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:
Sep. 08, 2009
Filed:
Sep. 15, 2006
Yoshinori Muramatsu, Kanagawa, JP;
Noriyuki Fukushima, Kanagawa, JP;
Yoshikazu Nitta, Tokyo, JP;
Yukihiro Yasui, Kanagawa, JP;
Yoshinori Muramatsu, Kanagawa, JP;
Noriyuki Fukushima, Kanagawa, JP;
Yoshikazu Nitta, Tokyo, JP;
Yukihiro Yasui, Kanagawa, JP;
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A column analog-to-digital converter having a voltage comparator and a counter is arranged for each a vertical signal line. The voltage comparator compares a pixel signal inputted via the vertical signal line at each row control signal line with a reference voltage, thereby generating a pulse signal having a length in time axis corresponding to the magnitude of a reset component and a signal component. The counter counts a clock to measure the width of the pulse signal until the end of the comparison operation of the comparator, and stores a count at the end of the comparison. A communication and timing controller controls the voltage comparator and the counter so that, in a first process, the voltage comparator performs a comparison operation on a reset component with the counter performing a down-counting operation, and so that, in a second process, the voltage controller performs the comparison operation on a signal component with the counter performing an up-counting operation.