Patents by Inventor Eiichi Nakamoto

Eiichi Nakamoto has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230254607
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus in which a column signal processing system includes a successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter capable of operating at higher speed and with lower power consumption. An electronic device of the present disclosure includes an imaging apparatus including a pixel array unit on which pixels including a photoelectric conversion element are arranged, a column amplifier unit that obtains a difference between a reset component and a signal component input from each of the pixels of the pixel array unit through a signal line and outputs the difference as a pixel signal, a capacitance unit that holds the pixel signal input from the column amplifier unit, and a successive approximation register analog-to-digital conversion unit that converts an analog signal input from the capacitance unit into a digital signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Inventor: Eiichi Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20230247328
    Abstract: Regarding a column signal processing system including a successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter, an imaging device capable of operating at further higher speed and with further lower power consumption is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Inventors: EIICHI NAKAMOTO, DAISUKE NAKAGAWA
  • Publication number: 20230066061
    Abstract: Power consumption is reduced in a solid-state imaging element that amplifies a voltage for each column. The solid-state imaging element includes a pixel circuit, an input transistor, a reference side current source, and a feedback circuit. The pixel circuit generates an input voltage by photoelectric conversion. The input transistor outputs an output voltage depending on a voltage between a source to which the input voltage is input and a gate from a drain. The reference side current source is connected to a reference node at a predetermined reference voltage and supplies a predetermined current. The feedback circuit feeds back a part of the current to the gate of the input transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventor: Eiichi Nakamoto
  • Patent number: 11043957
    Abstract: Signal quality is improved in a circuit for amplifying and sampling an analog signal. An input signal is input to one end of an input-side resistor. An operational amplifier amplifies the input signal, and outputs the input signal from an output terminal as an amplified signal. One end of a filter capacitor is connected to an input terminal of the operational amplifier. A predetermined frequency component of the input signal passes through the filter capacitor. A sampling capacitor imports the amplified signal during a predetermined sampling period, and holds the amplified signal during a predetermined hold period. A sampling switch connects the output terminal of the operational amplifier to one end of the sampling capacitor during the sampling period, and disconnects the output terminal of the operational amplifier from one end of the sampling capacitor during the hold period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eiichi Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20210091777
    Abstract: Signal quality is improved in a circuit for amplifying and sampling an analog signal. An input signal is input to one end of an input-side resistor. An operational amplifier amplifies the input signal, and outputs the input signal from an output terminal as an amplified signal. One end of a filter capacitor is connected to an input terminal of the operational amplifier. A predetermined frequency component of the input signal passes through the filter capacitor. A sampling capacitor imports the amplified signal during a predetermined sampling period, and holds the amplified signal during a predetermined hold period. A sampling switch connects the output terminal of the operational amplifier to one end of the sampling capacitor during the sampling period, and disconnects the output terminal of the operational amplifier from one end of the sampling capacitor during the hold period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventor: EIICHI NAKAMOTO
  • Patent number: 10659074
    Abstract: To effectively suppress an idle tone in a delta-sigma modulator that generates a feedback signal by a digital-to-analog converter. A filter integrates a difference between an input analog signal and a feedback signal, and outputs the integrated difference as an integrated signal. A preceding-stage quantizer quantizes an integrated signal into a digital signal, and outputs the resulting digital signal as a preceding-stage output signal. An adder adds a predetermined dithering signal to a preceding-stage output signal, and outputs the resulting signal as a subsequent-stage input signal. A subsequent-stage quantizer configured to quantize the subsequent-stage input signal into a digital signal of a shorter number of bits than a preceding-stage output signal, and outputs the resulting digital signal as a subsequent-stage output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eiichi Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20190296763
    Abstract: To effectively suppress an idle tone in a delta-sigma modulator that generates a feedback signal by a digital-to-analog converter. A filter integrates a difference between an input analog signal and a feedback signal, and outputs the integrated difference as an integrated signal. A preceding-stage quantizer quantizes an integrated signal into a digital signal, and outputs the resulting digital signal as a preceding-stage output signal. An adder adds a predetermined dithering signal to a preceding-stage output signal, and outputs the resulting signal as a subsequent-stage input signal. A subsequent-stage quantizer configured to quantize the subsequent-stage input signal into a digital signal of a shorter number of bits than a preceding-stage output signal, and outputs the resulting digital signal as a subsequent-stage output signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventor: EIICHI NAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170330508
    Abstract: A pixel unit (P) of the invention includes a first input terminal (CKIN), a first output terminal (CKOUT), a signal generator (30), and a display device (25). The signal generator (30) is provided on a signal path extending from the first input terminal (CKIN) to the first output terminal (CKOUT). The signal generator (30) generates a second signal (CKA) on the basis of a first signal (CK) and outputs the generated second signal. The signal generator (30) generates a rising edge and a falling edge of the second signal (CKA) on the basis of one of a rising edge and a falling edge of the first signal (CK).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Inventors: KIYOHIRO SAITO, HIDEYUKI SUZUKI, EIICHI NAKAMOTO
  • Patent number: 9484932
    Abstract: A signal generation circuit includes a phase difference detector configured to detect a phase difference between a certain oscillation signal of a plurality of oscillation signals and a predetermined reference signal; an oscillator to which a plurality of delay elements are connected annularly, the oscillator being configured to generate the plurality of oscillation signals depending on the detected phase difference; a low-speed signal generation circuit configured to generate a low-speed signal having a lower frequency than the oscillation signal; a detection circuit configured to detect a difference between a predetermined reference timing and a timing at which the low-speed signal has changed; a selection unit configured to select the oscillation signal so that the phase difference with respect to the reference signal is close to the detected difference; and an output unit configured to output the generated low-speed signal in synchronization with the selected oscillation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuki Akutagawa, Yasunori Tsukuda, Eiichi Nakamoto, Akito Sekiya
  • Patent number: 9264051
    Abstract: A clock generation circuit includes a delay clock generation unit configured to generate a predetermined number of delay clock signals having different delay time periods for a reference clock signal; a low-speed clock generation unit configured to generate a low-speed clock signal having a lower frequency than the reference signal in accordance with a control signal that controls a phase; a control signal processing unit configured to perform, on the control signal, a quantization process for quantizing a value of the control signal into the predetermined number of discrete values and a modulation process for distributing a quantization error in the quantization process in a band of frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency; a selection unit configured to select any one of the predetermined number of delay signals in accordance with the control signal; and an output unit configured to output the low-speed signal in synchronization with the selected signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akito Sekiya, Eiichi Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20150229312
    Abstract: A clock generation circuit includes a delay clock generation unit configured to generate a predetermined number of delay clock signals having different delay time periods for a reference clock signal; a low-speed clock generation unit configured to generate a low-speed clock signal having a lower frequency than the reference signal in accordance with a control signal that controls a phase; a control signal processing unit configured to perform, on the control signal, a quantization process for quantizing a value of the control signal into the predetermined number of discrete values and a modulation process for distributing a quantization error in the quantization process in a band of frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency; a selection unit configured to select any one of the predetermined number of delay signals in accordance with the control signal; and an output unit configured to output the low-speed signal in synchronization with the selected signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Inventors: Akito Sekiya, Eiichi Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20150229313
    Abstract: A signal generation circuit includes a phase difference detector configured to detect a phase difference between a certain oscillation signal of a plurality of oscillation signals and a predetermined reference signal; an oscillator to which a plurality of delay elements are connected annularly, the oscillator being configured to generate the plurality of oscillation signals depending on the detected phase difference; a low-speed signal generation circuit configured to generate a low-speed signal having a lower frequency than the oscillation signal; a detection circuit configured to detect a difference between a predetermined reference timing and a timing at which the low-speed signal has changed; a selection unit configured to select the oscillation signal so that the phase difference with respect to the reference signal is close to the detected difference; and an output unit configured to output the generated low-speed signal in synchronization with the selected oscillation signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Inventors: Kazuki Akutagawa, Yasunori Tsukuda, Eiichi Nakamoto, Akito Sekiya