| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080231491 | Analog-to-Digital Conversion Method, Analog-to-Digital Converter, Semiconductor Device for Detecting Distribution of Physical Quantity, and Electronic Apparatus - In an analog-to-digital conversion method for converting a difference signal component representing a difference between a reference component and a signal component in an analog signal to be processed into digital data, in a first process, a signal corresponding to one of the reference component and the signal component is compared with a reference signal for conversion into the digital data. Concurrently with the comparison, counting is performed in one of a down-count mode and an up-count mode, and a count value at a time of completion of the comparison is held. In a second process, a signal corresponding to the other one of the reference component and the signal component is compared with the reference signal. Concurrently with the comparison, counting is performed in the other one of the down-count mode and the up-count mode, and a count value at a time of completion of the comparison is held. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20080252767 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, METHOD OF DRIVING SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE AND CAMERA - A solid-state imaging device including: an analog-digital converter unit in column parallel arrangement, the analog-digital converter unit having a plurality of pixels arranged to convert an incident light quantity to an electric signal, in which an analog signal obtained from the pixel is converted into a digital signal, wherein the analog-digital converter unit is configured of: a comparator operable to compare a value of a column signal line from which an analog signal obtained by the pixel is outputted with a value of a reference line, and a counter operable to measure a time period by the time when comparison done by the comparator is finished and to store the comparison result, wherein the solid-state imaging device further includes: a module for controlling an output of the comparator operable to control the output of the comparator depending on the output of the comparator. | 10-16-2008 |
| 20090009641 | DA CONVERTER, AD CONVERTER, AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - A DA converter includes a first DA conversion section for obtaining an analog output signal in accordance with a digital input signal value, and a second DA conversion section for obtaining an analog gain control output signal in accordance with a digital gain control input signal value. In the DA converter, the gain control of the analog output signal generated by the first DA conversion section is performed on the basis of the gain control output signal generated by the second DA conversion section. | 01-08-2009 |
| 20090084941 | COUNTER CIRCUIT, AD CONVERSION METHOD, AD CONVERTER, SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE FOR DETECTING DISTRIBUTION OF PHYSICAL QUANTITIES, AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS - A solid-state image pick up device including a pixel array unit having unit pixels arranged in a matrix pattern. Each unit pixel includes a photoelectric converter. Additionally, the solid-state image pick up device has column signal lines that correspond to the respective columns of the matrix pattern, a row scanning means for selectively controlling each unit pixel, and an analog-digital converting unit for converting analog signals output from the unit pixels in a row selectively controlled by the row scanning means. The analog-digital converting unit further includes an asynchronous counter which performs counting in two modes and the asynchronous counter includes a counter processor configured so that when switching between the count modes occurs, a running count value is broken and there is an interval between the count modes and when a mode begins the running count value is reset to the value before the running count value was broken. | 04-02-2009 |
| 20090109308 | PHYSICAL QUANTITY DISTRIBUTION DETECTOR, PHYSICAL INFORMATION ACQUIRING METHOD, AND PHYSICAL INFORMATION ACQUIRING DEVICE - A physical information acquiring method of acquiring physical information for a predetermined purpose on the basis of change information that is acquired under predetermined detection conditions for a physical quantity using an portion for physical quantity distribution detection. The portion for physical quantity distribution detection includes a detector that detects change information corresponding to a change in a physical quantity made incident on the detector and has unit components that output unit signals based on the change information detected by the detector arranged in a predetermined order. In the physical information acquiring method, a carrier signal is converted into a signal related to a frequency on the basis of the change information detected by the detector. The physical information for a predetermined purpose is acquired using the signal related to a frequency. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090190021 | Solid-state Image Pickup Device Having Analog-Digital Converters Configured To Sum Values Of Multiple Pixels In The Array And Method For Driving The Same - A CMOS image sensor includes column-parallel ADCs. Each of the ADCs includes a comparator and an up/down counter. With this configuration, digital values of pixels in a plurality of rows can be added without using additional circuits, such as an adder and a line memory device, and the frame rate can be increased while maintaining constant sensitivity. | 07-30-2009 |
| 20090201187 | DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER, ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTER, AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - A DA conversion device includes the following elements. A higher-bit current source cell portion includes uniformly weighted higher-bit current source cells to generate an identical constant current. A lower-bit current source cell portion includes a lower-bit current source cells that are weighted to generate 1/two-to-the-power-of-certain-numbers constant currents. A constant current source selection controller includes a lower-bit controller having a scaler that uses clocks scaled down to 1/two-to-the-power-of-certain-numbers to select the lower-bit current source cells, and a higher-bit controller having shift registers and using a signal indicating a carry bit or a borrow bit used in the lower-bit controller to sequentially activate shift outputs of the shift registers, and uses the shift outputs to select the higher-bit current source cells. Constant current outputs of the selected current source cells are added and output so that an output current corresponding to the digital input signal is obtained. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20100245649 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DRIVING THE SAME IN A NUMBER OF MODES - A system and method for driving a solid-state image pickup device including a pixel array unit including unit pixels. Each unit pixel includes a photoelectric converter, column signal lines and a number of analog-digital converting units. The unit pixels are selectively controlled in units of rows. Analog signals output from the unit pixels in a row selected by the selective control though the column signal lines are converted to digital signals via the analog-digital converting units. The digital signals are added among a number of unit pixels via the analog-digital converting units. The added digital signals from the analog-digital converting units are read. Each unit pixel in the pixel array unit is selectively controlled in units of arbitrary rows, the analog-distal converting units being operable to performing the converting in a (a) normal-frame-rate mode and a (b) high-frame-rate mode in response to control signals. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100253772 | PHYSICAL QUANTITY DISTRIBUTION DETECTING APPARATUS AND IMAGING APPARATUS - A physical quantity distribution detecting apparatus includes a sensor array in which a plurality of unit sensors for sensing physical quantity are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix; and an analog-to-digital conversion unit that includes a plurality of comparators for comparing an analog signal read from the unit sensor with a reference signal, the analog-to-digital conversion unit converting a digital signal by measuring a period of time or measuring a signal corresponding to the period of time of each comparison output of the plurality of comparators. Each of the plurality of comparators includes at least one capacitor element connected between a signal line and a constant-voltage line. | 10-07-2010 |
