Patents by Inventor Osamu SARUWATARI

Osamu SARUWATARI 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: 10958856
    Abstract: A solid-state image sensor includes: a plurality of pixels, each including a photoelectric conversion unit and a charge accumulating unit that accumulates an electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit; and a connection unit that includes a plurality of linking units each of which electrically connects the charge accumulating units of two adjacent pixels among the plurality of pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Komai, Yoshiyuki Watanabe, Osamu Saruwatari
  • Patent number: 10944924
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a first semiconductor substrate provided with a pixel, including a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge, an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, and a second semiconductor substrate provided with a supply unit for the pixel, the supply unit supplying the transfer unit with a transfer signal to transfer the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osamu Saruwatari, Shutaro Kato, Ryoji Ando, Yojiro Tezuka, Atsushi Komai
  • Patent number: 10904463
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a first semiconductor substrate provided with a pixel, including a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge, an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, and a second semiconductor substrate provided with a supply unit for the pixel, the supply unit supplying the transfer unit with a transfer signal to transfer the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osamu Saruwatari, Shutaro Kato, Ryoji Ando, Yojiro Tezuka, Atsushi Komai
  • Publication number: 20200243586
    Abstract: An image sensor includes: an accumulation unit that accumulates an electric charge generated by a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light transmitted through a microlens; and a readout unit that reads out a signal based on a voltage of the accumulation unit, wherein the accumulation unit and the readout unit are included along an optical axis direction of the microlens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Osamu SARUWATARI
  • Patent number: 10638067
    Abstract: A solid-state image sensor includes: a plurality of pixels, each including a photoelectric conversion unit and a charge accumulating unit that accumulates an electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit; and a connection unit that includes a plurality of linking units each of which electrically connects the charge accumulating units of two adjacent pixels among the plurality of pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Komai, Yoshiyuki Watanabe, Osamu Saruwatari
  • Patent number: 10600827
    Abstract: An image sensor includes: an accumulation unit that accumulates an electric charge generated by a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light transmitted through a microlens; and a readout unit that reads out a signal based on a voltage of the accumulation unit, wherein the accumulation unit and the readout unit are included along an optical axis direction of the microlens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Osamu Saruwatari
  • Publication number: 20200014870
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a first voltage source that supplies a first voltage and a plurality of pixels supplied with the first voltage. The pixel includes a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light, an accumulation unit to which an electric charge resulting from photoelectric conversion by the photoelectric conversion unit is transferred and accumulated, a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit; a second voltage source that supplies a second voltage, and a supply unit that supplies the transfer unit with a transfer signal based on either the first voltage supplied by the first voltage source or the second voltage supplied by the second voltage source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Osamu SARUWATARI
  • Publication number: 20190394412
    Abstract: A solid-state image sensor includes: a plurality of pixels, each including a photoelectric conversion unit and a charge accumulating unit that accumulates an electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit; and a connection unit that includes a plurality of linking units each of which electrically connects the charge accumulating units of two adjacent pixels among the plurality of pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi KOMAI, Yoshiyuki WATANABE, Osamu SARUWATARI
  • Patent number: 10455173
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a first voltage source that supplies a first voltage and a plurality of pixels supplied with the first voltage. The pixel includes a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light, an accumulation unit to which an electric charge resulting from photoelectric conversion by the photoelectric conversion unit is transferred and accumulated, a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit; a second voltage source that supplies a second voltage, and a supply unit that supplies the transfer unit with a transfer signal based on either the first voltage supplied by the first voltage source or the second voltage supplied by the second voltage source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Osamu Saruwatari
  • Publication number: 20190191111
    Abstract: An image-capturing device allowing skew reduction, and an image-capturing system allowing skew reduction are provided. An image-capturing device is provided, including a plurality of photoelectric converting units; and a plurality of light-receiving units that are arranged corresponding to a plurality of blocks each constituted by one or more photoelectric converting units, and receive drive light instructing driving of the photoelectric converting units to output a drive signal to a corresponding photoelectric converting unit among the photoelectric converting units. In addition, an image-capturing system is provided, including the image-capturing device; and a light-emitting unit that is spaced apart from the plurality of light-receiving units, and emits the drive light to the plurality of light-receiving units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro JUEN, Toru TAKAGI, Osamu SARUWATARI, Wataru FUNAMIZU, Sota NAKANISHI
  • Publication number: 20180288348
    Abstract: An image sensor includes: an accumulation unit that accumulates an electric charge generated by a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light transmitted through a microlens; and a readout unit that reads out a signal based on a voltage of the accumulation unit, wherein the accumulation unit and the readout unit are included along an optical axis direction of the microlens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Osamu SARUWATARI
  • Publication number: 20180278873
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a first voltage source that supplies a first voltage and a plurality of pixels supplied with the first voltage. The pixel includes a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light, an accumulation unit to which an electric charge resulting from photoelectric conversion by the photoelectric conversion unit is transferred and accumulated, a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit; a second voltage source that supplies a second voltage, and a supply unit that supplies the transfer unit with a transfer signal based on either the first voltage supplied by the first voltage source or the second voltage supplied by the second voltage source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Osamu SARUWATARI
  • Publication number: 20180278860
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a first semiconductor substrate provided with a pixel, including a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge, an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, and a second semiconductor substrate provided with a supply unit for the pixel, the supply unit supplying the transfer unit with a transfer signal to transfer the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osamu SARUWATARI, Shutaro KATO, Ryoji ANDO, Yojiro TEZUKA, Atsushi KOMAI
  • Patent number: 10026768
    Abstract: A detector comprises a plurality of photoelectric converters to output an electrical signal corresponding to an incident light, and a plurality of filter circuits provided corresponding to each of the plurality of photoelectric converters or to each of a plurality of element groups respectively including a predetermined number of the photoelectric converters of the plurality of photoelectric converters, the plurality of filter circuits attenuating a signal having a predetermined frequency from the electrical signal output from the plurality of photoelectric converters, In the above-described detector, the plurality of photoelectric converters may be provided in a first substrate, and the plurality of filter circuits may be provided in a second substrate laminated on the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osamu Saruwatari, Shigeru Aoki, Kazuya Okamoto, Isao Sugaya, Masashi Okada, Hiroshi Ohki
  • Publication number: 20170069677
    Abstract: A detector comprises a plurality of photoelectric converters to output an electrical signal corresponding to an incident light, and a plurality of filter circuits provided corresponding to each of the plurality of photoelectric converters or to each of a plurality of element groups respectively including a predetermined number of the photoelectric converters of the plurality of photoelectric converters, the plurality of filter circuits attenuating a signal having a predetermined frequency from the electrical signal output from the plurality of photoelectric converters, In the above-described detector, the plurality of photoelectric converters may be provided in a first substrate, and the plurality of filter circuits may be provided in a second substrate laminated on the first substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osamu SARUWATARI, Shigeru AOKI, Kazuya OKAMOTO, Isao SUGAYA, Masashi OKADA, Hiroshi OHKI
  • Publication number: 20160373668
    Abstract: A solid-state image sensor includes: a plurality of pixels, each including a photoelectric conversion unit and a charge accumulating unit that accumulates an electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit; and a connection unit that includes a plurality of linking units each of which electrically connects the charge accumulating units of two adjacent pixels among the plurality of pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi KOMAI, Yoshiyuki WATANABE, Osamu SARUWATARI