The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 18, 2022
Filed:
Jul. 21, 2017
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation, Kanagawa, JP;
SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION, Kanagawa, JP;
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to an imaging element, a driving method, and electronic equipment that enable imaging to be performed at higher speed. The imaging element includes a pixel array in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix shape, an AD converter that performs AD conversion in parallel on pixel signals that have been output from the plurality of pixels for each column of the plurality of pixels arranged in the pixel array, and a reference signal generator that generates a reference signal that the AD converter refers to when the AD converter performs AD conversion on a pixel signal for an identical pixel signal, the reference signal having a waveform that includes a slope having a constant gradient. Then, when the AD converter performs, on the identical pixel signal, multi-sampling for performing sampling during a P-phase period and sampling during a D-phase period at least once or more, the reference signal generator generates a reference signal in which, from among a plurality of slopes during the D-phase period, a sampling period of a second slope has been set to be shorter than a sampling period of a first slope. The present technology is applicable, for example, to a CMOS image sensor including a column-parallel ADC.