Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Nsk Corporation

Masashi Ueno

Tomohiro Ishikawa

Takahiro Onakado

Susumu Takahashi

Shuji Endo

Yoshiyuki Nakaki

Masafumi Kimata

Shin Kumagai

Naoki Yutani

Kenichi Okamoto

Hidekazu Yamamoto

Daisuke Fujisawa

Shiro Hine

Yasushi Higashiyama

Osamu Kaneda

Norio Ookawa

Sotoju Asai

Hisatoshi Hata

Satoshi Hirose

Yasuaki Ohta

Osamu Kaneta

Masahiro Aoki

A diode () is provided on a substrate () and thermally insulated from the substrate (). A positive feedback circuit () provides a positive feedback loop so that when a current of the diode () decreases due to a change in temperature of the diode (), the positive feedback circuit () further decreases the current of the diode (), and when the current of the diode () increases, the positive feedback circuit () further increases the current of the diode ().

Infrared detecting device

There is provided an in-vehicle electronic control apparatus suitable for enhancing a robust characteristic of a failure diagnosis process performed for a functional part having a function relating to a drive-control of an actuator. A functional part () relating to the drive-control of an electric motor () includes a main functional part () and an alternative functional part () that is an alternative of the main functional part.

In-vehicle electronic control apparatus

A thermal infrared solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array having pixels diodes, a vertical power supply line connected to horizontal drive lines and commonly connecting the horizontal drive lines, integrating circuits for integrating voltages at the ends of the vertical signal lines for a predetermined integration time, and current sources connected to the vertical signal lines at an opposite end to the end of the vertical signal line which is connected to the integrating circuit. The integration time is equally divided substantially into two periods, and during one divided period of the integration time, energization is performed between one end of the vertical power supply line and the current source, and during the other divided period of the integration time, the energization is performed between other end of the vertical power supply line and the current source.

Infrared solid-state imaging device

A thermal infrared solid-state imaging device includes a horizontal scanning circuit for scanning a pixel area horizontally to read an infrared image, and vertical scanning circuits provided at both ends of the pixel area. The vertical scanning circuits drive a drive line by applying a driving voltage at both ends of the drive line (in two-end driving). Further a bias voltage is applied at the end of the pixel area to a bias line connected to differential integrating circuits.

A thermal infrared imaging device includes a diode, a power supply for supplying a constant power supply voltage to an anode of the diode through a first interconnection, a voltage setting circuit for setting a voltage across the diode, and a current read circuit which is connected to a cathode of the diode through a second interconnection and the voltage setting circuit, for reading a current of the diode. The voltage setting circuit controls a voltage of a connection point of the second interconnection and the voltage setting circuit to a voltage obtained by subtracting a voltage drop from a predetermined bias voltage. The voltage drop is generated by resistances of the first and second interconnections, and the diode current.

Thermal infrared detecting device

An infrared solid state imaging device includes a pixel area with arranged infrared detection pixels and a integration circuit for modulating output current based on the output of the pixel. The integration circuit contains an integrating transistor that modulates a current based on the difference in potential between first and second constant current devices, a integration capacitor for storing the modulated current and being reset periodically, a bias current supply transistor, a switch for connecting the drain with the gate of the bias current supply transistor, a capacitor providing AC coupling between the output of the integrating transistor and the integrating capacitor, a gate bias switch for providing the integrating transistor with a bias voltage, a switch for selecting, as input to the integrating transistor, either one of outputs from the first and second constant current devices, and a capacitor for providing AC coupling between the switch and the gate of the integrating transistor.

Thermal infrared solid state imaging device and infrared camera

According to one embodiment, a plurality of light receiving elements photoelectrically convert light signals having information signals, respectively. A plurality of first amplification circuits amplify currents of electric signals from the respective light receiving elements. A selecting section selectively outputs one of signals amplified by the plurality of first amplification circuits. A second amplification circuit amplifies a voltage of the signal output from the selecting section, and supplies the signal to the outside.

Light receiving element circuit and optical disk drive

An infrared solid-state image pickup apparatus includes an SOI substrate having a silicon oxide film layer and an SOI layer on a silicon substrate, a detecting portion which is provided with a PN junction diode formed on the SOI substrate and converts a temperature change generated by an incident infrared ray to an electric signal, and a support that holds the detecting portion with a space from the silicon substrate of the SOI substrate. An impurity in a semiconductor layer constituting the PN junction diode is distributed such that carriers flowing in the semiconductor layer are distributed in such an uneven manner as being much in a central portion of the semiconductor layer than in a peripheral portion thereof.

Infrared solid-state image pickup apparatus and a production method thereof

A thermal infrared detector includes a substrate; a temperature sensor having electrical characteristics changed in accordance with changes in temperature caused by infrared absorption; heat-insulating supporting legs supporting and thermally insulating the temperature sensor and serving as signal lines for reading out electrical signals from the temperature sensor; and an infrared absorption layer in thermal contact the temperature sensor. Each of the temperature sensor, the heat-insulating supporting legs, and the infrared absorption layer is in a different plane and the planes are spatially separated from each other.

Thermal infrared detector and infrared focal plane array

An infrared sensor includes a first infrared sensing element separated by a dielectric layer from on a silicon substrate and thermally isolated from the substrate by a void in the dielectric layer. The sensor has a second temperature sensing element which detects the temperature of the whole sensor. The output difference between the first and second sensor elements is used as gate/source voltage of a MOSFET. The current variation of the MOSFET is read out as a discharge from a capacitor connected to the MOSFET. The noise in the sensor is suppressed, and performance is improved. An infrared sensor array includes the sensors arranged in an array.

Infrared sensor and infrared sensor array using the same

A sensor element provided with a silicon substrate having a semiconductor circuit, a sensing-element portion formed on the silicon substrate and connected to the semiconductor circuit, and a cavity portion formed by removing a silicon substrate portion below the sensing-element portion, in which a removal resistance region having resistance against substrate removal is provided in the silicon substrate between the semiconductor circuit and the cavity portion.

Sensor element with removal resistance region

Circuitry for a bolometer-type image pickup device improves the signal-to-noise ratio and reduces variations of an output offset level due to temperature variations of the device. A clamp voltage is applied to an amplifier 18 via a clamping diode 36 connected thereto. This reduces a difference between an input voltage during an off-state of one of horizontal FET switches 9, 10, and an input voltage during the off-state of both horizontal FET switches 9, 10, thereby improving a signal-to-noise ratio by narrowing a frequency band of an external circuit. Further, a variable load resistor 43 whose resistance varies with temperature similarly to those of bolometers 1-4, a resistance of a pseudo resistor 44 which is substantially equal to a sum of conductive resistances of vertical FET switches 1, 14 and horizontal FET switches 9, 10, and a compensating diode 45 whose forward bias voltage varies with temperature similarly to those of pixel separating diodes 39-42 are connected in series between the horizontal FET switches 9, 10 and a bias current output terminal 12, thereby offsetting variations of an output offset level due to temperature variations.

Infrared image pickup device

An infrared sensor includes a substrate, an insulator layer formed on the substrate, and a heat-sensitive semiconductor layer having a temperature dependent electrical resistance with a relatively large temperature coefficient of resistance. In order to improve sensitivity of the heat-sensitive semiconductor layer for detecting infrared rays, high concentration impurity semiconductor regions are positioned on either side of the semiconductor layer to form a semiconductor section. The high concentration impurity semiconductor sections have a higher absorption coefficient of infrared rays than the semiconductor layer. Thus, the semiconductor section itself both detects and absorbs infrared rays with or without providing any heat-absorbing layer. Further, electrodes are connected to each high-concentration impurity layer, which form an ohmic contact therewith.

Infrared sensor having a heat sensitive semiconductor portion that

A solid-state image sensor comprises photoelectric converting devices (22) formed on a p type semiconductor substrate (1), transfer gates (26) for reading signal charges therefrom, scanning lines (21) for selecting the transfer gates (26), and transfer electrodes (11) of the first layer and transfer electrodes (12) of the second layer alternately disposed for transferring in the vertical direction the read signal charges. All the electrodes of the transfer gates (26) are formed integrally with the transfer electrodes (12) of the second layer, with the result that all the electrodes of the transfer gates (26) are common to the transfer electrodes of the same layer (the second layer). Although the potential wall (340) is formed in the transfer channel (3) beneath the transfer electrode (12) connected to the transfer gate (26), the same is insulated from adjacent the transfer electrode (11) on the charge transfer direction side. As a result, when a voltage is applied to the transfer electrode adjacent thereto, the signal charges are fully transferred.

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Tokyo, Japan

Masashi Ueno