SonyPatent applicationCameras & imagingInterest 6/10

Sony patents camera sensor that adjusts noise based on light levels

Sony describes a camera sensor design that includes a separate meter to measure how much light is hitting the device. This meter tells a control circuit to adjust the settings of specific pixels that detect sudden changes in brightness, helping to reduce unwanted noise in the image.

Why it mattersThis could lead to clearer photos in tricky lighting conditions by allowing the sensor to adapt its sensitivity more precisely to the environment.

In the filing’s own words

Noise suppression in a solid-state imaging element that detects an address event is disclosed. In one example, a solid-state imaging element includes an illuminance meter, a detection pixel, and a parameter control circuit. The illuminance meter measures illuminance. The detection pixel detects whether or not an amount of change in brightness exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The parameter control circuit controls a parameter of the detection pixel in accordance with the illuminance measured by the illuminance meter.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A solid-state imaging element comprising: an illuminance meter configured to measure illuminance; a detection pixel configured to detect whether or not an amount of change in brightness exceeds a threshold value that is predetermined; and a parameter control circuit configured to control a parameter of the detection pixel in accordance with the measured illuminance.

Facts

Company: Sony (Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation)
Official title: SOLID-STATE IMAGING ELEMENT AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SOLID-STATE IMAGING ELEMENT
Publication number: US20260292360A1
Application number: 19475910
Filed: May 10, 2024
Published: Sep 24, 2026
Inventors: 5
Claims: 20

Classified under

H04N 25/47 Electricity & electronicsH04N 23/71 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/44 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/771 Electricity & electronics

Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Sony in Cameras & imaging

Sony patents camera chips that sign photos to prove they are real Sep 15, 2026
Sony patents camera setup that learns to mimic a virtual view Sep 1, 2026
Sony patents camera method to reduce lag in burst mode photos Sep 1, 2026
Sony patents camera sensor design to improve global shutter image quality Sep 1, 2026
Sony patents camera lens that subtracts light waves to cut data processing Sep 8, 2026

Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.