Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

Sony Corporation

Sony Group Corporation

Daisuke Hirono

Taiki Iguchi

Katsuji Kimura

Kiyoshi Makigawa

Sachio Akebono

Moonjae Jeong

Yosuke Ueno

Shinichirou Etou

Hayato Kamizuru

Yuki Urano

Hideaki Okano

Kohei Imayoshi

Takayuki Kunimitsu

Takahiro Tsuruta

Isao Yamamoto

The control circuit according to the present disclosure includes a passive circuit () and an active circuit (). The passive circuit () is configured to: supply current to a Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) element () from a supply path (Rp); and output a first pulse signal (P) according to a signal Generated in the SPAD element (). The active circuit () is configured to: supply current to the SPAD element () selectively from among a plurality of supply paths; and output a second pulse signal (P) according to a signal generated in the SPAD element ().

Control circuit and distance measuring system

Provided is a control circuit and a distance measurement system. The control circuit includes first wiring to which a first power supply voltage is applied, second wiring to which a second power supply voltage is applied. The control circuit further includes a current supply unit, a first withstand voltage unit, an inverter connected to a cathode of the SPAD element, and a second withstand voltage unit. Furthermore, the control circuit includes an N-type first transistor that is provided between the cathode of the SPAD element and an input terminal of the inverter, and has a gate connected to the second wiring, and a P-type second transistor that is provided between the second wiring and a source of the first transistor, and has a gate connected to an output terminal of the inverter.

Control circuit and distance measurement system to improve sensitivity characteristics of SPAD element

Provided are a lens drive module, an imaging module, an electronic device, and a lens unit that have a simple configuration and are advantageous in reducing power consumption. The lens drive module includes a lens unit that includes a plurality of lenses and a spacer that includes a ferromagnetic material provided between two adjacent lenses among the plurality of lenses, and a lens actuator that causes an electromagnetic force to act on the lens unit in response to energization.

Lens drive module, imaging module, electronic device, and lens unit

A time measurement device according to the present disclosure includes: a pixel that includes a light receiving element and a delay circuit having a variable delay time, is configured to output, as an output signal, a pulse signal that includes a received-light pulse having a pulse width corresponding to the delay time in a first operation mode, and is configured to have a ring oscillator with use of the delay circuit and configured to output, as the output signal, an oscillation signal in the ring oscillator in a second operation mode; and a time measurement section that is configured to perform time measurement processing on the basis of the output signal.

Time measurement device and time measurement apparatus

A measurement device according to an embodiment includes: a light receiving element () that has flow of current caused by an avalanche multiplication caused according to a photon incidence while being charged to a predetermined potential and is returned to the charged state by a recharge current, a detection unit () that is configured to detect the current and invert an output signal when the current crosses a threshold value, a delay unit () that is configured to delay timing of the inversion detected by the detection unit, according to a clock, and a control unit () that is configured to control an operation of the light receiving element, based on the timing of the inversion delayed by the delay unit.

Measurement device, distance measurement device, electronic device, and measurement method

A proximity sensor that detects the distance between two coils is disclosed. In one example, the proximity sensor includes a reference signal generation circuit, a first coil, a second coil, a clock signal generation circuit, and a switched capacitor circuit. The reference signal generation circuit applies a first alternating voltage to the first coil and transmits a reference signal synchronized with the first alternating voltage to the clock signal generation circuit. The second coil is coupled with the first coil by magnetic field coupling to generate a second alternating voltage correlated with a coupling coefficient. The clock signal generation circuit transmits clock signals corresponding to the reference signal to the switched capacitor circuit, and the switched capacitor circuit detects a distance between the first coil and the second coil by acquiring the second alternating voltage at a timing when each of the clock signals changes.

Proximity sensor

The present invention aims to reduce power consumption in an ADC that performs AD conversion of a single-ended signal. A pair of sampling capacitors samples the single-ended signal. After the single-ended signal has been sampled, the connection control unit performs positive-side connection control of connecting both ends of one of the pair of sampling capacitors across a positive-side signal line and a predetermined ground potential and performs negative-side connection control of connecting both ends of the other of the pair of sampling capacitors across a negative-side signal line and the predetermined ground potential. A conversion unit converts a differential signals from the positive-side signal line and the negative-side signal line that have respectively undergone the positive-side connection control and the negative-side connection control into a digital signal.

Analog-to-digital converter, electronic device, and method for controlling analog-to-digital converter

There is provided a power supply switching circuit including a first control signal output unit that outputs a signal exceeding a predetermined potential using a main power supply as a first control signal when a power supply voltage of the main power supply exceeds a predetermined reference voltage, a second control signal output unit that outputs the signal exceeding the predetermined potential using a standby power supply from a battery as a second control signal when a potential of the first control signal does not exceed the predetermined potential, and a power supply output unit that outputs the main power supply when the first control signal exceeds the predetermined potential and outputs the standby power supply when the second control signal exceeds the predetermined potential.

Power supply switching circuit, electronic device, and control method of power supply switching circuit

There is provided a voltage detector including a reference voltage generator that generates a constant reference voltage when a power supply voltage is higher than a predetermined threshold voltage, and a detector that, when the power supply voltage exceeds a voltage that is higher than the threshold voltage by a predetermined potential, detects whether the power supply voltage is higher than a defined voltage based on the reference voltage and outputs a detection result.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Daisuke Hirono