Sony patents camera sensor design for faster signal comparison
Sony describes a solid-state imaging device, commonly found in cameras, that uses a specific arrangement of switches and capacitors to compare electrical signals. The design controls the timing of these components to process high-speed signals more effectively within the sensor.
In the filing’s own words
High-speed and high-performance signals are compared. In one example, a solid-state imaging element includes a comparison circuit, a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, a first capacitor, and a second capacitor. The comparison circuit includes a non-inverting input terminal and an inverting input terminal. The first switch is connected to the inverting input terminal. The second switch is connected to the inverting input terminal and controlled at a timing different from that of the first switch. The third switch is connected between an output terminal of the comparison circuit and the inverting input terminal. One end of the first capacitor is connected to the inverting input terminal via the first switch, and a reference signal is applied to the other end. One end of the second capacitor is connected to the inverting input terminal via the second switch, and a reference signal is applied to the other end.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A solid-state imaging device comprising: a comparison circuit that has a non-inverting input terminal and an inverting input terminal; a first switch that is connected to the inverting input terminal; a second switch that is connected to the inverting input terminal and controlled at a timing different from a timing of the first switch; a third switch that is connected between an output terminal of the comparison circuit and the inverting input terminal; a first capacitor that has one end connected to the inverting input terminal via the first switch and another end to which a reference signal is applied; and a second capacitor that has one end connected to the inverting input terminal via the second switch and another end to which the reference signal is applied, wherein the comparison circuit includes: a first transistor that has a control terminal connected to the non-inverting input terminal, and one end connected to a positive-side power supply voltage; and a second transistor that has a control terminal connected to the inverting input terminal, one end connected to another end of the first transistor, another end connected to the third switch and outputting an output signal from the another end.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation)
- Official title
- Solid-state imaging device and comparison device
- Patent number
- US12771961B2
- Application number
- 19111607
- Filed
- Sep 14, 2023
- Granted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 11
Classified under
H04N 25/616 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/771 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/772 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/78 Electricity & electronicsH10F 39/809 Electricity & electronicsMore from Sony in Chips & hardware
- Sony patents light sensor that adjusts how it counts incoming photons Sep 1, 2026
- Sony patents camera sensor with two pixel types for better motion detection Sep 1, 2026
- Sony patents game graphics that adjust quality based on hardware heat Sep 8, 2026
- Sony patents camera sensor design that stacks chips to shrink pixels Sep 8, 2026
- Sony patents chip design that measures internal temperature from outside Sep 8, 2026
Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.