# US 11,451,715 B2 · Imaging apparatus, exposure controlling method, and imaging device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,715 B2 - Document ID: US11451715B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/755,324 - Filed: 2018-10-19 - Published: 2021-07-01 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2017-10-19 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Yoshitaka Miyatani - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451715B2 ## CPC - G03B 7/08: Control effected solely on the basis of the response, to the intensity of the light received by the camera, of a built-in light-sensitive device - H04N 23/73: by influencing the exposure time - G02B 5/20: Filters (polarising elements G02B5/30) - G02B 5/205: {Neutral density filters} - G03B 7/091: Digital circuits - G03B 11/00: Filters or other obturators specially adapted for photographic purposes - H04N 23/695: Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects - H04N 23/72: Combination of two or more compensation controls - H04N 23/75: by influencing optical camera components - H04N 23/80: Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof - H04N 25/706: Pixels for exposure or ambient light measuring - H10F 39/18: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors - H10F 39/8053: {Colour filters} - G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract The present disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus, an exposure controlling method, a program, and an imaging device by which the restoration accuracy of an image can be improved. The imaging apparatus includes: an imaging device including a plurality of directive pixel output units that receives incident light from an imaging target entering without the intervention of any of an imaging lens and a pinhole and has a configuration capable of independently setting an incident angle directivity indicative of a directivity to an incident angle of the incident light and a non-directive pixel output unit that receives the incident light entering without the intervention of any of an imaging lens and a pinhole and does not have a configuration for providing the incident angle directivity; and an exposure controlling section configured to perform exposure control of the plurality of directive pixel output units on the basis of a non-directive detection signal that is a detection signal outputted from the non-directive pixel output unit. The present disclosure can be applied, for example, to an imaging apparatus that performs imaging without using an imaging lens. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An imaging apparatus, comprising: an imaging device including: a plurality of directive pixels, wherein each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels is configured to receive incident light from an imaging target, the incident light enters the plurality of directive pixels without intervention of any of an imaging lens and a pinhole, each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels has an incident angle directivity, the incident angle directivity for each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels is independently set with respect to an incident angle of the incident light, the incident angle directivity indicates a value of a detection signal modulated based on the incident angle of the incident light at the plurality of directive pixels, and the detection signal is obtained from the plurality of directive pixels; and a non-directive pixel configured to receive the incident light which enters the non-directive pixel without the intervention of any of the imaging lens and the pinhole, wherein the non-directive pixel does not have a configuration that provides an incident angle directivity; and a circuitry configured to control exposure of the plurality of directive pixels based on a non-directive detection signal outputted from the non-directive pixel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the non-directive pixel has a light reception sensitivity higher than a light reception sensitivity of each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control one of an insertion or an extraction of a Neutral Density (ND) filter between the imaging target and a light reception face of the imaging device based on the non-directive detection signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to adjust a dimming degree of a variable ND filter that dims the incident light to the imaging device based on the non-directive detection signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control an exposure time of each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels based on the non-directive detection signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to a gain for the detection signal outputted from the plurality of directive pixels based on the non-directive detection signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels includes: a photodiode, and a light shielding film configured to intercept incidence of part of the incident light to the photodiode, and the non-directive pixel includes a photodiode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels includes a first plurality of photodiodes, the detection signal is outputted based on charge accumulated by some of the first plurality of photodiodes, the non-directive pixel includes a second plurality of photodiodes, and the non-directive detection signal is outputted based on charge accumulated by all of the second plurality of photodiodes. ### Claim 9 An exposure controlling method, comprising: receiving, via plurality of directive pixels, incident light from an imaging target, wherein the incident light enters the plurality of directive pixels without intervention of any of an imaging lens and a pinhole, each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels has an incident angle directivity, the incident angle directivity for each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels is independently set with respect to an incident angle of the incident light, and the incident angle directivity indicates a value of a detection signal modulated based on the incident angle of the incident light at the plurality of directive pixels, and the detection signal is obtained from the plurality of directive pixels; receiving a non-directive detection signal outputted from a non-directive pixel, wherein the non-directive pixel receives the incident light without the intervention of any of the imaging lens and the pinhole, and the non-directive pixel does not have a configuration that provides an incident angle directivity; and controlling, via a circuitry, exposure of the plurality of directive pixels based on the non-directive detection signal. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising: receiving, via a plurality of directive pixels, incident light from an imaging target, wherein the incident light enters the plurality of directive pixels without intervention of any of an imaging lens and a pinhole, each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels has an incident angle directivity, the incident angle directivity for each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels is independently set with respect to an incident angle of the incident light, the incident angle directivity indicates a value of a detection signal modulated based on the incident angle of the incident light at the plurality of directive pixels, and the detection signal is obtained from the plurality of directive pixels; receiving a non-directive detection signal outputted from a non-directive pixel, wherein the non-directive pixel receives the incident light without the intervention of any of the imaging lens and the pinhole, and the non-directive pixel does not have a configuration that provides an incident angle directivity; and controlling, via a circuitry, exposure of the plurality of directive pixels based on the non-directive detection signal. ### Claim 11 An imaging device, comprising: a plurality of directive pixels, wherein each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels is configured to receive incident light from an imaging target, the incident light enters the plurality of directive pixels without intervention of any of an imaging lens and a pinhole, each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels has an incident angle directivity, the incident angle directivity for each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels is independently set with respect to an incident angle of the incident light, the incident angle directivity indicates a value of a detection signal modulated based on the incident angle of the incident light at the plurality of directive pixels, and the detection signal is obtained from the plurality of directive pixels; and a non-directive pixel configured to receive the incident light which enters the non-directive pixel without the intervention of any of the imaging lens and the pinhole, wherein the non-directive pixel does not have a configuration that provides an incident angle directivity, the non-directive pixel has a light reception sensitivity higher than the light reception sensitivity of each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels, and the non-directive pixel is used for exposure control of the plurality of directive pixels. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The imaging device according to claim 11, wherein a detection image, in which an image of the imaging target is not formed, is generated from the detection signal outputted from the plurality of directive pixels. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The imaging device according to claim 11, wherein each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels includes: a photodiode, and a light shielding film configured to intercept incidence of part of the incident light to the photodiode, and the non-directive pixel includes a photodiode. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The imaging device according to claim 11, wherein each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels includes a first plurality of photodiodes, the detection signal is outputted based on charge accumulated by some of the first plurality of photodiodes, the non-directive pixel includes a second plurality of photodiodes, and a non-directive detection signal is outputted based on charge accumulated by all of the second plurality of photodiodes. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The imaging device according to claim 11, wherein each directive pixel of the plurality of directive pixels has a color filter, and the non-directive pixel has one of a white or a transparent optical filter. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The imaging device according to claim 15, wherein each directive pixel of the plurality of directive has one of a red color filter, a green color filter, or a blue color filter, the plurality of directive pixels is arranged at positions with respect to a specific array, and the non-directive pixel is arranged at a position of at least one directive pixel, of the plurality of directive pixel, with the blue color filter is in the specific array. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The imaging device according to claim 11, further comprising: a circuitry configured to control exposure of the plurality of directive pixels based on a non-directive detection signal outputted from the non-directive pixel. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The imaging device according to claim 17, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control an exposure time of the exposure of plurality of directive pixels based on the non-directive detection signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The imaging device according to claim 17, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control a gain for the detection signal outputted from the plurality of directive pixels based on the non-directive detection signal.