Abstract: According to one embodiment, a solid-state imaging device includes a photoelectric conversion section, first circuit, second circuit, and third circuit. The photoelectric conversion section generates signal charge corresponding to the intensity of the irradiation light. The first circuit reads the signal charge generated by the photoelectric conversion section. The second circuit detects that the signal charge in the photoelectric conversion section has overflowed. The third circuit produces a signal corresponding to the time elapsed from the start of generation of the signal charge in the photoelectric conversion section, and holds and reads the signal at a timing at which the overflow has been detected by the second circuit.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an A/D converter includes a determination circuit configured to determine whether a first analog signal is greater than a second analog signal or not, the first analog signal being a present A/D conversion target, the second analog signal being an immediately preceding A/D conversion target, a calculation circuit configured to add a reference voltage to a difference obtained by subtracting the second analog signal from the first analog signal, a generation circuit configured to generate a comparison voltage, a comparator configured to compare a calculated value of the calculation circuit with the comparison voltage, and a conversion circuit configured to convert a period into a digital signal, the period being required until the calculated value is identical with the comparison voltage by the comparator.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an A/D converter includes a determination circuit configured to determine whether a first analog signal is greater than a second analog signal or not, the first analog signal being a present A/D conversion target, the second analog signal being an immediately preceding A/D conversion target, a calculation circuit configured to add a reference voltage to a difference obtained by subtracting the second analog signal from the first analog signal, a generation circuit configured to generate a comparison voltage, a comparator configured to compare a calculated value of the calculation circuit with the comparison voltage, and a conversion circuit configured to convert a period into a digital signal, the period being required until the calculated value is identical with the comparison voltage by the comparator.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a solid-state imaging device includes a photoelectric conversion section, first circuit, second circuit, and third circuit. The photoelectric conversion section generates signal charge corresponding to the intensity of the irradiation light. The first circuit reads the signal charge generated by the photoelectric conversion section. The second circuit detects that the signal charge in the photoelectric conversion section has overflowed. The third circuit produces a signal corresponding to the time elapsed from the start of generation of the signal charge in the photoelectric conversion section, and holds and reads the signal at a timing at which the overflow has been detected by the second circuit.

Abstract: Sunlight passes through the light-transmission sections of a periodic pattern reticle of a sun sensor, and light components thus divided at regular intervals are incident on the light-receiving surface of a photoelectric converting section. The photoelectric converting section transfers charges stored in the light-receiving sections, in response to a pulse signal from a transfer pulse-generating section, to convert the light intensity distribution to a time series signal. A reference phase signal-generating section generates a reference phase signal whose polarity is inverted at an interval corresponding to the width and interval of the light-transmission sections, based on the pulse signal from the transfer pulse generator. An error voltage-detecting section multiplies the reference phase signal by the time series signal, and integrates the result of multiplication to detect an error voltage corresponding to the phase difference between the two signals.