Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Conversion apparatus, imaging apparatus, electronic apparatus, and conversion method
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Application No.: US16672157Application Date: 2019-11-01
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Publication No.: US10911650B2Publication Date: 2021-02-02
- Inventor: Keiji Mabuchi
- Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
- Applicant Address: JP Tokyo
- Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
- Current Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
- Current Assignee Address: JP Tokyo
- Agency: Sheridan Ross P.C.
- Priority: JP2013-162209 20130805
- Main IPC: H04N5/225
- IPC: H04N5/225 ; H04N5/378 ; H03M1/14 ; H04N5/3745 ; H04N5/376 ; H03M1/56 ; H03M1/12

Abstract:
The present technology relates to a conversion apparatus, an imaging apparatus, an electronic apparatus, and a conversion method that are capable of reducing the scale of a circuit.
The conversion apparatus includes: a comparison unit that compares an input voltage of an input signal and a ramp voltage of a ramp signal that varies with time; and a storage unit that holds a code value when a comparison result from the comparison unit is inverted, the holding of the code value by the storage unit being repeated a plurality of times, to generate a digital signal having a predetermined bit number. The predetermined bit number is divided into high-order bits and low-order bits, the low-order bits are acquired earlier than the high-order bits, and the acquired low-order bits and the high-order bits are combined with each other, to generate the digital signal having the predetermined bit number. The present technology can be applied to a portion of an image sensor, in which AD conversion is performed.
The conversion apparatus includes: a comparison unit that compares an input voltage of an input signal and a ramp voltage of a ramp signal that varies with time; and a storage unit that holds a code value when a comparison result from the comparison unit is inverted, the holding of the code value by the storage unit being repeated a plurality of times, to generate a digital signal having a predetermined bit number. The predetermined bit number is divided into high-order bits and low-order bits, the low-order bits are acquired earlier than the high-order bits, and the acquired low-order bits and the high-order bits are combined with each other, to generate the digital signal having the predetermined bit number. The present technology can be applied to a portion of an image sensor, in which AD conversion is performed.
Public/Granted literature
- US20200068099A1 CONVERSION APPARATUS, IMAGING APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, AND CONVERSION METHOD Public/Granted day:2020-02-27
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