Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.

Makoto Ikuma

Yutaka Abe

Hiroyuki Amikawa

Takayasu Kito

Tetsuya Abe

Masahiro Higuchi

Junichi Matsuo

Hiroshi Fujinaka

Shinichi Ogita

Yasuyuki Endoh

Takahiro Muroshima

Masaru Kato

Katsumi Tokuyama

Masashi Murakami

Kazuko Nishimura

Sanshiro Shishido

Kenji Watanabe

Akio Yokoyama

Yuusuke Yamaoka

Manabu Tsunoda

Kenichi Haga

Koji Hikosaka

A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a plurality of high-sensitivity pixels that are arranged in a matrix, and perform a photoelectric conversion at a predetermined sensitivity; a plurality of low-sensitivity pixels that are arranged in a matrix in gaps between the plurality of high-sensitivity pixels, and perform a photoelectric conversion at a lower sensitivity than the predetermined sensitivity; and a signal processor that generates a pixel signal by (i) detecting a difference signal between a signal from the plurality of high-sensitivity pixels and a signal from the plurality of low-sensitivity pixels, and (ii) correcting the signal from the plurality of high-sensitivity pixels using the difference signal.

Solid-state imaging apparatus and imaging apparatus

A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel including a photoelectric converter that generates a charge and a charge accumulator that converts the charge into a voltage; a controller that causes the pixel to perform exposure in a first exposure mode and convert the charge into the voltage with a first gain to output a first pixel signal, and causes the pixel to perform exposure in a second exposure mode and convert the charge into the voltage with a second gain to output a second pixel signal, the second exposure mode being shorter in exposure time than the first exposure mode, and the second gain being lower than the first gain; and a signal processor that synthesizes the second pixel signal after amplification and the first pixel signal.

Solid-state imaging device and imaging apparatus

A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel array unit in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in rows and columns; a plurality of column signal lines which are provided in one-to-one correspondence with pixel columns; a column processor including a plurality of column AD circuits provided in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of column signal lines; a power supply variation detector which is connected to a power supply wire through which a power supply voltage is transmitted to each of the pixels, and which detects, in correspondence with pixel rows, power supply variation components attributed to variations in the power supply voltage; and a power supply variation corrector which corrects, for each of the pixel rows, a pixel signal detected by the column processor, using the power supply variation components detected by the power supply variation detector.

Solid-state imaging device and imaging device capable of correcting pixel signal

A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a pixel array, a column processor, and a test signal generating circuit that generates a first digital signal for testing purposes. The test signal generating circuit generates the first digital signal within one horizontal scanning period. The column processor converts a first analog signal, that is converted from the first digital signal, to a second digital signal within the one horizontal scanning period.

A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel array including a plurality of pixel circuits arranged in rows and columns; a vertical signal line that is provided for each of the columns and transmits pixel signals; a column AD circuit that is provided for each of the columns and AD converts the pixel signals from the vertical signal line; a column-switching circuit that is interposed in the vertical signal line between the pixel array and the column AD circuit and switches connection between the vertical signal line and the column AD circuit; a controller that causes the column-switching circuit to switch the connection for every horizontal scan period; and a restoration circuit that restores ordering of the AD converted signals so as to correspond to ordering in which the vertical signal lines are arranged in the pixel array.

Solid-state imaging device and camera for suppressing vertical line noise

A solid-state imaging device includes: a plurality of pixel circuits arranged in rows and columns; a plurality of unit power supply circuits that generate a second power supply voltage from a first power supply voltage based on a reference voltage and supply the second power supply voltage to amplifier transistors provided in the plurality of pixel circuits; and a regulator circuit that generates the reference voltage that is constant. Each of the unit power supply circuits is provided for a corresponding one of the columns of the plurality of pixel circuits or for a corresponding one of the pixel circuits, and supplies the second power supply voltage to the amplifier transistors in the pixel circuits that belong to the corresponding one of the columns or to the amplifier transistor in the corresponding one of the pixel circuits.

Solid-state imaging device and camera

A solid-state imaging device according to the present invention includes: a pixel block in which pixels are arranged in a matrix; vertical common signal lines each provided for a corresponding one of columns of the plurality of pixels, and reads signals of pixels in the corresponding column; and a column constant current source which supplies a current to the vertical common signal lines, wherein the column constant current source includes: load transistors each having a source terminal and a drain terminal one of which is connected to one of the vertical common signal lines and the other of which is grounded; a constant voltage supply unit which supplies a voltage to gate terminals of the load transistors; and a voltage holding circuit in which sample and hold circuits are connected in multiple stages, and which stabilizes the voltage which is supplied to the gate terminals of the load transistors.

Solid-state imaging device for reducing noise, and imaging device for reducing noise having a multi-stage sample and hold circuit stabilizing voltage supplied to load transistors

A ramp generator circuit includes: a reference signal generator circuit which generates a ramp waveform having a slope obtained by multiplication using a power of 2 according to a value of a higher order bit of a gain control signal; a clock control circuit which selectively outputs 2^m kinds of fractional-N clocks according to one of 2^m (natural number) areas obtained by dividing a code range represented by a lower order bit, when a negative gain is set; and a variable gain circuit which sets a ramp waveform according to the value of the gain control signal, and sets a ramp signal amplitude in each area so that a period ratio between ramp driving clocks for adjacent areas and a ratio between an amplitude of a ramp signal when the standard gain is set and a largest amplitude of a ramp signal are equal.

Ramp generator circuit and solid-state imaging device

A voltage generation circuit includes a control circuit which outputs a first digital signal, a DAC which outputs a first analog signal corresponding to the first digital signal, and an attenuator which is connected to an output terminal of the DAC and is configured to output a voltage signal obtained by attenuating the first analog signal input from the DAC.

Voltage generation circuit, analog-to-digital conversion circuit, solid-state imaging device, and imaging apparatus, which are capable of reducing random noise

A solid-state imaging device including: a plurality of pixels which are on a same semiconductor substrate and each of which generates a pixel signal; a comparison circuit that is connected to the pixels in each of columns; a D/A conversion circuit that generates a comparison potential and provide the generated comparison potential in common to the comparison circuit in each column; and a D/A conversion circuit output unit provided in a common line for providing the comparison potential to the comparison circuit in each column, wherein the D/A conversion circuit output unit includes: a source follower circuit that is provided to the line and includes a first current source having a transistor, and an amplification transistor having a gate oxide film that is thinner than a gate oxide film of the transistor; and a voltage control circuit that controls a drain-to-source voltage of the amplification transistor.

Solid-state imaging device and image capturing apparatus including the same

A solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of pixel cells arranged in rows and columns, a plurality of vertical signal lines each of which is provided for a corresponding one of the columns, and a plurality of column circuits each of which is provided for a corresponding one or more of the columns and into each of which are input the signal voltages output to one or more of the vertical signal lines disposed in the corresponding one or more of the columns. Each of the plurality of column circuits includes an amplifier that includes a constant current source transistor, the solid-state imaging device further includes a reference current source circuit that supplies a first bias voltage to gates of a plurality of the constant current source transistors included in the column circuits, and each of the column circuits further includes a sample-and-hold circuit that holds the first bias voltage.

A solid-state imaging device includes unit pixels arranged in rows and columns, and reads a pixel signal from the unit pixels selected for each of the rows. The device includes: column signal lines provided for the columns of the unit pixels; amplifying transistors included in the unit pixels and each outputting the pixel signal; correlated double sampling units provided for the columns of the unit pixels and each performing correlated double sampling on a reset component of the pixel signal and on a data component including the reset component and a signal component of the pixel signal so as to sample the signal component; and low-pass filters each (i) inserted in the column signal line between an output terminal of the amplifying transistor and the correlated double sampling unit or (ii) included in the correlated double sampling unit.

Solid-state imaging device, method for driving the same where a low-pass filter is inserted in column signal line to improve reading speed and reduce noise

An analog-digital converter includes n comparators arranged in a first direction with a predetermined cell pitch and corresponding respectively to n input voltages, each comparator comparing a voltage value of a reference signal whose voltage value increases or decreases over time with an input voltage corresponding to the comparator. Each of the n comparators includes differential transistors to which the reference signal and the input voltage are given respectively. A differential transistor is formed by p unit transistors connected in series whose gates are given the reference signal, and another differential transistor is formed by p unit transistors connected in series whose gates are given the input voltage.

Analog-digital converter, image sensor system and camera device

An auxiliary current source is provided that includes MOS transistors feeding startup auxiliary current to the input portion of an output common mode voltage generation circuit amplifying the output of a differential amplifier and generating an output common voltage, and a correction current source is provided that includes MOS transistors feeding correction current corresponding to the auxiliary current to a common mode feedback comparator. Thereby, a control loop that controls the output common voltage to a predetermined voltage even when the input of the differential amplifier is outside the dynamic range at the beginning is correctly started up, thereby stabilizing the output common voltage at a desired voltage.

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Kyoto, Japan

Makoto Ikuma