Patents by Inventor Makoto Kitagawa

Makoto Kitagawa 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: 20140177316
    Abstract: A method of operation of a non-volatile memory system includes: providing a resistive storage element having a high resistance state and a low resistance state; coupling an analog multiplexer to the resistive storage element for applying a bias voltage; and switching between a verification bias and a read bias through the analog multiplexer for increasing a read margin between the high resistance state and the low resistance state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Inventors: Wataru Otsuka, Jun Sumino, Tomohito Tsushima, Makoto Kitagawa, Takafumi Kunihiro
  • Patent number: 8743588
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a resistance-change memory device including a bit line; a voltage supplying layer; a memory element connected between the bit line and the voltage supplying layer, a resistance value of the memory element being changed in accordance with an applied voltage; and a drive controlling circuit causing a first current to flow through the bit line and causing a second current smaller than the first current to flow through the bit line, thereby controlling a resistance decreasing operation in which the memory element is made to transit from a high resistance state to a low resistance state by using the second current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kitagawa
  • Publication number: 20140022833
    Abstract: A storage apparatus includes: a plurality of storage elements configured to have the resistance state thereof changed in accordance with an applied voltage; and a drive portion configured to perform a resistance change operation and a read operation, the resistance change operation involving writing or erasing information to or from the storage elements by changing the resistance state thereof, the read operation involving reading the information from the storage elements; wherein the drive portion includes an amplifier configured to output a read signal upon execution of the read operation, a constant current load, and a control portion configured to perform the resistance change operation and a direct verify operation on the storage elements, the direct verify operation involving carrying out, subsequent to the resistance change operation, the read operation for verifying whether the writing or erasing of the information to or from the storage elements has been normally accomplished.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Tomohito Tsushima
  • Patent number: 8619183
    Abstract: In order to perform adjustment of relative positions between an optical system and imaging devices, a plurality of the imaging devices, a plurality of solid lenses that form images of the imaging devices, and a plurality of optical-axis control units that control the direction of optical axes of light incident to the imaging devices are included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ito, Makoto Kitagawa, Tomoya Shimura, Shinichi Arita, Satoru Inoue, Hirokazu Katakame, Sakae Saito, Shunichi Sato
  • Patent number: 8587986
    Abstract: A variable-resistance memory device includes: a memory cell including a memory element being variable in resistance in accordance with a polarity of an application voltage applied to the memory element in a set or reset operation and an access transistor connected to the memory element in series between first and second common lines; and a driving circuit including a first path transistor connected between a first supply line for supplying a first voltage and the first common line as well as a second path transistor connected between a second supply line for supplying a second voltage and the first common line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Kentaro Ogata
  • Patent number: 8576608
    Abstract: A memory apparatus includes: a plurality of memory cells which includes a first resistance change element; and a read-out circuit which determines the size of a resistance value of the first resistance change element by comparing the resistance state of a memory cell selected among the plurality of memory cells to the resistance state of a reference memory cell, wherein the reference memory cell includes a second resistance change element, a resistance value of the second resistance change element with respect to an applied voltage is smaller than that in a high resistance state of the first resistance change element, and the second resistance change element shows the same resistance change characteristic as the first resistance change element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohito Tsushima, Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Chieko Nakashima, Hiroshi Yoshihara, Kentaro Ogata
  • Patent number: 8570787
    Abstract: A storage apparatus includes: a plurality of storage elements configured to have the resistance state thereof changed in accordance with an applied voltage; and a drive portion configured to perform a resistance change operation and a read operation, the resistance change operation involving writing or erasing information to or from the storage elements by changing the resistance state thereof, the read operation involving reading the information from the storage elements; wherein the drive portion includes an amplifier configured to output a read signal upon execution of the read operation, a constant current load, and a control portion configured to perform the resistance change operation and a direct verify operation on the storage elements, the direct verify operation involving carrying out, subsequent to the resistance change operation, the read operation for verifying whether the writing or erasing of the information to or from the storage elements has been normally accomplished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Tomohito Tsushima
  • Patent number: 8559253
    Abstract: A variable-resistance memory device that includes a memory-cell array employing a plurality of memory cells each including a storage element and an access transistor. The storage element has a resistance varying in accordance with the direction of a voltage applied to the storage element and the access transistor is connected in series to the storage element between a bit line and a source line. A voltage supplying circuit sets a read voltage used for reading out the resistance of the storage element on a selected bit line connected to the memory cell serving as a read object in an operation to supply the read voltage to the selected bit line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Hiroshi Yoshihara
  • Patent number: 8482950
    Abstract: A non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes: a memory component in which an electric charge discharging rate between two electrodes is different in accordance with logic of stored information; a sense amplifier that detects the logic of the information by comparing a discharge electric potential of a wiring to which one of the electrodes of the memory component is connected with a reference electric potential; and a load capacitance changing unit that changes load capacitance of a sense node of the sense amplifier to which the discharge electric potential is input or both the load capacitance of the sense node and load capacitance of a reference node of the sense amplifier to which the reference electric potential is input in accordance with the logic of the information read out by the memory component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto
  • Patent number: 8416602
    Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes: a memory element in which a rate of charge discharge between two electrodes of the memory element differs according to a logical value of stored information; cell wiring connected to one electrode of the memory element; a sense amplifier having a sense node connected to the cell wiring, the sense amplifier reading the logical value of the information by comparing a potential of the sense node with a reference potential; and a readout control circuit capable of switching between a dynamic sense operation performing readout by precharging the cell wiring and discharging or charging the cell wiring via the memory element and a static sense operation performing readout in a state of a current load being connected to the sense node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Tomohito Tsushima
  • Patent number: 8379430
    Abstract: A memory device includes: a memory unit in which an electric charge discharging rate between two electrodes is different in accordance with logic of stored information; a sense amplifier that detects the logic of the information by comparing a discharge electric potential of a wiring to which one electrode of the memory unit is connected with a reference electric potential; and a replica circuit that has a replica unit emulating the memory unit and controls a sense timing of the sense amplifier in accordance with a discharge rate of the replica unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Hiroshi Yoshihara
  • Publication number: 20120320659
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a resistance-change memory device including a bit line; a voltage supplying layer; a memory element connected between the bit line and the voltage supplying layer, a resistance value of the memory element being changed in accordance with an applied voltage; and a drive controlling circuit causing a first current to flow through the bit line and causing a second current smaller than the first current to flow through the bit line, thereby controlling a resistance decreasing operation in which the memory element is made to transit from a high resistance state to a low resistance state by using the second current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Inventor: Makoto Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 8335117
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a memory device including: first and second wires; memory cells including a variable-resistance storage element having a data storage state making a transition by a change of a voltage applied and an access transistor connected in series between the first and second wires; driving control sections controlling a direct verify sub-operation by applying a write/erase pulse between the first and second wires in a data write/erase operation respectively for causing a cell current to flow between the first and second wires through the memory cell for a transition of the data storage state; sense amplifiers sensing an electric-potential change occurring on the first wire in accordance with control on the direct verify sub-operation; and inhibit control sections determining whether or not to inhibit a sense node of the sense amplifier from electrically changing at the next sensing time on the basis of an electric potential appearing at the sense node at the present sensing time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto
  • Publication number: 20120294064
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a variable-resistance memory device including a first common line; a second common line; a storage element connected between the first common line and the second common line to serve as a storage element whose resistance changes in accordance with a voltage applied to the storage element; and a driving control circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto
  • Publication number: 20120218809
    Abstract: A storage apparatus includes: a plurality of storage elements configured to have the resistance state thereof changed in accordance with an applied voltage; and a drive portion configured to perform a resistance change operation and a read operation, the resistance change operation involving writing or erasing information to or from the storage elements by changing the resistance state thereof, the read operation involving reading the information from the storage elements; wherein the drive portion includes an amplifier configured to output a read signal upon execution of the read operation, a constant current load, and a control portion configured to perform the resistance change operation and a direct verify operation on the storage elements, the direct verify operation involving carrying out, subsequent to the resistance change operation, the read operation for verifying whether the writing or erasing of the information to or from the storage elements has been normally accomplished.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Tomohito Tsushima
  • Publication number: 20120212994
    Abstract: A memory apparatus includes: a plurality of memory cells which includes a first resistance change element; and a read-out circuit which determines the size of a resistance value of the first resistance change element by comparing the resistance state of a memory cell selected among the plurality of memory cells to the resistance state of a reference memory cell, wherein the reference memory cell includes a second resistance change element, a resistance value of the second resistance change element with respect to an applied voltage is smaller than that in a high resistance state of the first resistance change element, and the second resistance change element shows the same resistance change characteristic as the first resistance change element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2011
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohito Tsushima, Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Chieko Nakashima, Hiroshi Yoshihara, Kentaro Ogata
  • Patent number: 8238132
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a memory cell array having a plurality of memory cells arranged in arrays; a plurality of bit lines formed correspondingly to a column arrangement of the memory cells; a plurality of word lines formed correspondingly to a row arrangement of the memory cells; a plate line having one of a configuration in which the first electrodes of the respective memory cells are included in the plate line and a configuration in which the first electrodes are connected to the plate line; a column switch used to connect a selected bit line and a data access line; and a pre-charge portion that performs a pre-charge operation to pre-charge a non-selected bit line not selected by the column switch to potential of the plate line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 8238138
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a semiconductor memory device including: a bit line and a sense line; a data storage element having a data storage state changing in accordance with a voltage applied to the bit line; a first switch for controlling connection of the sense line to the bit line; a data latch circuit having a second data holding node and a first data holding node connected to the sense line; and a second switch for controlling connection of the second data holding node of the data latch circuit to the bit line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 8223530
    Abstract: A variable-resistance memory device includes: memory cells; first wires; a second wire; a drive/control section; and a sense amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kitagawa
  • Publication number: 20120163438
    Abstract: A signal processing device includes a mixer 6 to perform frequency conversion of a received high-frequency signal into an intermediate-frequency signal corresponding to signal components of a desired channel, an ADC 8 to convert the intermediate-frequency signal into a digital signal, and a digital demodulation unit 300 to demodulate the digital signal. The demodulation unit 300 includes a band limiting filter 9 to switch a pass band for the digital signal, and a detecting unit 10 to detect a power distribution of the signal components of the desired channel and a power distribution of signal components of a neighboring channel adjacent to the desired channel from the digital signal before being input to the filter 9, wherein the pass band of the filter 9 is switched to a pass band selected based on the power distributions of the desired and neighboring channels detected by the detecting unit 10.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: MITSUMI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masanobu Fujii, Makoto Kitagawa, Kiminori Yashima