Patents by Inventor Tadafumi Nagata

Tadafumi Nagata 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: 9930283
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid state image sensor and an electronic apparatus capable of performing a gain transition at high speed. A ramp generation circuit includes sample hold circuits and ramp generation DACs, the number of which depends on kinds of required gains (for example, two kinds, i.e. a low gain and a high gain). Then, the two sample hold circuits can individually hold gain DAC output voltages at the different gains. This enables a switch to the ramp generation DAC holding the required gain voltage by means of a ramp selection signal. The present disclosure can be applied, for example, to a CMOS solid state image sensor that is used for an imaging device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Abiru, Yasuaki Hisamatsu, Tadafumi Nagata
  • Publication number: 20170230599
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid state image sensor and an electronic apparatus capable of performing a gain transition at high speed. A ramp generation circuit includes sample hold circuits and ramp generation DACs, the number of which depends on kinds of required gains (for example, two kinds, i.e. a low gain and a high gain). Then, the two sample hold circuits can individually hold gain DAC output voltages at the different gains. This enables a switch to the ramp generation DAC holding the required gain voltage by means of a ramp selection signal. The present disclosure can be applied, for example, to a CMOS solid state image sensor that is used for an imaging device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Inventors: Takahiro ABIRU, Yasuaki HISAMATSU, Tadafumi NAGATA
  • Patent number: 9307173
    Abstract: A signal processing circuit includes: a reference signal generating circuit that generates a reference signal of a ramp waveform of which a voltage value varies with the lapse of time by changing a current; and a signal processing unit including a plurality of processing sections that process the reference signal as a ramp wave and a potential of a supplied analog signal, wherein the reference signal processing circuit has a function of adjusting an offset of the reference signal by adjusting the current from the time of starting the generation of the reference signal or adjusting the level of the reference signal at least at the time of starting the generation of the reference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Takamiya, Yuji Gendai, Yasuaki Hisamatsu, Tadafumi Nagata
  • Publication number: 20110279723
    Abstract: A signal processing circuit includes: a reference signal generating circuit that generates a reference signal of a ramp waveform of which a voltage value varies with the lapse of time by changing a current; and a signal processing unit including a plurality of processing sections that process the reference signal as a ramp wave and a potential of a supplied analog signal, wherein the reference signal processing circuit has a function of adjusting an offset of the reference signal by adjusting the current from the time of starting the generation of the reference signal or adjusting the level of the reference signal at least at the time of starting the generation of the reference signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Takamiya, Yuji Gendai, Yasuaki Hisamatsu, Tadafumi Nagata