Patents by Inventor Hiroki Inoue

Hiroki Inoue 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: 20160126268
    Abstract: Certain embodiments provide a solid-state imaging device including: a semiconductor substrate having a top surface on which a light receiving section that receives light is provided, the semiconductor substrate having a through hole which is provided in a part of the semiconductor substrate; an electrode pad provided on the top surface side of the semiconductor substrate including an area right above the through hole to be in contact with the first wiring, the electrode pad having a slit between the area right above the through hole and the first wiring; an insulating film provided on a side surface of the through hole; and a second wiring provided on the insulating film to be in contact with the electrode pad.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hiroki INOUE, Hiroshi Iizuka
  • Patent number: 9311982
    Abstract: A highly reliable semiconductor device. In a configuration where a precharged source line is discharged to a bit line by establishing electrical continuity between the source line and the bit line through a transistor to read a potential retained at a gate of the transistor, the potential of the bit line is switched in accordance with a change in potential of the source line due to the discharge. With this configuration, the voltage between the source and drain of the transistor can be kept lower than a predetermined voltage by discharge. Accordingly, the source-drain voltage of the transistor can be kept lower than its breakdown voltage, so that the semiconductor device can have high reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takanori Matsuzaki, Hiroki Inoue
  • Patent number: 9299813
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including a nonvolatile memory cell in which a writing transistor which includes an oxide semiconductor, a reading transistor which includes a semiconductor material different from that of the writing transistor, and a capacitor are included is provided. Data is written to the memory cell by turning on the writing transistor and applying a potential to a node where a source electrode (or a drain electrode) of the writing transistor, one electrode of the capacitor, and a gate electrode of the reading transistor are electrically connected, and then turning off the writing transistor, so that the predetermined amount of charge is held in the node. Further, when a p-channel transistor is used as the reading transistor, a reading potential is a positive potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Inoue, Kiyoshi Kato, Takanori Matsuzaki, Shuhei Nagatsuka
  • Patent number: 9290487
    Abstract: Provided is a compound represented by the following general formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. This novel compound has a glycogen-synthase activation ability, but activates a receptor PPAR to a low degree and is highly safe. In the formula, Ar is an aromatic carbocyclic ring or a heterocyclic ring; and Ar2 is represented by any one of the following rings and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: AJINOMOTO CO., INC.
    Inventors: Tadakiyo Nakagawa, Kayo Matsumoto, Sen Takeshita, Tomomi Yoshida, Munetaka Tokumasu, Hiroki Inoue, Kaori Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20160064383
    Abstract: A semiconductor device with a novel structure in which stored data can be held even when power is not supplied and there is no limitation on the number of times of writing. In the semiconductor device, a plurality of memory cells each including a first transistor, a second transistor, and a capacitor is provided in matrix and a wiring (also called a bit line) for connecting one memory cell to another memory cell and a source or drain electrode of the first transistor are electrically connected to each other through a source or drain electrode of the second transistor. Accordingly, the number of wirings can be smaller than that in the case where the source or drain electrode of the first transistor and the source or drain electrode of the second transistor are connected to different wirings. Thus, the degree of integration of the semiconductor device can be increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Inventors: Kiyoshi KATO, Shuhei NAGATSUKA, Hiroki INOUE, Takanori MATSUZAKI
  • Publication number: 20160064444
    Abstract: An imaging device capable of obtaining high-quality imaging data is provided. The imaging device includes a first circuit, a second circuit and a third circuit. The first circuit includes a photoelectric conversion element, a plurality of transistors including an amplifier transistor, and a plurality of capacitors. The second circuit includes a transistor. The third circuit includes a resistor and a transistor for controlling a current flowing in the resistor. The output signal of the imaging device is determined in accordance with the current flowing in the resistor. Variations in electrical characteristics of the amplifier transistor included in the first circuit can be compensated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Inventors: Hiroki INOUE, Yoshiyuki KUROKAWA, Takayuki IKEDA, Yuki OKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20160064443
    Abstract: An imaging device capable of obtaining high-quality imaging data is provided. The imaging device includes a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit includes a photoelectric conversion element, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a fourth transistor, a fifth transistor, a sixth transistor, a seventh transistor, a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a third capacitor. The second circuit includes an eighth transistor. Variation in threshold voltage of an amplifier transistor (the fifth transistor) included in the first circuit can be compensated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Inventors: Hiroki INOUE, Yoshiyuki KUROKAWA, Takayuki IKEDA, Yuki OKAMOTO
  • Patent number: 9270173
    Abstract: A DC converter circuit having high reliability is provided. The DC converter circuit includes: an inductor configured to generate electromotive force in accordance with a change in flowing current; a transistor including a gate, a source, and a drain, which is configured to control generation of the electromotive force in the inductor by being on or off; a rectifier in a conducting state when the transistor is off; and a control circuit configured to control on and off of the transistor. The transistor includes an oxide semiconductor layer whose hydrogen concentration is less than or equal to 5×1019 atoms/cm3 as a channel formation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kei Takahashi, Yoshiaki Ito, Hiroki Inoue, Tatsuji Nishijima
  • Publication number: 20160027784
    Abstract: The semiconductor device includes a source line, a bit line, a signal line, a word line, memory cells connected in parallel between the source line and the bit line, a first driver circuit electrically connected to the source line and the bit line through switching elements, a second driver circuit electrically connected to the source line through a switching element, a third driver circuit electrically connected to the signal line, and a fourth driver circuit electrically connected to the word line. The memory cell includes a first transistor including a first gate electrode, a first source electrode, and a first drain electrode, a second transistor including a second gate electrode, a second source electrode, and a second drain electrode, and a capacitor. The second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Jun KOYAMA, Kiyoshi KATO, Shuhei NAGATSUKA, Takanori MATSUZAKI, Hiroki INOUE
  • Patent number: 9245650
    Abstract: A sample-and-hold circuit including a transistor and a capacitor is connected to the differential circuit. The sample-and-hold circuit acquires voltage for correcting the offset voltage of the differential circuit by charging or discharging the capacitor through sampling operation. Then, it holds the potential of the capacitor through holding operation. In normal operation of the differential circuit, the output potential of the differential circuit is corrected by the potential held by the capacitor. The transistor in the sample-and-hold circuit is preferably a transistor whose channel is formed using an oxide semiconductor. An oxide semiconductor transistor has extremely low leakage current; thus, a change in the potential held in the capacitor of the sample-and-hold circuit can be minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Inoue, Kei Takahashi, Tatsuya Onuki
  • Patent number: 9240244
    Abstract: To read multilevel data from a memory cell having a transistor using silicon and a transistor using an oxide semiconductor, without switching a signal for reading the multilevel data in accordance with the number of the levels of the multilevel data. The potential of the bit line is precharged, the electrical charge of the bit line is discharged via a transistor for writing data, and the potential of the bit line which is changed by the discharging is read as multilevel data. With such a structure, the potential corresponding to data held in a gate of the transistor can be read by only one-time switching of a signal for reading data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuhei Nagatsuka, Hiroki Inoue, Takahiko Ishizu, Takanori Matsuzaki, Yutaka Shionoiri, Kiyoshi Kato
  • Patent number: 9239676
    Abstract: An information management apparatus includes a processor, and a memory configured to store computer-readable instructions. The instructions instruct the information management apparatus to execute steps including acquiring stroke data of a trajectory of an approaching writing device detected by a detection portion capable of detecting the trajectory and including data of the trajectory of the writing device corresponding to schedule information written on a paper medium, generating image data of the trajectory based on the acquired stroke data, generating text data based on the acquired stroke data, and registering and managing the schedule information identified from the text data and the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroki Inoue
  • Patent number: 9234746
    Abstract: Laser light is emitted to a sheet member wound on a forming drum in a range which includes the entire width of the sheet member and distance data on a distance to a reflecting surface is obtained, using a two-dimensional laser sensor which has a detection range along a drum circumferential direction, while moving either the two-dimensional laser sensor or the forming drum in a drum width direction. Further, the positions of width-directional opposite end sections of the sheet member are calculated on the basis of the obtained distance data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE & RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki Inoue, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Nobuhiro Tani, Toshihide Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20160005250
    Abstract: A smart system locks a door of a vehicle when there is a user's instruction to lock the door when a first portable device in which first identification information is stored is outside the vehicle and a second portable device in which second identification information is stored is inside the vehicle, and controls the power supply state from a normal state to a power supply continuation state in which power continues to be supplied only to a predetermined power supply continuation device in the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroki INOUE
  • Publication number: 20150380450
    Abstract: An imaging device with high productivity and improved dynamic range is provided. The imaging device includes a pixel driver circuit and a photoelectric conversion element including a p-type semiconductor, an n-type semiconductor, and an i-type semiconductor. In a plan view, the total area of a part of the i-type semiconductor overlapped with neither a metal material nor a semiconductor material constituting the pixel driver circuit is preferably greater than or equal to 65%, more preferably greater than or equal to 80%, and still more preferably greater than or equal to 90% of the area of the whole i-type semiconductor. Plural photoelectric conversion elements are provided in the same semiconductor, whereby a process for separating the photoelectric conversion elements can be omitted. The i-type semiconductors in the plural photoelectric conversion elements are separated from each other by the p-type semiconductor or the n-type semiconductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Yuki OKAMOTO, Yoshiyuki KUROKAWA, Hiroki INOUE, Takuro OHMARU
  • Publication number: 20150368242
    Abstract: An object is to provide a novel compound having a higher MGAT2 inhibitory activity than conventional compounds. A compound represented by the following general formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Applicant: Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Suzuki, Hiroki Inoue, Kayo Matsumoto, Takahiro Koshiba, Koji Ohsumi, Hiroki Ozawa, Munetaka Tokumasu, Masatsugu Noguchi
  • Patent number: 9196345
    Abstract: In a memory cell including first to third transistors, the potential of a bit line is set to VDD or GND when data is written through the first transistor. In a standby period, the potential of the bit line is set to GND. In reading operation, the bit line is brought into a floating state at GND, and a source line is set to a potential VDD??, consequently, the third transistor is turned on. Then, the potential of the source line is output according to the potential of a gate of the second transistor. Note that ? is set so that the second transistor is surely off even when the potential of the gate of the second transistor becomes lower from VDD by ?V in the standby period. That is, Vth+?V<? is satisfied where Vth is the threshold value of the second transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Inoue, Takanori Matsuzaki, Tomoaki Atsumi
  • Publication number: 20150329472
    Abstract: The present invention provides a halogenated aniline represented by formula (I) (wherein each of X1 and X2 independently represents a chlorine atom, a bromine atom or an iodine atom), a method for producing the halogenated aniline, and other aspects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: NIPPON SODA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki Inoue, Yuzuru Sakata, Shinichi Kobayashi, Yoshikazu Ito, Takashi Kitayama
  • Patent number: 9190413
    Abstract: A semiconductor device with a novel structure in which stored data can be held even when power is not supplied and there is no limitation on the number of times of writing. In the semiconductor device, a plurality of memory cells each including a first transistor, a second transistor, and a capacitor is provided in matrix and a wiring (also called a bit line) for connecting one memory cell to another memory cell and a source or drain electrode of the first transistor are electrically connected to each other through a source or drain electrode of the second transistor. Accordingly, the number of wirings can be smaller than that in the case where the source or drain electrode of the first transistor and the source or drain electrode of the second transistor are connected to different wirings. Thus, the degree of integration of the semiconductor device can be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Kato, Shuhei Nagatsuka, Hiroki Inoue, Takanori Matsuzaki
  • Publication number: 20150310906
    Abstract: A highly reliable semiconductor device. In a configuration where a precharged source line is discharged to a bit line by establishing electrical continuity between the source line and the bit line through a transistor to read a potential retained at a gate of the transistor, the potential of the bit line is switched in accordance with a change in potential of the source line due to the discharge. With this configuration, the voltage between the source and drain of the transistor can be kept lower than a predetermined voltage by discharge. Accordingly, the source-drain voltage of the transistor can be kept lower than its breakdown voltage, so that the semiconductor device can have high reliability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Inventors: Takanori MATSUZAKI, Hiroki INOUE