Abstract: A distance image capturing device includes a light source, a photodiode configured to generate a charge corresponding to received light, and a peripheral circuit configured to control an operation of the pixel circuit unit, in which the peripheral circuit generates a first transfer control pulse and a second transfer control pulse based on the magnitude relationship between a first charge amount accumulated in a first floating diffusion unit and a second charge amount accumulated in a second floating diffusion unit.

Abstract: A range image acquisition device includes: a light source; a light source control unit controlling the light source; a pixel array including a plurality of pixel circuits; and a peripheral circuit supplying control pulses for controlling an operation of the pixel array, a logic pulse and an inverted signal of the logic pulse to the pixel array. The light source control unit repeatedly performs an operation of generating the pulsed light bp so that the incident pulsed light based on the pulsed light is incident on a sensitive pixel region in the pixel array while moving in a sensitive pixel region. The peripheral circuit allows the pixel circuits to move the electric charges generated in the photoelectric conversion region to the charge discharging region for the pixel circuits constituting an insensitive pixel region, not included in the sensitive pixel region.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a varifocal lens and an imaging sensor which outputs a signal corresponding to light. The imaging sensor includes a photoelectric conversion unit which converts light into an electric charge, electric charge reading regions, transfer control electrodes, a gate control circuit which sequentially applies control signals to the transfer control electrodes to correspond to the position of the focal point of the varifocal lens, and a reading circuit which outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of the electric charge transferred to the electric charge reading regions. The gate control circuit repeats an operation of outputting each of the control signals when the position of the focal point is located in the focal ranges during a frame period.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a varifocal lens and an imaging sensor which outputs a signal corresponding to light. The imaging sensor includes a photoelectric conversion unit which converts light into an electric charge, electric charge reading regions, transfer control electrodes, a gate control circuit which sequentially applies control signals to the transfer control electrodes to correspond to the position of the focal point of the varifocal lens, and a reading circuit which outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of the electric charge transferred to the electric charge reading regions. The gate control circuit repeats an operation of outputting each of the control signals when the position of the focal point is located in the focal ranges during a frame period.

Abstract: A distance image sensor including a light source that generates pulsed light, a light source control means that controls the light source, a pixel circuit including a photoelectric conversion region, charge reading regions, a charge discharging region, and control electrodes, a charge transfer control means that outputs control pulses to the control electrodes, and a distance calculation means that reads voltages of the charge reading regions as detection signals and repeatedly calculates a distance on the basis of the detection signals. The charge transfer control means sets a timing at which the control pulse is output to be before a timing at which the pulsed light is generated.

Abstract: A distance image sensor includes a light source, a light source control means for controlling the light source, a pixel circuit including a photoelectric conversion region, charge readout regions, and control electrodes, a charge transfer control means for sequentially applying a control pulse to the control electrodes, and a distance calculation means for reading voltages of the charge readout regions as detection signals and repeatedly calculating a distance on the basis of the detection signals, and the distance calculation means calculates a sum value of signal components of charge generated from the pulsed light other than background light among the detection signals, calculates a distance from the detection signals using a predetermined equation when the sum value exceeds a first threshold value, and invalidates the calculation of the distance when the sum value does not exceed the first threshold value.

Abstract: A semiconductor device in which an SOI substrate having an element region in which circuit elements are formed, an insulation layer having a first surface adjoining the SOI substrate, and a support substrate of a first conductivity type are laminated. On the SOI substrate, a transfer electrode configured to transfer charges generated in the support substrate to a third semiconductor layer is formed in a region different from the element region, and the transfer electrode and the third semiconductor layer are adjacent in plan view.

Abstract: A soil sensor includes a current supply unit, an electrode disposed in soil, and a processing unit that obtains a water content and a total ion concentration in the soil. The processing unit includes an information conversion unit that converts a first time and a second time until the measured voltage reaches first threshold voltages and second threshold voltages into frequency information using the temporal change of the measured voltage, an impedance calculation unit that obtains the impedance of the soil, a water content calculation unit that obtains the water content using the impedance, and a total ion concentration calculation unit that obtains the total ion concentration using the impedance.

Abstract: A distance image sensor includes a light source that generates pulsed light, a light source control means for controlling the light source, a pixel circuit including a photoelectric conversion region, charge readout regions, a charge discharge region, and control electrodes, a charge transfer control means for sequentially applying a control pulse to the control electrodes, and a distance calculation means for reading voltages of the charge readout regions as detection signals and repeatedly calculating a distance on the basis of the detection signals, and the charge transfer control means sets timings of the control pulses so that delay times of the control pulses with respect to a generation timing of the pulsed light is shifted to a time differing between the four types of subframe periods in one frame period.

Abstract: A charge-modulation element encompasses a p-type photoelectric-conversion layer, a n-type surface-buried region buried in an upper portion of the photoelectric-conversion layer configured to implement a photodiode with the photoelectric-conversion layer, a n-type modulation region buried in another part of the upper portion of the photoelectric-conversion layer configured to implement a part of the photodiode with the photoelectric-conversion layer, potential-control regions assigned in one of divided areas, n-type charge-accumulation regions configured to accumulate signal charges generated in the photodiode. Potentials in the modulation region and the surface-buried region are controlled by route-select signals applied to the potential-control regions so as to select one of the charge-transport routes, which transfers the signal charges toward one of the charge-accumulation regions.

Abstract: A distance image sensor includes a light source that generates pulsed light, a light source controller that controls the light source, a pixel circuit including a photoelectric conversion region, charge readout regions, and control electrodes, a charge transfer controller that sequentially applies control pulses to the control electrodes, a signal readout circuit that reads out detection signals of an amount of charge transferred to the charge readout regions and a distance calculator that repeatedly calculates a distance from a difference value between two amounts of charge on the basis of the signals, the light source controller changes generation timing of the pulsed light according to a pseudo random number, and the charge transfer controller changes timings of the application of two control pulses for transferring charge corresponding to the two amounts of charge according to the pseudo random number so that the timings are replaced with each other.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion element encompasses a depletion-layer extension-promotion region having a p-type upper layer, a p-type photoelectric conversion layer in contact with the depletion-layer extension-promotion region, and an n-type surface-buried region buried in an upper portion of the photoelectric conversion layer, configured to implement a photodiode together with the photoelectric conversion layer. A first p-well is surrounded by a first n-tab, the first n-tab is surrounded by a second p-well, the second p-well is surrounded by a second n-tab, and the second n-tab is surrounded by a third p-well. An injection-blocking element blocks injection of carriers of opposite conductivity type to signal charges from the second p-well into the photoelectric conversion layer, and the inside of the photoelectric conversion layer is depleted by a voltage applied to the depletion-layer extension-promotion region.

Abstract: A soil sensor includes a current supply unit, an electrode disposed in soil, and a processing unit that obtains a water content and a total ion concentration in the soil. The processing unit includes an information conversion unit that converts a first time and a second time until the measured voltage reaches first threshold voltages and second threshold voltages into frequency information using the temporal change of the measured voltage, an impedance calculation unit that obtains the impedance of the soil, a water content calculation unit that obtains the water content using the impedance, and a total ion concentration calculation unit that obtains the total ion concentration using the impedance.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion element encompasses a depletion-layer extension-promotion region having a p-type upper layer, a p-type photoelectric conversion layer in contact with the depletion-layer extension-promotion region, and an n-type surface-buried region buried in an upper portion of the photoelectric conversion layer, configured to implement a photodiode together with the photoelectric conversion layer. A first p-well is surrounded by a first n-tab, the first n-tab is surrounded by a second p-well, the second p-well is surrounded by a second n-tab, and the second n-tab is surrounded by a third p-well. An injection-blocking element blocks injection of carriers of opposite conductivity type to signal charges from the second p-well into the photoelectric conversion layer, and the inside of the photoelectric conversion layer is depleted by a voltage applied to the depletion-layer extension-promotion region.

Abstract: An image sensor controls the gain of a pixel signal on a pixel-by-pixel basis and extends a dynamic range while maintaining a S/N ratio at a favorable level. A column unit in an image sensor is independently detects a level of each pixel signal and independently sets a gain for level of the signal. A photoelectric converting region unit has pixels arranged two-dimensionally with a vertical signal line for each pixel column to output each pixel signal. The column unit is on an output side of the vertical signal line. The column unit for each pixel column has a pixel signal level detecting circuit, a programmable gain control, a sample and hold (S/H) circuit. Gain correction is performed according to a result of a detected level of the pixel signal.

Abstract: A charge-modulation element encompasses a p-type photoelectric-conversion layer, a n-type surface-buried region buried in an upper portion of the photoelectric-conversion layer configured to implement a photodiode with the photoelectric-conversion layer, a n-type modulation region buried in another part of the upper portion of the photoelectric-conversion layer configured to implement a part of the photodiode with the photoelectric-conversion layer, potential-control regions assigned in one of divided areas, n-type charge-accumulation regions configured to accumulate signal charges generated in the photodiode. Potentials in the modulation region and the surface-buried region are controlled by route-select signals applied to the potential-control regions so as to select one of the charge-transport routes, which transfers the signal charges toward one of the charge-accumulation regions.

Abstract: A distance image sensor includes a light source that generates pulsed light, a light source control means for controlling the light source, a pixel circuit including a photoelectric conversion region, charge readout regions, a charge discharge region, and control electrodes, a charge transfer control means for sequentially applying a control pulse to the control electrodes, and a distance calculation means for reading voltages of the charge readout regions as detection signals and repeatedly calculating a distance on the basis of the detection signals, and the charge transfer control means sets timings of the control pulses so that delay times of the control pulses with respect to a generation timing of the pulsed light is shifted to a time differing between the four types of subframe periods in one frame period.

Abstract: A distance image sensor includes a light source, a light source control means for controlling the light source, a pixel circuit including a photoelectric conversion region, charge readout regions, and control electrodes, a charge transfer control means for sequentially applying a control pulse to the control electrodes, and a distance calculation means for reading voltages of the charge readout regions as detection signals and repeatedly calculating a distance on the basis of the detection signals, and the distance calculation means calculates a sum value of signal components of charge generated from the pulsed light other than background light among the detection signals, calculates a distance from the detection signals using a predetermined equation when the sum value exceeds a first threshold value, and invalidates the calculation of the distance when the sum value does not exceed the first threshold value.

Abstract: An A/D converter 1 includes a front stage A/D conversion unit (3) including a first A/D conversion unit (6) that receives an analog signal from a CMOS image sensor (100) and generates a first digital value (D1) and a first residual analog signal (VOPF) through a folding integration A/D conversion operation, and a second A/D conversion unit (7) that receives a first residual analog signal (VOPF) from the first A/D conversion unit (6) and generates a second digital value (D2) and a second residual analog signal (VOPC) through a cyclic A/D conversion operation, and a rear stage A/D conversion unit (4) that receives the second residual analog signal (VOPC) from the front stage A/D conversion unit (3) and generates a third digital value (D3) through an acyclic A/D conversion operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photoelectric conversion element and a solid-state image sensor, having a simple structure, a wide dynamic range, a high speed and a high sensibility, which includes a principal layer of a first conductivity type, a surface-buried region of a second conductivity type, selectively buried in an upper portion of the principal layer so as to implements a photodiode with the principal layer, a first charge-accumulation region of the second conductivity type, buried in the upper portion of the principal layer configured to accumulate first signal charges transferred from the surface-buried region, generated by the photodiode, and a second charge-accumulation region of the second conductivity type, buried in the principal layer configured to accumulate second signal charges transferred from the surface-buried region, generated by the photodiode, wherein a process including a first period, in which the first signal charges are transferred from the surface-buried region to the first ch