Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

Yasuhiro Shinozuka

Hayato Kamizuru

Ryutaro Homma

A light receiving device of the present disclosure includes: a pixel array unit having a plurality of pixelstoeach including a light receiving unittothat generates a signal according to reception of photons; a first switch unit thattorecharges the light receiving unitto; and a recharge control unitthat controls the first switch unittoaccording to output of the light receiving unitto, and the recharge control unitis shared among the plurality of pixelsto. By this sharing of the recharge control unit, since the circuit area of the circuit unitper pixel can be reduced, the aperture ratio can be increased while miniaturizing the pixel. Preferably, the recharge control unitincludes a four-input OR circuitand a recharge signal generation circuit. The OR circuitobtains the OR of the logic signals retrieved from each cathode electrode of the SPAD sensorstosupplied through the comparatorsto. The OR output of the OR circuitis supplied to the recharge signal generation circuit. The recharge signal generation circuitgenerates the recharge signal RCHG by delaying the OR output of the OR circuitby a predetermined delay time, and supplies the recharge signal RCHG to the first switch unitsto. As a result, the recharge control unitperforms the recharge control in response to the OR signal of the logic signal whose logic is inverted at the time when photons are incident on one or more of the SPAD sensorsto. Furthermore, a distance measuring device of the present disclosure includes: a light source that irradiates an object to be measured with light; and a light receiving device that receives light reflected by the object to be measured, and the light receiving device includes the light receiving device having the above configuration.

Light receiving device and distance measuring device

A photodetection device according to the present disclosure includes: a light-receiving section including a light-receiving element, a first switch, a second switch, and a signal generator, the first switch that couples the light-receiving element to a first node by being turned on, the second switch that applies a predetermined voltage to the first node by being turned on, and the signal generator that generates a pulse signal on the basis of a voltage at the first node; a controller that controls operations of the first switch and the second switch; a detector that detects a timing at which the pulse signal is changed, on the basis of the pulse signal; and an output section that outputs a detection signal corresponding to a detection result by the detector when the second switch is turned on.

Photodetection device and photodetection system

A light reception device according to an embodiment includes: a light receiving element (to) in which a current flows according to an incident photon in a state where a predetermined voltage is applied and that returns to the state by a recharge current; a generation unit () that generates a reference current; and a copying unit (to) that copies the reference current generated by the generation unit to generate a copy reference current. A recharge current based on the copy reference current is supplied to the light receiving element.

Light reception device and distance measurement device

[Problem] The present disclosure proposes a technology that makes it possible to further reduce the influence of an error arising from a resolution of processing relating to measurement of the distance. [Solving Means] A sensor chip is provided which includes a light reception section configured to receive light projected from a light source and reflected by an imaging target to detect, for each given detection period, a reception light amount of the reflected light within the given period, a measurement section configured to measure a distance to the imaging object based on the reception light amount, and a control section configured to apply at least one of a first delay amount or a second delay amount, whose resolutions relating to control are different from each other, to control of a first timing at which the light reception section is to detect the reception light amount thereby to control a relative time difference between the first timing and a second timing at which the light source is to project light with a resolution finer than the resolutions of the first delay amount and the second delay amount in response to the first delay amount and the second delay amount.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Yasuhiro Shinozuka