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SonyPatent applicationCameras & imagingInterest 3/10

Sony patents camera sensor method to adjust voltage during image capture

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Sony describes a camera sensor design that changes the electrical voltage supplied to its readout circuit depending on whether a specific switch is open or closed. The system uses a higher voltage when the switch is off and a lower voltage when it is on to manage how image data is read.

Why it mattersThis is a technical improvement to how camera sensors handle electrical signals, which may help refine image quality or power efficiency in future Sony cameras.

In the filing’s own words

An imaging device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first photoelectric converter, a first floating diffusion, a first transfer transistor, a first readout circuit, and a voltage control section. The voltage control section is configured to execute control of supplying a first voltage to the first readout circuit in a case where a first signal is read while the first transfer transistor is in an off-state, and execute control of supplying a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage to the first readout circuit in a case where the first signal is read while the first transfer transistor is in an on-state.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An imaging device comprising: a first photoelectric converter that photoelectrically converts light; a first floating diffusion configured to store electric charge; a first transfer transistor configured to electrically couple the first photoelectric converter and the first floating diffusion to each other; a first readout circuit configured to output a first signal that is on a basis of the electric charge stored in the first floating diffusion; and a voltage control section configured to control supply of a voltage to the first readout circuit, wherein the voltage control section is configured to: execute control of supplying a first voltage to the first readout circuit in a case where the first signal is read while the first transfer transistor is in an off-state; and execute control of supplying a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage to the first readout circuit in a case where the first signal is read while the first transfer transistor is in an on-state.

Facts

Company
Sony (SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION)
Official title
IMAGING DEVICE, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF DRIVING IMAGING DEVICE
Publication number
US20260332915A1
Application number
19109702
Filed
Aug 16, 2023
Published
Oct 22, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
20

Classified under

H04N 25/78 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/65 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/709 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/771 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.