Imaging unit, imaging apparatus, and computer-readable medium having stored thereon a control program

Abstract

Provided is an imaging unit including an imaging section that includes a pixel capable of performing charge accumulation a plurality of times in response to an imaging instruction for generating one frame of image data; a storage section that stores a pixel signal based on output from the pixel; an updating section that updates the pixel signal already stored in the storage section by performing an integration process to integrate the pixel signal output from the pixel as a result of a new charge accumulation and the pixel signal already stored in the storage section; and a control section that controls whether the updating section performs the update, for each of a plurality of pixel groups that each include one or more pixels.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An imaging unit comprising:
 a first pixel group including at least one pixel;   a second pixel group including at least one pixel that is different from the pixel of the first pixel group; and   a control section that causes a charge accumulation time for the first pixel group to be different from a charge accumulation time for the second pixel group, by causing the number of charge accumulations of the first pixel group to be different from the number of charge accumulations of the second pixel group.   
     
     
         2 . The imaging unit according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the control section controls an (m+1)-th (m is a natural number) charge accumulation of the first pixel group according to a pixel signal resulting from m charge accumulations of the first pixel group, and controls an (n+1)-th (n is a natural number) charge accumulation of the second pixel group according to a pixel signal resulting from n charge accumulations of the second pixel group.   
     
     
         3 . The imaging unit according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the control section controls an (m+1)-th (m is a natural number) charge accumulation of the first pixel group according to a result of a comparison between a pixel signal resulting from m charge accumulations of the first pixel group and a threshold value, and controls an (n+1)-th (n is a natural number) charge accumulation of the second pixel group according to a result of a comparison between a pixel signal resulting from n charge accumulations of the second pixel group and the threshold value.   
     
     
         4 . The imaging unit according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 a first storage section that stores a pixel signal output from the first pixel group;   a second storage section that stores a pixel signal output from the second pixel group;   a first signal processing section that stores in the first storage section a signal obtained by adding together the pixel signal stored in the first storage section and a pixel signal output from the first pixel group resulting from an immediately subsequent charge accumulation; and   a second signal processing section that stores in the second storage section a signal obtained by adding together the pixel signal stored in the second storage section and a pixel signal output from the second pixel group resulting from an immediately subsequent charge accumulation.   
     
     
         5 . An imaging unit comprising:
 a first pixel group including at least one pixel;   a second pixel group including at least one pixel that is different from the pixel of the first pixel group; and   a control section that controls an (m+1)-th (m is a natural number) charge accumulation of the first pixel group according to a pixel signal resulting from m charge accumulations of the first pixel group, and controls an (n+1)-th (n is a natural number) charge accumulation of the second pixel group according to a pixel signal resulting from n charge accumulations of the second pixel group.   
     
     
         6 . An imaging unit comprising:
 a first pixel group including at least one pixel that performs a charge accumulation a plurality of times;   a second pixel group including at least one pixel that is different from the pixel of the first pixel group and performs a charge accumulation a plurality of times;   a first storage section that stores a pixel signal output from the first pixel group;   a second storage section that stores a pixel signal output from the second pixel group;   a first signal processing section that stores in the first storage section a signal obtained by adding together the pixel signal stored in the first storage section and a pixel signal output from the first pixel group resulting from an immediately subsequent charge accumulation;   a second signal processing section that stores in the second storage section a signal obtained by adding together the pixel signal stored in the second storage section and a pixel signal output from the second pixel group resulting from an immediately subsequent charge accumulation; and   a control section that controls whether the addition is performed by the first signal processing section according to the pixel signal stored in the first storage section, and controls whether the addition is performed by the second signal processing section according to the pixel signal stored in the second storage section.   
     
     
         7 . An imaging unit comprising:
 an imaging section that includes a pixel capable of performing charge accumulation a plurality of times in response to an imaging instruction for generating one frame of image data;   a storage section that stores a pixel signal based on output from the pixel;   an updating section that updates the pixel signal already stored in the storage section by performing an integration process to integrate the pixel signal output from the pixel as a result of a new charge accumulation and the pixel signal already stored in the storage section; and   a control section that controls whether the updating section performs the update, for each of a plurality of pixel groups that each include one or more pixels.   
     
     
         8 . The imaging unit according to  claim 7 , wherein
 an imaging chip that includes the imaging section and a signal processing chip that includes the updating section are electrically connected by a layered structure.   
     
     
         9 . The imaging unit according to  claim 7 , wherein
 an imaging chip that includes the imaging section and a memory chip that includes the storage section are electrically connected by a layered structure.   
     
     
         10 . The imaging unit according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the control section controls whether the update is performed based on a light measurement result of a photometric section that measures brightness of a subject.   
     
     
         11 . The imaging unit according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the control section controls whether the update is performed based on a result of a statistical process applied to the pixel signals corresponding to the pixel groups.   
     
     
         12 . The imaging unit according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the control section controls whether the update is performed based on a detection result of a movement detecting section that detects movement of a subject.   
     
     
         13 . The imaging unit according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the control section reads the pixel signal of a designated pixel group from the storage section and transfers the read pixel signal to an image processing section, according to a transfer request from an external circuit designated for each pixel group.   
     
     
         14 . An imaging apparatus comprising:
 the imaging unit according to  claim 7 ;   an imaging instruction section that generates the imaging instruction to be transmitted to the imaging unit; and   an image processing section that generates the image data by processing the pixel signal from the storage section.   
     
     
         15 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein
 the imaging instruction section determines a charge accumulation time for each instance of the charge accumulation.   
     
     
         16 . A computer-readable medium storing thereon an imaging control program that causes a computer to:
 perform, by at least some pixels forming an imaging section, charge accumulation a plurality of times in response to an imaging instruction for generating one frame of image data;   store, in a storage section, a pixel signal based on output from the at least some pixels;   determine whether to update the pixel signal stored in the storage section for each of a plurality of pixel groups that each include one or more pixels; and   update the pixel signal already stored in the storage section by performing an integration process to integrate the pixel signal output from the pixel as a result of a new charge accumulation and the pixel signal already stored in the storage section, when it is determined that the update is to be performed.