Patents by Inventor Tetsuro Kumesawa

Tetsuro Kumesawa 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: 8426896
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device in which ? characteristic is obtained and enlargement of dynamic range is provided. The solid state imaging device of the present invention includes a vertical overflow function and has a feature in which potential of a semiconductor substrate is changed from a high potential to a low potential in a stepwise manner during a period from an exposure start to an exposure end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Patent number: 8115236
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device in which ? characteristic is obtained and enlargement of dynamic range is provided. The solid state imaging device includes a vertical overflow function and has a feature in which potential of a semiconductor substrate is changed from a high potential to a low potential in a stepwise manner during a period from an exposure start to an exposure end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Publication number: 20110253882
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device in which ? characteristic is obtained and enlargement of dynamic range is provided. The solid state imaging device of the present invention includes a vertical overflow function and has a feature in which potential of a semiconductor substrate is changed from a high potential to a low potential in a stepwise manner during a period from an exposure start to an exposure end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Patent number: 7977710
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device in which ? characteristic is obtained and enlargement of dynamic range is provided. The solid state imaging device of the present invention includes a vertical overflow function and has a feature in which potential of a semiconductor substrate is changed from a high potential to a low potential in a stepwise manner during a period from an exposure start to an exposure end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Publication number: 20110163361
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device in which ? characteristic is obtained and enlargement of dynamic range is provided. The solid state imaging device includes a vertical overflow function and has a feature in which potential of a semiconductor substrate is changed from a high potential to a low potential in a stepwise manner during a period from an exposure start to an exposure end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Publication number: 20100165159
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device in which ? characteristic is obtained and enlargement of dynamic range is provided. The solid state imaging device of the present invention includes a vertical overflow function and has a feature in which potential of a semiconductor substrate is changed from a high potential to a low potential in a stepwise manner during a period from an exposure start to an exposure end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Patent number: 7709863
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device in which ? characteristic is obtained and enlargement of dynamic range is provided. The solid state imaging device of the present invention includes a vertical overflow function and has a feature in which potential of a semiconductor substrate is changed from a high potential to a low potential in a stepwise manner during a period from an exposure start to an exposure end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Publication number: 20060022223
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device in which ? characteristic is obtained and enlargement of dynamic range is provided. The solid state imaging device of the present invention includes a vertical overflow function and has a feature in which potential of a semiconductor substrate is changed from a high potential to a low potential in a stepwise manner during a period from an exposure start to an exposure end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2005
    Publication date: February 2, 2006
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Patent number: 5892251
    Abstract: A charge transferring apparatus comprising, e.g., a buried type charge coupled device in which a pair of transfer electrodes located at the most downstream point of a charge transfer direction is driven by a drive pulse other than that for any other pair of transfer electrodes and a potential well formed at the pair of the transfer electrodes located at the most downstream point is made shallower than that at any other pair of transfer electrodes allowing the output dynamic range of a charge transfer device to be increased for improving the output quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Kumesawa, Hiromichi Matsui
  • Patent number: 5796432
    Abstract: A solid state imaging device and method of operating the same includes an imaging section for converting incident light into a signal charge which is temporarily stored in a storage section before being read out. A vertical transfer register extends from an imaging section to a storage section. A transfer clock pulse is applied to a portion of the vertical transfer register disposed in the storage section such that the potential of the vertical transfer register in the storage section is deeper than that in the imaging section. Excess charge is transferred to a smear drain section. According to an alternate feature, the potential of the vertical transfer register within either the imaging section or the storage section is maintained constant. A further feature makes use of two drain regions disposed at respective distal ends of the imaging section and the storage section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mamoru Iesaka, Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Patent number: 5495289
    Abstract: An FIT solid state image sensor including an image section having an array of photosensitive elements, a storage section for temporarily storing signal charges transferred thereto from the image section, a plurality of vertical shift registers provided for respective vertical lines of the array, and a horizontal shift register for horizontally transferring the signal charges transferred vertically through the vertical shift registers. Clock pulses are applied to the vertical transfer registers during a line shift transfer period of transferring the signal charges from the storage section to the horizontal shift register. The voltage levels of the clock pulses are set to provide the same potential between the photosensitive elements arranged in odd horizontal lines of the array and the photosensitive elements arranged in even horizontal line of the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Patent number: 5289022
    Abstract: A CCD shift register which is improved in the transfer efficiency with a minimal decrease in the amount of electric charge that can be handled. The CCD shift register has an array of transfer electrodes, each comprising a pair of storage and transfer gate electrodes, which are formed on a semiconductor substrate through a gate insulator. A semiconductor region under each storage gate electrode is divided into a plurality of subregions by using impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 22, 1994
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Iizuka, Naoki Nishi, Tetsuro Kumesawa
  • Patent number: 5014132
    Abstract: A CCD imager includes a large number of light receiving sections each having in turn a semiconductor surface region of a second conductivity type, a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type, a semiconductor region of the second conductivity type and a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, vertically. The second semiconductor region is formed by a dual structure of the low concentration semiconductor region and the high concentration semiconductor region. The dual structure provides for shuttering at a lower voltage since the potential barrier along the depth of the light receiving section is no longer affected by the amount of the stored charges, while spreading of the depletion layer at the junction is suppressed by the high concentration semiconductor region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1991
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Kumesawa, Yasuo Kanou, Osamu Nishima, Masaaki Isobe, Hiromichi Matsui
  • Patent number: 4794279
    Abstract: A solid state imager device having a substrate of a first conductivity type, a charge storage area of a second conductivity type formed on the substrate of the first conductivity type, and a forward electrode formed on the charge storage area of the second conductivity type through an insulating layer, and the forward electrode is alternately supplied with a first voltage for accumulating charges of the first conductivity type on a boundary between the charge storage area of the second conductivity type and the insulating layer and a second voltage so as to extend the depletion layer formed beneath the charge storage area of the second conductivity type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1988
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Michio Yamamura, Hiroshi Terakawa, Tetsuro Kumesawa, Takashi Fukusyo