Abstract: An image sensor, an image processing apparatus including the same and an interpolation method of the image processing apparatus are provided. The image sensor includes a plurality of pixels that include a low-luminance pixel including a first photoelectric conversion device that accumulates a charge less than a predetermined reference value and a high-luminance pixel including a second photoelectric conversion device that accumulates a charge more than the predetermined reference value. Interpolation is carried out giving more weight to the low-luminance pixel at low luminance and giving more weight to the high-luminance pixel at high luminance, so that a higher SNR is obtained.

Abstract: A plenoptic camera device and a shading correction method thereof are provided. The plenoptic camera device includes a processor including a shading correction block configured to determine a four-dimensional axis with respect in a raw image, generate a four-dimensional profile by applying a polynomial fit with respect to the plurality of pixels in the raw image based on the four-dimensional axis, and calculate a gain using the four-dimensional profile and a non-volatile memory device configured to store the gain. Accordingly, the plenoptic camera device can remove a vignetting effect using the gain.

Abstract: A method of operating a depth sensor includes generating a first photo gate signal and second through fourth photo gate signals respectively having 90-, 180- and 270-degree phase differences from the first photo gate signal, applying the first photo gate signal and the third photo gate signal to a first row of a pixel array and the second photo gate signal and the fourth photo gate signal to a second row adjacent to the first row in a first frame using a first clock signal, and applying the first photo gate signal and the third photo gate signal to a first column of the pixel array and the second photo gate signal and the fourth photo gate signal to a second column adjacent to the first column in a second frame using a second clock signal.

Abstract: An image sensor including: a plurality of pixels, wherein a first pixel of the pixels includes: a first photoelectric conversion element; and a first microlens overlapping the first photoelectric conversion element, wherein the first microlens reflects wavelengths of a first region of visible light and allows wavelengths of second and third regions of visible light to pass through to the first photoelectric conversion element.

Abstract: A method of operating an image sensor chip, which includes a color sensor pixel and a dynamic vision sensor (DVS) pixel sensing a motion of an object, is provided. The method includes enabling one of the color sensor pixel and the DVS pixel according to a mode selection signal and processing a pixel signal output from the enabled pixel.

Abstract: A method of calculating, using a depth sensor, a distance excluding an ambiguity distance including outputting a modulated light signal output from a light source to an object, receiving the modulated light signal reflected by the object, calculating a distance between the light source and the object using the reflected modulated light signal input to photo gates in conjunction with demodulation signals supplied to the photo gates, the calculating including calculating, using the modulated light signal, at least one distance farther than a maximum measurable distance, and setting the at least one distance to be equal to the maximum measurable distance may be provided. A range of the distance farther than the maximum measurable distance can be determined according to a duty ratio of the modulated light signal.

Abstract: An ambient light sensor includes a photoelectric conversion unit, a current control unit, a signal conversion unit and a comparison unit. The photoelectric conversion unit provides a photo current having a magnitude corresponding to illuminance of incident light to a first node. The current control unit generates a control current exponentially proportional to an elapse time based on a clock signal, provides the control current to the first node, and outputs a digital code corresponding to the elapse time in response to a reset signal. The signal conversion unit generates a comparison voltage logarithmically proportional to a sum of the photo current and the control current. The comparison unit generates the reset signal by comparing a magnitude of the comparison voltage and a magnitude of a reference voltage. The ambient light sensor generates the digital code effectively representing illuminance of ambient light that eyes of a human being perceives.

Abstract: A method of operating an image sensor includes generating a plurality of sub pixel signals using a sub pixel group. The sub pixel group includes a plurality of sub pixels and corresponds to a single pixel. The method further includes generating a pixel signal having a plurality of bits based on a result of comparing the sub pixel signals with a reference voltage. Each of the sub pixels is a 1-transistor (1T) pixel that detects at least one photogenerated charge and includes only one transistor.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a pixel array having a plurality of layers and a control unit. Each of the plurality of layers including pixels having a photoelectric conversion element and a transmission transistor therein. The photoelectric conversion element is configured to collect charges during an associated charge collection time period and the transmission transistor is configured to transmit the charges to a respective floating diffusion node at an end of the charge collection time period. The control unit configured to individually instruct the transmission transistors associated with different ones of the layers to transmit the charges to the respective floating diffusion nodes such that the charge collection time periods associated with the photoelectric conversion elements implemented in at least two of the layers differs in length.

Abstract: An image processing system includes a calculation unit, a reconstruction unit, a confidence map estimation unit and an up-sampling unit. The up-sampling unit is configured to perform a joint bilateral up-sampling on depth information of a first input image based on a confidence map of the first input image and a second input image with respect to an object and increase a first resolution of the first input image to a second resolution to provide an output image with the second resolution.

Abstract: Provided are an imaging device implementing pseudo correlated double sampling (CDS), and an imaging method and a control method of the image device. The imaging device includes: a pixel array comprising a pixel configured to generate a current in response to incident light; a readout circuit configured to read out a plurality of output signals of the pixel, the plurality of output signals corresponding to a plurality of consecutive integration periods of the pixel within an aggregating period; and an aggregator configured to aggregate the plurality of output signals read out by the readout circuit to obtain a final aggregated output corresponding to illuminance for the aggregating period, wherein the readout circuit is configured to read out the plurality of output signals by, for each output signal, sampling a signal voltage of the pixel and sampling a subsequent reset voltage of the pixel and obtaining a difference therebetween.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a point spread function (PSF) pattern generation unit for generating a PSF pattern in which a plurality of PSFs are located in a plurality of lines of the PSF pattern; a PSF estimation unit for estimating PSFs of an out-of-focus input image from step responses of the plurality of lines of the PSF pattern with respect to an edge of the out-of-focus input image; and an image restoration unit for restoring the out-of-focus input image to a focused restored image using the estimated PSF.

Abstract: In one example embodiment, a lens calibration method includes generating a distorted image by distorting a pattern image that includes at least two reference points separated from a center of the pattern image by different distances. The method further includes generating lens calibration data by comparing the pattern image with the distorted image.

Abstract: A unit pixel of an image sensor includes a photoelectric conversion unit, a mode control unit, a first signal generation unit and a second signal generation unit. The photoelectric conversion unit generates photo-charges in response to incident light and provides the photo-charges to a first node. The mode control unit prevents the photo-charges from being discharged from the first node in a first operation mode, and generates a sensing current by discharging the photo-charges and generates a sensing voltage proportional to the sensing current in a second operation mode. The first signal generation unit generates an analog signal based on an amount of the photo-charges accumulated in the first node in the first operation mode. The second signal generation unit generates an on signal and an off signal based on a change of the sensing voltage in the second operation mode. The unit pixel provides various sensing outputs effectively.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a photo gate controller configured to generate a plurality of demodulated signals respectively corresponding to a plurality of rows of a pixel array and a photo gate driver configured to adjust a phase of the demodulated signals using a source clock signal to remove power, voltage and temperature (PVT) noise and to apply the phase-adjusted demodulated signals to the pixel array. The image sensor matches the phases of the respective demodulated signals using the source clock signal generated based on a reference clock signal, thereby increasing the quality of depth images.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image adjustment apparatus including a receiver which is configured to receive a first input image of an object which is time-synchronously captured and a second input image in which a motion event of the object is sensed time-asynchronously, and an adjuster which is configured to adjust the first input image and the second input image.

Abstract: An imaging device has a pixel array that includes one or more depth pixels. The imaging device also includes a controller that can cause one or more of the depth pixels to image a depth of an object in a ranging mode. The controller can further cause the depth pixel(s) to image in one or more detection modes, with the appropriate control signals. The imaging device also includes a monitoring circuit that can detect a current drawn by the depth pixel(s) in the detection modes. A revert indication can be generated from the detected current. Depending on the control signals, the revert indication can serve as a proximity indication, or as a motion indication.

Abstract: An image processing device comprises a pixel array comprising multiple unit pixels each configured to generate multiple color signals in response to incident light, and a data processing unit configured to generate output image data by processing the color signals in parallel in a first operating mode, and further configured to generate two image signals for each unit pixel based on the color signals and to generate the output image data by processing the two image signals in parallel in a second operating mode.

Abstract: A method of processing image signals comprises determining whether each of multiple units of input pixel data received from an image sensor is bad pixel data generated by a bad pixel of the image sensor or normal pixel data generated by a normal pixel of the image sensor, and performing interpolation to generate image data corresponding to the bad pixel using only normal pixel data and omitting bad pixel data.

Abstract: A depth pixel includes a photo detection region, first and second photo gates and first and second floating diffusion regions. The photo detection region collects photo charges based on light reflected by an object. The collected photo charges are drifted in a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction based on an internal electric field in the photo detection region. The first photo gate is activated in response to a first photo control signal. The first floating diffusion region accumulates first photo charges drifted in the first direction if the first photo gate is activated. The second photo gate is activated in response to the first photo control signal. The second floating diffusion region accumulates second photo charges drifted in the second direction if the second photo gate is activated.