PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15773693
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-05
Publication Date: 2018-11
Patent Classification: ["348", "294000"]

Abstract:
The present technology relates to an imaging element, an imaging method, and a piece of electronic equipment that permit faster processing. A column AD signal processing section and a ramp signal generation section are provided. The column AD signal processing section has, for each pixel column, an AD conversion section. The plurality of pixels arranged in the same column are connected to the AD conversion section via a vertical signal line. In parallel with reset operation or signal transfer operation, the pixel signals output from the pixels connected via other vertical signal lines are converted from analog to digital form by the AD conversion section. The ramp signal is supplied to the AD conversion sections that perform AD conversion of the pixel signals and is not supplied to the AD conversion sections that do not perform AD conversion. The present technology is applicable, for example, to CMOS image sensors.

Claim (Index 7):
An imaging method of an imaging element, the imaging element including\n a pixel area having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, a column AD signal processing section having, for each pixel column, an AD conversion section for converting pixel signals output from the pixels from analog into digital form (performing AD (Analog to Digital) conversion), with the plurality of pixels, arranged in the same column, connected to the AD conversion section via a vertical signal line, and a ramp signal generation section adapted to generate a ramp signal, the imaging method comprising: a step in which the AD conversion section performs an operation of converting, in parallel with reset operation or signal transfer operation performed by the pixels connected via some of a given number of vertical signal lines, the pixel signals output from the pixels connected via other vertical signal lines from analog to digital form, with these operations being carried out alternately and repeatedly, and a step in which the ramp signal is controlled in such a manner as to be supplied to the AD conversion sections that perform AD conversion of the pixel signals output from the pixels and not supplied to the AD conversion sections that do not perform AD conversion.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 5.0
- Percentile: 93.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.23288
- Patent Class: 348.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: True
- Related Applications: ['14768534', '13067828', '12801709', '13692516', '14244482']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.6536242685986094
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5037540943744178
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.6386372511761903
- Mean Citation Score: 278.924082
- Max Citation Score: 304.89926
- Similarity Product: 270.7544718263054

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test