公开(公告)号：US20230367018A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-16

申请号：US18357546

申请日：2023-07-24

Applicant: TOPPAN Inc.

Inventor： Tomohiro NAKAGOME ,  Yu OOKUBO ,  Satoshi TAKAHASHI ,  Hiroshige GOTO

IPC: G01S17/894 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S17/10

CPC classification number: G01S17/894 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S17/10

Abstract: A range imaging device includes a light source unit, a light-receiving unit, and a range image processing unit that computes a distance to an object. The range image processing unit performs multiple measurements different in relative timing relationship between an emission timing and an accumulation timing, extracts a feature amount based on the amounts of charge accumulated at the measurements, determines whether reflection light of a light pulse has been received by pixels in a single path or via multipath propagation, based on tendency of the extracted feature amount, and calculates the distance to the object present in a measurement space in accordance with a result of the determination.

公开(公告)号：US20230258777A1

公开(公告)日：2023-08-17

申请号：US18306631

申请日：2023-04-25

Applicant: TOPPAN Inc.

Inventor： Yu OOKUBO ,  Tomohiro NAKAGOME

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/894 ,  G01S7/4865

CPC classification number: G01S7/4816 ,  G01S17/894 ,  G01S7/4865

Abstract: A range imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate, and a pixel circuit formed at a surface of the semiconductor substrate and including a photoelectric conversion device, charge storages, transfer MOS transistors, and one or more charge drainage MOS transistors positioned on a drainage path. The photoelectric conversion device formed at the surface of the semiconductor substrate has an N-sided polygonal shape, total number of the transfer MOS transistors and the charge drainage MOS transistor is N or more, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 5, and the N-sided polygonal shape of the photoelectric conversion device has N sides including at least one first side at which the charge drainage MOS transistor is positioned, and second sides other than the at least one first side such that each of the second sides is a side at which a corresponding one of the transfer MOS transistors is positioned.

公开(公告)号：US20230262357A1

公开(公告)日：2023-08-17

申请号：US18306365

申请日：2023-04-25

Applicant: TOPPAN Inc.

Inventor： Yu OOKUBO ,  Tomohiro NAKAGOME

IPC: H04N25/71 ,  H04N25/77

CPC classification number: H04N25/71 ,  H04N25/77

Abstract: A range imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate, and a pixel circuit formed at a surface of the substrate and including a photoelectric conversion device, charge storages, transfer MOS transistors, and charge drainage MOS transistors. The conversion device has rectangular shape on the surface of the conversion device, the transfer transistors include 2M transfer transistors, the charge drainage transistors include 2N charge drainage transistors, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, M transfer transistors are positioned on each long side of the conversion device symmetrically to an x-axis parallel to the long sides and through a center of the conversion device, the M transfer transistors on one long side face the M transfer transistors on the other long side, and the 2N charge drainage transistors are positioned on respective short sides of the conversion device.

公开(公告)号：US20220146684A1

公开(公告)日：2022-05-12

申请号：US17586447

申请日：2022-01-27

Applicant: BROOKMAN TECHNOLOGY, INC. ,  TOPPAN INC.

Inventor： Tomoyuki AKAHORI ,  Yu OOKUBO ,  Kunihiro HATAKEYAMA ,  Satoshi TAKAHASHI

IPC: G01S17/894 ,  H04N5/235 ,  H04N5/225 ,  G01S17/10

Abstract: A light source unit that emits a light pulse, a light receiving unit that includes pixels each including a photoelectric conversion device generating electric charge according to incident light and a plurality of electric charge accumulating units accumulating the electric charge and a pixel driving circuit that distributes the electric charge to the electric charge accumulating units of the pixels to be accumulated therein at a predetermined accumulation timing synchronized with the emission of the light pulse, and a distance image processing unit that measures the distance to a subject present in the measurement space on the basis of amounts of electric charge accumulated in the electric charge accumulating units are included, and the distance image processing unit includes a timing control unit that controls the accumulation timing in accordance with a measurement mode set in advance in accordance with a range of distances that are measurement targets.

公开(公告)号：US20230412934A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-21

申请号：US18460743

申请日：2023-09-05

Applicant: TOPPAN Inc.

Inventor： Yu OOKUBO ,  Tomohiro NAKAGOME ,  Kunihiro HATAKEYAMA ,  Hiroshige GOTO ,  Satoshi TAKAHASHI ,  Yasuyuki HITSUOKA

IPC: H04N25/20 ,  H04N25/62 ,  H04N25/77

CPC classification number: H04N25/20 ,  H04N25/62 ,  H04N25/77

Abstract: A range imaging device includes a light source unit that emits light pulses to a measurement space; a light-receiving unit including a photoelectric conversion element that generates charge according to light incident from the space, a pixel circuit including charge storage units in which the charge is integrated in a frame cycle, and a pixel drive circuit that performs switching operation of transfer transistors to distribute the charge to the storage units for integration at integration timing synchronizing with emission of the pulses; and a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between object in the space and the light-receiving unit based on charge determined by a first charge integrated in each storage unit. The calculation unit calculates the distance by subtracting a second charge from each first charge, the second charge being noise charge as an integrated charge other than the charge distributed and integrated by the switching operation.

公开(公告)号：US20220181375A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-09

申请号：US17682195

申请日：2022-02-28

Applicant: TOPPAN Inc.

Inventor： Tomohiro NAKAGOME ,  Yu OOKUBO

IPC: H01L27/146

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device including a substrate including a charge generation region, a dielectric layer formed on the substrate, and a phase adjustment layer formed on the dielectric layer and having an upper surface and a lower surface. In a cross-sectional view of the photoelectric conversion device, a first plane extends parallel to the substrate in contact with the upper surface of the phase adjustment layer, a second plane is the lower surface of the phase adjustment layer, and the phase adjustment layer is formed such that the reflected light which has entered the first plane perpendicularly to the photoelectric conversion device and travels from the first plane to the second plane has an optical path length that varies depending on a position where the reflected light is incident on the first plane.

公开(公告)号：US20230358889A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-09

申请号：US18354845

申请日：2023-07-19

Applicant: TOPPAN Inc.

Inventor： Yu OOKUBO ,  Satoshi TAKAHASHI

IPC: G01S17/89 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/48

CPC classification number: G01S17/89 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/4808

Abstract: A range imaging device includes: a light-receiving unit including a pixel circuit, and a pixel drive circuit that causes transfer transistors to distribute charge to charge storage units, the pixel circuit including a photoelectric conversion element that generates charge in response to incident light, N (N≥3) charge storage units that integrates charge in frame cycle, and the transistors that transfer charge to the storage units from the conversion element; a light source that emits light pulses; a range image processing unit that calculates a measurement distance to an object based on the integrated charge in the storage units; and a measurement control unit that calculates integration time with which charge is integrated in the storage units, according to the integrated charge, distance, and intensity of incident light. The control unit decrements the time by a first unit until the integrated charge becomes equal to or smaller than a first threshold.

公开(公告)号：US20220278155A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-01

申请号：US17678304

申请日：2022-02-23

Applicant: TOPPAN Inc.

Inventor： Yu OOKUBO ,  Tomohiro NAKAGOME

IPC: H01L27/146 ,  G02B3/00 ,  G01S17/894 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S7/481

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion element includes a substrate and an optical element. The substrate has a first surface on which reflected light reflected from an object is incident, and includes a first semiconductor region and a second semiconductor region, the second semiconductor region being formed in a direction perpendicular to the first surface and extended from the first surface toward an inside of the substrate. The optical element is positioned on a first surface side of the substrate and collects the reflected light to the second semiconductor region. The first semiconductor region includes a first conductive type semiconductor, the second semiconductor region includes a second conductive type semiconductor. The substrate and the optical element are structured such that a relational expression 0.95*exp(−α(λ)*z)≤B(z)/A1≤1.05*exp(−α(λ)*z) is established at a distance z=z0 when A1≥A2 is satisfied and a distance z0=In(2)/α(λ) is established.