Patents by Inventor Shiro Tsunai
Shiro Tsunai 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: 20240334086Abstract: An imaging element includes: an imaging unit in which a plurality of pixel groups including a plurality of pixels that output pixel signals according to incident light are formed, and on which incident light corresponding to mutually different pieces of image information is incident; a control unit that controls, for each of the pixel groups, a period of accumulating in the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group; and a readout unit that is provided to each of the pixel groups, and reads out the pixel signals from the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2024Publication date: October 3, 2024Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Shiro TSUNAI, Hironobu MURATA
-
Patent number: 12088943Abstract: An imaging element includes: an imaging unit in which a plurality of pixel groups including a plurality of pixels that output pixel signals according to incident light are formed, and on which incident light corresponding to mutually different pieces of image information is incident; a control unit that controls, for each of the pixel groups, a period of accumulating in the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group; and a readout unit that is provided to each of the pixel groups, and reads out the pixel signals from the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2023Date of Patent: September 10, 2024Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Shiro Tsunai, Hironobu Murata
-
Publication number: 20240031701Abstract: An imaging element comprising: an imaging unit that has: a plurality of groups each including at least one pixel; and a plurality of signal readout units that are each provided to each of the groups and read out a signal from the pixel; and a control unit that controls the signal readout unit in at least one group among the plurality of groups is provided. Each of the plurality of groups may include a plurality of the pixels. The control unit may select at least one group among the plurality of groups and control the signal readout unit by using a control parameter that is different from a control parameter that is used for another group among the plurality of groups.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2023Publication date: January 25, 2024Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Takashi KURIYAMA, Hironobu MURATA, Shiro TSUNAI, Tetsuya KONISHI, Masahiro SUZUKI
-
Patent number: 11825225Abstract: An imaging element comprising: an imaging unit that has: a plurality of groups each including at least one pixel; and a plurality of signal readout units that are each provided to each of the groups and read out a signal from the pixel; and a control unit that controls the signal readout unit in at least one group among the plurality of groups is provided. Each of the plurality of groups may include a plurality of the pixels. The control unit may select at least one group among the plurality of groups and control the signal readout unit by using a control parameter that is different from a control parameter that is used for another group among the plurality of groups.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2018Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Takashi Kuriyama, Hironobu Murata, Shiro Tsunai, Tetsuya Konishi, Masahiro Suzuki
-
Publication number: 20230362504Abstract: When the amplification ratio is low and strong incident light causes a large charge, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is weak is also weak, but when the amplification ratio is high in regions where the incident light is weak, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is strong becomes saturated. Therefore, the dynamic range of the imaging unit is narrow. Provided is an imaging unit comprising an imaging section that includes a first group having one or more pixels and a second group having one or more pixels different from those of the first group; and a control section that, while a single charge accumulation is performed in the first group, causes pixel signals to be output by performing charge accumulation in the second group a number of times differing from a number of times charge accumulation is performed in the first group.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 18, 2023Publication date: November 9, 2023Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Shiro TSUNAI
-
Publication number: 20230276148Abstract: An imaging element includes: an imaging unit in which a plurality of pixel groups including a plurality of pixels that output pixel signals according to incident light are formed, and on which incident light corresponding to mutually different pieces of image information is incident; a control unit that controls, for each of the pixel groups, a period of accumulating in the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group; and a readout unit that is provided to each of the pixel groups, and reads out the pixel signals from the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 3, 2023Publication date: August 31, 2023Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Shiro TSUNAI, Hironobu MURATA
-
Patent number: 11743608Abstract: When the amplification ratio is low and strong incident light causes a large charge, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is weak is also weak, but when the amplification ratio is high in regions where the incident light is weak, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is strong becomes saturated. Therefore, the dynamic range of the imaging unit is narrow. Provided is an imaging unit comprising an imaging section that includes a first group having one or more pixels and a second group having one or more pixels different from those of the first group; and a control section that, while a single charge accumulation is performed in the first group, causes pixel signals to be output by performing charge accumulation in the second group a number of times differing from a number of times charge accumulation is performed in the first group.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2021Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Shiro Tsunai
-
Patent number: 11689832Abstract: An imaging element includes: an imaging unit in which a plurality of pixel groups including a plurality of pixels that output pixel signals according to incident light are formed, and on which incident light corresponding to mutually different pieces of image information is incident; a control unit that controls, for each of the pixel groups, a period of accumulating in the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group; and a readout unit that is provided to each of the pixel groups, and reads out the pixel signals from the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2022Date of Patent: June 27, 2023Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Shiro Tsunai, Hironobu Murata
-
Publication number: 20230156367Abstract: Provided is an image capturing device including a first substrate having a plurality of pixel blocks each including one or more pixels; and a second substrate having a control circuit unit including a first control block including a first exposure control unit for controlling an exposure time of a pixel included in a first pixel block of the plurality of pixel blocks and a second control block including a second exposure control unit for controlling an exposure time of a pixel included in a second pixel block of the plurality of pixel blocks, and a peripheral circuit unit arranged outside the control circuit unit and configured to control signal reading of pixels each included in at least the first pixel block and the second pixel block of the plurality of pixel blocks.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2021Publication date: May 18, 2023Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Yojiro TEZUKA, Tomoki HIRATA, Shiro TSUNAI
-
Publication number: 20220191421Abstract: An imaging element includes: an imaging unit in which a plurality of pixel groups including a plurality of pixels that output pixel signals according to incident light are formed, and on which incident light corresponding to mutually different pieces of image information is incident; a control unit that controls, for each of the pixel groups, a period of accumulating in the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group; and a readout unit that is provided to each of the pixel groups, and reads out the pixel signals from the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 7, 2022Publication date: June 16, 2022Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Shiro TSUNAI, Hironobu MURATA
-
Patent number: 11347041Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes an image capturing device that has a plurality of photoelectric converting elements, and a light restricting portion that has a plurality of light inlets and a plurality of light outlets provided to each of the plurality of photoelectric converting elements, that emits, to each of the plurality of photoelectric converting elements, light that can reach each of the plurality of light inlets among light incident on each of the plurality of light outlets and that restricts light that cannot reach each of the plurality of light outlets among the light incident on the light inlets from being emitted to each of the plurality of photoelectric converting elements.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2018Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Shiro Tsunai
-
Patent number: 11317046Abstract: An imaging element includes: an imaging unit in which a plurality of pixel groups including a plurality of pixels that output pixel signals according to incident light are formed, and on which incident light corresponding to mutually different pieces of image information is incident; a control unit that controls, for each of the pixel groups, a period of accumulating in the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group; and a readout unit that is provided to each of the pixel groups, and reads out the pixel signals from the plurality of pixels included in the pixel group.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2020Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Shiro Tsunai, Hironobu Murata
-
Publication number: 20210337141Abstract: When the amplification ratio is low and strong incident light causes a large charge, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is weak is also weak, but when the amplification ratio is high in regions where the incident light is weak, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is strong becomes saturated. Therefore, the dynamic range of the imaging unit is narrow. Provided is an imaging unit comprising an imaging section that includes a first group having one or more pixels and a second group having one or more pixels different from those of the first group; and a control section that, while a single charge accumulation is performed in the first group, causes pixel signals to be output by performing charge accumulation in the second group a number of times differing from a number of times charge accumulation is performed in the first group.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 9, 2021Publication date: October 28, 2021Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Shiro TSUNAI
-
Patent number: 11082646Abstract: When the amplification ratio is low and strong incident light causes a large charge, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is weak is also weak, but when the amplification ratio is high in regions where the incident light is weak, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is strong becomes saturated. Therefore, the dynamic range of the imaging unit is narrow. Provided is an imaging unit comprising an imaging section that includes a first group having one or more pixels and a second group having one or more pixels different from those of the first group; and a control section that, while a single charge accumulation is performed in the first group, causes pixel signals to be output by performing charge accumulation in the second group a number of times differing from a number of times charge accumulation is performed in the first group.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2020Date of Patent: August 3, 2021Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Shiro Tsunai
-
Patent number: 11012604Abstract: An image-capturing device includes: a plurality of pixels, having a plurality of first electrodes provided upon one surface of a light reception unit that receives incident light, and a plurality of second electrodes provided upon another surface of the light reception unit; and an output unit that outputs a signal generated by the light reception unit upon receipt of the incident light, the light reception unit being sandwiched between the first electrodes, to which a voltage is applied, and the second electrodes.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2017Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Shiro Tsunai
-
Publication number: 20200404200Abstract: An image sensor is provided, the image sensor including: an imaging unit that has a first imaging region and a second imaging region, and outputs: a first pixel signal generated according to light incident on the first imagine region; and a second pixel signal generated according to light incident on the second imaging region; a first ramp generating unit that generates a first ramp signal; a second ramp generating unit that generates a second ramp signal; a first signal converting unit that converts the first pixel signal into a first digital image signal based on a result of comparison between the first pixel signal and the first ramp signal; and a second signal converting unit that converts the second pixel signal into a second digital image signal based on a result of comparison between the second pixel signal and the second ramp signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 2, 2020Publication date: December 24, 2020Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Hironobu MURATA, Shiro TSUNAI, Takashi KURIYAMA
-
Patent number: 10798325Abstract: An image sensor is provided, the image sensor including: an imaging unit that has a first imaging region and a second imaging region, and outputs: a first pixel signal generated according to light incident on the first imaging region; and a second pixel signal generated according to light incident on the second imaging region; a first ramp generating unit that generates a first ramp signal; a second ramp generating unit that generates a second ramp signal; a first signal converting unit that converts the first pixel signal into a first digital image signal based on a result of comparison between the first pixel signal and the first ramp signal; and a second signal converting unit that converts the second pixel signal into a second digital image signal based on a result of comparison between the second pixel signal and the second ramp signal.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2018Date of Patent: October 6, 2020Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Hironobu Murata, Shiro Tsunai, Takashi Kuriyama
-
Publication number: 20200236307Abstract: When the amplification ratio is low and strong incident light causes a large charge, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is weak is also weak, but when the amplification ratio is high in regions where the incident light is weak, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is strong becomes saturated. Therefore, the dynamic range of the imaging unit is narrow. Provided is an imaging unit comprising an imaging section that includes a first group having one or more pixels and a second group having one or more pixels different from those of the first group; and a control section that, while a single charge accumulation is performed in the first group, causes pixel signals to be output by performing charge accumulation in the second group a number of times differing from a number of times charge accumulation is performed in the first group.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 9, 2020Publication date: July 23, 2020Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Shiro TSUNAI
-
Patent number: 10685995Abstract: An image sensor includes: a photoelectric conversion layer where light having entered therein undergoes photoelectric conversion; a first electrode disposed at one surface located on one side of the photoelectric conversion layer; and a second electrode disposed at the one surface so as to surround the first electrode.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2017Date of Patent: June 16, 2020Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Yuki Kita, Shiro Tsunai
-
Patent number: 10652485Abstract: When the amplification ratio is low and strong incident light causes a large charge, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is weak is also weak, but when the amplification ratio is high in regions where the incident light is weak, the signal retrieved from regions where the incident light is strong becomes saturated. Therefore, the dynamic range of the imaging unit is narrow. Provided is an imaging unit comprising an imaging section that includes a first group having one or more pixels and a second group having one or more pixels different from those of the first group; and a control section that, while a single charge accumulation is performed in the first group, causes pixel signals to be output by performing charge accumulation in the second group a number of times differing from a number of times charge accumulation is performed in the first group.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2018Date of Patent: May 12, 2020Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Shiro Tsunai