US 12,238,434 B2
Imaging device and imaging method for autofocus control
Shinichi Fujii, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/999,058
Filed by SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Apr. 6, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/014669
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 17, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/241015, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 2, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-090343 (JP), filed on May 25, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0199342 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. H04N 25/704 (2023.01); H04N 25/706 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 25/704 (2023.01) [H04N 25/706 (2023.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An imaging device, comprising:
an imaging element that includes a plurality of pixels, wherein
each of the plurality of pixels includes a photodiode division pixel, and
the image element is configured to perform a rolling shutter read operation; and
a control unit configured to:
control a first read operation and a second read operation based on the rolling shutter read operation, wherein
each of the first read operation and the second read operation corresponds to one frame of an image,
for each of the plurality of pixels, the first read operation includes an operation to read an addition value of a first value corresponding to a first sub pixel and a second value corresponding to a second sub pixel,
the photodiode division pixel includes the first sub pixel and the second sub pixel,
each of the plurality of pixels is an image generation target for the first read operation,
for each pixel of a set of pixels from the plurality of pixels, the second read operation includes an operation to read the first value and the second value, and
each pixel of the set of pixels is an image generation target for the second read operation,
a count of pixels in the set of pixels is different from a count of pixels of the plurality of pixels, and
perform the first read operation and the second read operation in a time division pattern, wherein an exposure period for the first read operation is different from an exposure period for the second read operation.