Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

Sony Corporation

Takashi Moue

Yosuke Ueno

Tomonori Yamashita

Atsumi Niwa

Yoshio Awatani

Hiroaki Yatsuda

Yusuke Ikeda

Kengo Umeda

Kazunori Hasebe

Tomohiro Matsumoto

Daisuke Nakagawa

Yasunori Tsukuda

Takashi Matsumoto

Sachio Akebono

Youhei Oosako

Takuro Kosaka

Takeshi Etou

Katzutoshi Tomita

To provide an image capturing device capable of suppressing a decrease of a dynamic range of the entire image capturing device caused by an input transistor of a comparator inserted between a signal line and a load current source in an analog-digital converter. The image capturing device of the present disclosure includes: a load current source; a comparator that includes an input transistor connected between a signal line that transmits a signal read from a pixel and the load current source; and a reference signal supply section that supplies a predetermined reference signal to a charge-voltage conversion section of the pixel.

Image capturing device and electronic apparatus

In a solid-state imaging element provided with a comparator for each column, responsiveness of the comparator is improved. An input transistor outputs, from a drain, a potential within a range from one side to the other side of a pair of output potentials on the basis of whether or not an input potential input to a source and a predetermined reference potential input to a gate substantially coincide with each other. A first current source supplies a constant current. A capacitor is inserted between the source of the input transistor and a first current source. A cutoff switch disconnects a drain of the input transistor from a connection node within a predetermined period for initializing the connection node between the capacitor and the first current source to a lower one of the pair of output potentials, and connects the connection node with the drain of the input transistor outside the predetermined period.

Solid-state imaging element and imaging device

Provided is an image sensor including: a pixel section configured to include a plurality of pixels arranged therein; and an AD conversion unit configured to perform analog-to-digital (AD) conversion on a pixel signal on the basis of a result of comparison between a first voltage of a signal, which is obtained by adding, via capacitances, the pixel signal of the pixel and a reference signal that linearly changes in a direction opposite to the pixel signal, with a second voltage serving as a reference.

Image sensor, method of controlling image sensor, and electronic device

Provided are an imaging device capable of suppressing an error in inversion timing of a comparison result when an analog pixel signal is compared with a predetermined reference signal, and an electronic apparatus including the imaging device. An imaging device of the present disclosure includes: a load current source; a comparator that has an input transistor connected between the load current source and a signal line transmitting a signal read from a pixel; a first capacitor that inputs a predetermined reference signal to a gate electrode of the input transistor; and a second capacitor connected between the gate electrode of the input transistor and a reference potential node. Furthermore, an electronic apparatus of the present disclosure includes the imaging device having the above-described configuration.

Imaging device and electronic apparatus

Provided is a solid-state imaging element including a pixel circuit and a comparison transistor. In the solid-state imaging element, the pixel circuit generates a pixel signal and outputs the pixel signal to a vertical signal line. Further, the comparison transistor has a source connected to a constant current source configured to supply a constant current to the vertical signal line. The comparison transistor has a gate to which a predetermined reference signal is input. Further, the comparison transistor has a drain from which a comparison result between the pixel signal and the reference signal is output.

A solid-state image sensor includes: an input transistor configured to output, from a drain, a drain voltage according to an input voltage input to a source in a case where the input voltage substantially coincides with a predetermined reference voltage input to a gate; and an output transistor configured to output a signal indicating whether or not a difference between the input voltage input to a source and the drain voltage input to a gate exceeds a predetermined threshold voltage as a comparison result between the input voltage and the reference voltage.

Solid-state image sensor

An object of the present technology is to provide an image sensor and a photodetector that are capable of reducing power consumption of an AD conversion unit. The image sensor includes a comparator, in which the comparator includes a differential input unit that includes a first input unit connected to a first capacitance unit and a second input unit connected to a second capacitance unit, a current mirror unit that includes a first resistance element connected to the differential input unit and an NMOS transistor diode-connected via the first resistance element, a second resistance element connected to the differential input unit, and a switch unit provided between the first input unit and a junction between the first resistance element and the NMOS transistor, and between the second input unit and a junction between the second resistance element and the current mirror unit.

Image sensor and photodetector with transistor diode-connected via a resistance element

It is an object of the present technology to provide an image sensor capable of reducing crosstalk in an AD conversion unit. The image sensor includes: capacitors in an even-numbered column region; and a capacitor in an odd-numbered column region disposed facing the capacitors in the even-numbered column region with different areas.

Image sensor

A solid-state image pick-up device of the present disclosure includes a pixel array unit obtained by disposing a plurality of unit pixels, each of which includes a photoelectric conversion unit, in a matrix form, an amplifier unit that adjusts a level of a pixel signal output from a unit pixel through a vertical signal line provided to correspond to column arrangement of the pixel array unit, a sample and hold unit that samples and holds a pixel signal passing through the amplifier unit, and an analog-digital conversion unit that converts the pixel signal output from the sample and hold unit into a digital signal. Further, the sample and hold unit includes at least three capacitors that hold pixel signals and performs fetching of a pixel signal to one capacitor and outputting of an image signal fetched to another capacitor in advance to the analog-digital conversion unit in parallel.

Solid-state image pick-up device and electronic device

An image sensor including a pixel array section in which a plurality of pixels including photoelectric conversion units is disposed, and a comparator that compares an analog pixel signal output from the pixels to a predetermined reference signal, and outputs a comparison result according to a signal level of the pixel signal. The comparator includes differential pair transistors, a first load transistor connected in series with a first transistor of the differential pair, and a second load transistor connected in series with a second transistor of the differential pair. The first transistor of the differential pair accepts a signal obtained by combining the pixel signal and the predetermined reference signal as a gate input, the second transistor of the differential pair accepts a predetermined voltage as a gate input. In addition, a capacitance unit is connected between a common connection node of the first transistor of the differential pair and the first load transistor, and a node of the predetermined voltage.

Image sensor and electronic device

Solid-state image capturing elements are disclosed. In one example, a solid-state image capturing element includes a noise-cancelling-signal generating circuit connected to a pixel power source. It executes a gain change and a polarity inversion on a first noise cancelling signal to output a second noise cancelling signal. The element also includes a DA converter that outputs a reference signal and converts a current of the second noise cancelling signal into a voltage to superpose the converted voltage on the reference signal; a comparator that receives inputs of the reference signal and a pixel signal and outputs an inversion signal according to the pixel signal and a gain setting; a counter that converts an inversion timing of the comparator into a digital value; and a gain controlling unit that outputs, when changing a gradient of the reference signal and an input capacity to execute a gain control on the comparator.

Solid-state image capturing element and electronic device

An analog-to-digital converter of the present disclosure includes: a &#x394;&#x3a3; modulator including a quantization circuit unit; a splitter that divides a digital output of the quantization circuit unit into an even-numbered digital value and an odd-numbered digital value; two-system transmission paths that transmit the even-numbered digital value and the odd-numbered digital value separately; and

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Kanagawa, Japan

Takashi Moue