an image capturing device including polarization elements and sets a proper frame rate according to a situation when acquiring a video using polarization information. The image capturing device an image capturing device including polarization pixels that detect polarization information of a plurality of different directions. The polarization information of the polarization pixels is determined by performing first polarization calculation or second polarization calculation which is smaller in calculation load than the first polarization calculation, on video signals output from the polarization pixels. A polarization-processed image is generated by using the polarization information. The first polarization calculation and the second polarization calculation are switched according to a predetermined timing, a mode, or a result of detecting a predetermined state.

Image capturing apparatus having image capturing device provided with polarization elements and method of controlling same

An image pickup apparatus that enables to quickly capture an image from which a predetermined reflected light component is removed with desired sensitivity. A polarizing filter two-dimensionally arranges a plurality of sets each of which includes polarizing filter elements having different polarization directions. A first image sensor has pixels that respectively correspond to polarizing filter elements of the polarizing filter. A polarization calculation unit detects a polarized component of light that enters into a region in which one set of polarizing filter elements are arranged based on signals output from pixels in the region of the first image sensor for each region. A correction unit corrects a pixel signal output from a pixel of a second image sensor corresponding to the region based on a calculation result by the polarization calculation unit for each pixel of the second image sensor.

Image pickup apparatus having image sensor equipped with polarizing element and control method therefor

An electronic device acquires polarization information of a subject based on a plurality of pieces of image data based on a first signal output from a first sensor. The first sensor can capture an optical image of the subject acquired via a polarizing filter provided with areas having different polarization angles. The device further acquires an evaluation value for controlling brightness of an image at the time of capturing the optical image of the subject, based on the plurality of pieces of image data. The plurality of pieces of image data have different polarization angles, by respectively being acquired via areas of the polarizing filter having the plurality of different polarization angles. A degree of weighting to be assigned to the plurality of pieces of image data at the time of acquiring the evaluation value based on the polarization information.

Electronic device for executing predetermine processing based on image data acquired via filters having different polarization angles, control method of the same, and storage medium

In order to improve linearity characteristics in synthesis processing for expanding a dynamic range, an image pickup apparatus comprising an AD conversion unit for performing AD conversion of input signals by comparing a first ramp signal or a second ramp signal; a first synthesis unit for synthesizing a first signal AD converted using the first ramp signal and a second signal AD converted using the second ramp signal; a first correction unit for correcting a level difference between the first signal and the second signal when the first signal and the second signal are synthesized; an amplifier for amplifying pixel signals by different gains; a second synthesis unit for synthesizing the signals amplified by the different gains; and a second correction unit for correcting a level difference between the signals amplified by the different gains when the signals amplified by the different gains are synthesized.

Image pickup device and storage medium

An imaging apparatus having a wide dynamic range and a stable black level without decreasing frame rate comprises a pixel unit including pixels, a read out unit for reading out the noise signal from each pixel and to amplify the noise signal by a first gain to generate a first noise signal, reads out the pixel signal and amplifies the pixel signal by the first gain and a second gain to generate a first and a second pixel signal, a first memory unit for storing a second noise signal generated by amplifying, by the second gain, the noise signal read out from a pixel of a predetermined row, and a subtraction unit for subtracting the first noise signal from the first pixel signal and to subtract the second noise signal stored in the first memory unit from the second pixel signal, while sequentially reading out signals from each pixel.

Imaging apparatus, imaging method, and storage medium

A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes first and second signal lines, first and second circuits, and a switch. Signals based on electric charges generated in first and second photoelectric conversion portions are to be read out to the first and second signal lines, respectively. The first circuit includes a first input unit to which the first signal line is connected. The first circuit is configured to perform processing of a signal input to the first input unit, with a first gain. The second circuit includes a second input unit to which the second signal line is connected. The second circuit is configured to perform processing of a signal input to the second input unit. The switch is configured to perform switching between a connected state and a disconnected state between the first signal line and the second signal line.

Photoelectric conversion apparatus, imaging system, and moving body

An apparatus including: first and second photoelectric converting portions; a charge detecting portion; a transistor outputting a pixel signal; first and second sampling and holding capacitors; an amplifier; and a controlling unit controlling gain in first and second mode. The pixel signal is one of: a first signal at a time of resetting of charge; a second signal including a charge component of the first photoelectric converting portion and a noise component; and a third signal including the first component, a charge component of the second photoelectric converting portion, and a noise component. In the first mode, the controlling unit uses a first gain. In the second mode, the controlling unit uses second gain to the first signal, third gain to the third signal of the first sampling and holding capacitor, and second gain to the third signal of the second sampling and holding capacitor.

Imaging apparatus

An image processing technique that enables accurate detection of a flicker component even when applied to an image pickup device capable of changing a driving method on a region basis within a frame. A flicker detection section detects a flicker component of an image pixel signal read out from the image pickup device having a pixel region for detecting a phase difference. When the driving method is changed to one for performing phase difference detection, the flicker detection section detects a flicker component such that the period of the flicker component in a region used for phase difference detection within the frame coincides with a period of the flicker component in a region not used for phase difference detection.

Image processing apparatus for detecting flicker, method of controlling the same, and non-transitory storage medium

An image pickup apparatus which is capable of detecting a flash band with high accuracy even when no flash light is falling on a part of an image. The image pickup apparatus detects a band-shaped luminance step appearing in a plurality of frame images, which are obtained through image pickup by an image pickup unit, in a video comprised of the plurality of frame images. A detection area, which is for use in detecting the luminance step, is set in a part of the frame image according to a subject included in the frame image. Luminance data is obtained on a line-by-line basis in the detection area, and based on a difference in luminance data between corresponding lines in the frame images, the luminance step is detected.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Yusuke Yamashita