Patents by Inventor Naofumi Sakaguchi

Naofumi Sakaguchi 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).

  • Patent number: 10194110
    Abstract: This solid-state imaging device includes a first substrate and a second substrate which have circuit elements constituting pixels disposed therein are electrically connected to each other. The pixels includes: a photoelectric conversion element disposed in the first substrate; an amplifier circuit that amplifies a signal generated in the photoelectric conversion element to output the amplified signal; a signal accumulation circuit which is disposed in the second substrate and accumulates the amplified signal which is output from the amplifier circuit; and an output circuit that outputs the amplified signal accumulated in the signal accumulation circuit from the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Gomi, Hideki Kato, Naofumi Sakaguchi, Naoto Fukuoka
  • Publication number: 20180124347
    Abstract: This solid-state imaging device includes a first substrate and a second substrate which have circuit elements constituting pixels disposed therein are electrically connected to each other. The pixels includes: a photoelectric conversion element disposed in the first substrate; an amplifier circuit that amplifies a signal generated in the photoelectric conversion element to output the amplified signal; a signal accumulation circuit which is disposed in the second substrate and accumulates the amplified signal which is output from the amplifier circuit; and an output circuit that outputs the amplified signal accumulated in the signal accumulation circuit from the pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Gomi, Hideki Kato, Naofumi Sakaguchi, Naoto Fukuoka
  • Patent number: 9961286
    Abstract: There are provided a first semiconductor substrate in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion circuits, which are some circuit elements of the pixel cells including the photoelectric conversion unit, are formed in a two-dimensional matrix, a second semiconductor substrate in which a plurality of memory circuits, which are some other circuit elements of the pixel cells, are formed in a two-dimensional matrix, wherein the some other circuit elements of the pixel cells include memory units that correspond to the photoelectric conversion circuits, store electric signals output by the photoelectric conversion units, and output pixel signals according to the electric signals, and a connection electrode electrically connected to a signal line of the photoelectric conversion circuits and a signal line of the memory circuits, wherein the pixel cells are divided into a plurality of pixel groups in which the pixel cells are combined so that adjacent pixel cells are not included if pixel cells corresponding to ligh
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Takemoto, Naofumi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 9888199
    Abstract: This solid-state imaging device includes a first substrate and a second substrate which have circuit elements constituting pixels disposed therein are electrically connected to each other. The pixels includes: a photoelectric conversion element disposed in the first substrate; an amplifier circuit that amplifies a signal generated in the photoelectric conversion element to output the amplified signal; a signal accumulation circuit which is disposed in the second substrate and accumulates the amplified signal which is output from the amplifier circuit; and an output circuit that outputs the amplified signal accumulated in the signal accumulation circuit from the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Gomi, Hideki Kato, Naofumi Sakaguchi, Naoto Fukuoka
  • Publication number: 20170171484
    Abstract: There are provided a first semiconductor substrate in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion circuits, which are some circuit elements of the pixel cells including the photoelectric conversion unit, are formed in a two-dimensional matrix, a second semiconductor substrate in which a plurality of memory circuits, which are some other circuit elements of the pixel cells, are formed in a two-dimensional matrix, wherein the some other circuit elements of the pixel cells include memory units that correspond to the photoelectric conversion circuits, store electric signals output by the photoelectric conversion units, and output pixel signals according to the electric signals, and a connection electrode electrically connected to a signal line of the photoelectric conversion circuits and a signal line of the memory circuits, wherein the pixel cells are divided into a plurality of pixel groups in which the pixel cells are combined so that adjacent pixel cells are not included if pixel cells corresponding to ligh
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Takemoto, Naofumi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 9473720
    Abstract: A solid-state image-capturing device has a plurality of pixels and first and second substrates in which circuit elements constituting the pixels are arranged and which are electrically connected through a connection unit. The solid-state image-capturing device includes: a photoelectric conversion element included in the pixel of the first substrate; a first current source; a first amplification transistor having a source or a drain connected to the first current source and a gate to which a signal generated by the photoelectric conversion element is input; a second current source; a switch configured to switch ON and OFF of a connection between a vertical signal line and the second current source and to be turned off when the gate of the first amplification transistor is reset; a voltage output circuit configured to output a power supply voltage to the vertical signal line when the gate of the first amplification transistor is reset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Naofumi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 9349761
    Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a first substrate including first pixels arranged in a matrix; and a second substrate electrically coupled to the first substrate and including second pixels arranged in a matrix. The first pixel including a photoelectric conversion element configured to generate a color signal corresponding to an m-th color is the first pixel corresponding to the m-th color where m is an integer equal to one of 1 to n. The second pixel including the signal storing circuit configured to store the color signal corresponding to the m-th color is the second pixel corresponding to the m-th color. At least two second pixels of the second pixels corresponding to the same color are arranged in the same column on the second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naofumi Sakaguchi, Shinichi Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20160134824
    Abstract: This solid-state imaging device includes a first substrate and a second substrate which have circuit elements constituting pixels disposed therein are electrically connected to each other. The pixels includes: a photoelectric conversion element disposed in the first substrate; an amplifier circuit that amplifies a signal generated in the photoelectric conversion element to output the amplified signal; a signal accumulation circuit which is disposed in the second substrate and accumulates the amplified signal which is output from the amplifier circuit; and an output circuit that outputs the amplified signal accumulated in the signal accumulation circuit from the pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Gomi, Hideki Kato, Naofumi Sakaguchi, Naoto Fukuoka
  • Patent number: 9257468
    Abstract: This solid-state imaging device includes a first substrate and a second substrate which have circuit elements constituting pixels disposed therein are electrically connected to each other. The pixels includes: a photoelectric conversion element disposed in the first substrate; an amplifier circuit that amplifies a signal generated in the photoelectric conversion element to output the amplified signal; a signal accumulation circuit which is disposed in the second substrate and accumulates the amplified signal which is output from the amplifier circuit; and an output circuit that outputs the amplified signal accumulated in the signal accumulation circuit from the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Gomi, Hideki Kato, Naofumi Sakaguchi, Naoto Fukuoka
  • Publication number: 20150341582
    Abstract: A solid-state image-capturing device has a plurality of pixels and first and second substrates in which circuit elements constituting the pixels are arranged and which are electrically connected through a connection unit. The solid-state image-capturing device includes: a photoelectric conversion element included in the pixel of the first substrate; a first current source; a first amplification transistor having a source or a drain connected to the first current source and a gate to which a signal generated by the photoelectric conversion element is input; a second current source; a switch configured to switch ON and OFF of a connection between a vertical signal line and the second current source and to be turned off when the gate of the first amplification transistor is reset; a voltage output circuit configured to output a power supply voltage to the vertical signal line when the gate of the first amplification transistor is reset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Naofumi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 9070796
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device generates signals by photoelectric conversion elements included in a first substrate in which circuit elements of a plurality of pixels are arranged. The solid-state imaging device outputs, from the plurality of pixels via output circuits, the signals that are generated by the photoelectric conversion elements and are via connection parts that electrically connect the first substrate with a second substrate, the output circuits being included in the second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Naofumi Sakaguchi
  • Publication number: 20140139713
    Abstract: This solid-state imaging device includes a first substrate and a second substrate which have circuit elements constituting pixels disposed therein are electrically connected to each other. The pixels includes: a photoelectric conversion element disposed in the first substrate; an amplifier circuit that amplifies a signal generated in the photoelectric conversion element to output the amplified signal; a signal accumulation circuit which is disposed in the second substrate and accumulates the amplified signal which is output from the amplifier circuit; and an output circuit that outputs the amplified signal accumulated in the signal accumulation circuit from the pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Gomi, Hideki Kato, Naofumi Sakaguchi, Naoto Fukuoka
  • Patent number: 8294799
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus including: a pixel section having two-dimensionally arranged pixels each containing a photoelectric conversion device for converting a light signal into a signal electric charge and accumulating the signal electric charge, an amplification means for amplifying and outputting as a pixel signal the signal electric charges accumulated at the photoelectric conversion device, a transfer means for transferring the accumulated signal electric charges to the amplification means, and a reset means for resetting the signal electric charges; a vertical scanning section for outputting a vertical scanning signal to drive/control the pixel section row by row; and a vertical selecting section for generating a row transfer signal in accordance with the vertical scanning signal to drive the transfer means and for generating a row reset signal having a falling edge delayed by a predetermined amount from the row transfer signal to drive the reset means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Naofumi Sakaguchi
  • Publication number: 20090303367
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus including: a pixel section having two-dimensionally arranged pixels each containing a photoelectric conversion device for converting a light signal into a signal electric charge and accumulating the signal electric charge, an amplification means for amplifying and outputting as a pixel signal the signal electric charges accumulated at the photoelectric conversion device, a transfer means for transferring the accumulated signal electric charges to the amplification means, and a reset means for resetting the signal electric charges; a vertical scanning section for outputting a vertical scanning signal to drive/control the pixel section row by row; and a vertical selecting section for generating a row transfer signal in accordance with the vertical scanning signal to drive the transfer means and for generating a row reset signal having a falling edge delayed by a predetermined amount from the row transfer signal to drive the reset means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Naofumi Sakaguchi