Imaging device and imaging method

• US 10,704,957 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mitani, Hitoshi, Wakazono, Masafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Stock, Jr., Gordon J
• Application Number:
  US16/302,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20190170586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 356364-370, 348143, 348148, 348298, 348302, 348311, 348315, 382254-275
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/447 Polarisation spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 4/00 Measuring polarisation of light
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 4/04 Polarimeters using electric detection means G01J4/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/57 Control of the dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/585 with pixels having different sensitivities within the sensor, e.g. fast or slow pixels or pixels having different sizes

Abstract

There is provided an imaging device including: an imaging section including pixels that generate pixel signals on the basis of incident light, the pixels including a polarization pixel having a predetermined polarization direction and a non-polarization pixel; and a polarization rotating section provided on an incidence plane side of the imaging section, and configured to rotate a polarization direction of the incident light.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

an imager including

a plurality of first pixels arranged in an array, respective ones of the plurality of first pixels including a polarizing filter having a predetermined polarization direction with respect to a plane of the array, and

a plurality of second pixels, respective ones of the plurality of second pixels not including any polarizing filter;

a polarizing element provided on an incidence plane side of the imager; and

control circuitry configured to detect a change in a polarization direction of intermediate light between the imager and the polarizing element, in a case where the polarizing element is rotated with respect to the imager.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:

image signal processing circuitry configured to generate an image signal of a captured image, and to modify the image signal based on the detected change in the polarization direction of the intermediate light.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein

modifying the image signal is increasing a gain of the image signal.

4. The imaging device according to claim 2, further comprising:

sensitivity detecting circuitry configured to compute a sensitivity of a respective second pixel whose sensitivity varies in accordance with a difference between the polarization direction of the intermediate light and the predetermined polarization direction, wherein

in a case where a sensitivity difference between the respective second pixel and a respective first pixel is greater than a threshold, the image signal processing circuitry generates the image signal of the captured image having a dynamic range corresponding to the polarization direction of the intermediate light.

5. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein

the image signal processing circuitry is configured to vary the dynamic range in accordance with the sensitivity computed by the sensitivity detecting circuitry.

6. The imaging device according to claim 5, wherein

the image signal processing circuitry is configured to carry out a gain adjustment for the respective first pixel on the basis of the sensitivity computed by the sensitivity detecting circuitry, to make an image combination by using an image signal which has been subjected to the gain adjustment, and to generate an output signal of the dynamic range corresponding to the sensitivity.

7. The imaging device according to claim 6, wherein

in a case where the respective second pixel is saturated in the image combination, the image signal processing circuitry is configured to switch an image signal of a captured image generated by using the respective second pixel to an image signal of a captured image generated by using the respective first pixel, the respective first pixel having lower sensitivity than the sensitivity of the respective second pixel.

8. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein

the image signal processing circuitry is configured to control a combination ratio between an image signal of a captured image generated by using the plurality of first pixels and an image signal of a captured image generated by using the plurality of second pixels in accordance with the incident light, and to switch the image signal of the captured image generated by using the respective second pixel to the image signal of the captured image generated by using the respective first pixel.

9. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein

in a case where the sensitivity difference between the respective second pixel and the respective first pixel is less than or equal to the threshold, the image signal processing circuitry generates, on the basis of a pixel signal of each pixel, an image signal of a captured image indicating an image of a corresponding pixel.

10. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein

the sensitivity detecting circuitry is configured to compute the sensitivity of the respective first pixel on the basis of the polarization direction of the intermediate light.

11. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein

the sensitivity detecting circuitry is configured to detect the sensitivity of the respective first pixel on the basis of a pixel signal generated by the respective first pixel.

12. The imaging device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a display section, wherein

the display section is configured to display the captured image and a user interface image for an operation of rotating the polarization direction of the intermediate light.

13. The imaging device according to claim 12, wherein

the display section is configured to display an image indicating a signal strength distribution for the respective first pixel or the respective second pixel.

14. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the control circuitry is configured to control the polarization rotating section, so as to vary the polarization direction of the intermediate light in a manner that a signal strength of the plurality of second pixels is not saturated.

15. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the polarizing element to any angle,

wherein the polarizing element is configured to transmit only a specific polarized wave of incident light.

16. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the polarizing filter is a linear polarizing filter.

17. A vehicle comprising the imaging device according to claim 1.

18. An imaging method comprising:

making incident light be incident on an imager including a plurality of first pixels arranged in an array and a plurality of second pixels by first passing through a polarizing element; and

detecting a change in a polarization direction of intermediate light between the imager and the polarizing element, in a case where the polarizing element is rotated with respect to the array, wherein

respective ones of the plurality of first pixels include a linear polarizing filter having a predetermined polarization direction with respect to a plane of the imager, and

respective ones of the plurality of second pixels do not include any polarizing filter.

19. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

an imaging device, the imaging device including

an imager having

a plurality of first pixels arranged in an array, respective ones of the plurality of first pixels including a linear polarizing filter having a predetermined polarization direction with respect to a plane of the array, and

a plurality of second pixels, respective ones of the plurality of second pixels not including any polarizing filter;

a polarizing element provided on an incidence plane side of the imager; and

control circuitry configured to detect a change in a polarization direction of intermediate light between the imager and the polarizing element, in a case where the polarizing element is rotated with respect to the imager.

20. A vehicle comprising the computing device according to claim 19.