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SonyPatent applicationCameras & imagingInterest 4/10

Sony patents camera sensor design for faster, wider-range image capture

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Sony has filed a patent for a solid-state imaging element, which is the core component in digital cameras, that uses two separate holding circuits to store pixel signals. A selection circuit then chooses which circuit to send to the analog-to-digital converter, allowing the sensor to process a wide range of light intensities more quickly.

Why it mattersThis design could help improve the speed and dynamic range of image sensors used in cameras, phones, and other devices that capture video or photos.

In the filing’s own words

There is provided a solid-state imaging element capable of performing AD conversion on pixel signals in a wide dynamic range in a short time. A solid-state imaging device according to the present disclosure includes: a pixel section including photoelectric conversion elements that photoelectrically convert incident light into pixel signals; an AD conversion section that converts the pixel signals from the pixel section into digital signals; a first holding circuit that is provided between the pixel section and the AD conversion section and holds the pixel signals; a second holding circuit that is provided between the pixel section and the AD conversion section and holds the pixel signals; and a selection circuit that is capable of connecting any one of the first and second holding circuits to the AD conversion section and selectively transmits the pixel signals held in the first or second holding circuit to the AD conversion section.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. (canceled)

Facts

Company
Sony (Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation)
Official title
SOLID-STATE IMAGING ELEMENT
Publication number
US20260313267A1
Application number
19178680
Filed
Apr 14, 2025
Published
Oct 8, 2026
Inventors
1
Claims
17

Classified under

H04N 25/78 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/40 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/57 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/59 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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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.