Patent ID: 6873360
Filing Date: 2005-03-29
Classification: H01L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A control method for a solid state image pickup device having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, each of the photoelectric conversion elements being of a type for converting light of each of a plurality of colors into electric charges, a charge read-out region disposed in a column adjacent to each of the photoelectric conversion elements, charge transfer paths disposed adjacent to each column of the charge read-out regions, a mechanical shutter for opening and closing a path of incident light to the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, and an electronic shutter for clearing electric charges in each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, in which said photoelectric conversion elements, charge read-out regions, charge transfer paths, and electronic shutter are integrated in one semiconductor chip and provided with color filters disposed above said photoelectric conversion elements, the control method comprising: a preliminary trial image pickup step of forming a preliminary trial image on the semiconductor chip to let the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements generate and accumulate electric charges during a predetermined charge accumulation time and detecting a charge amount corresponding to an intensity of light of each color; a calculation step of calculating a charge accumulation time of photosensitive conversion elements independently for each color so as to obtain a good white balance, in accordance with the charge amount corresponding to the intensity of light of each color detected by said preliminary trial image pickup step; and a final image pickup step of controlling the charge accumulation time of photosensitive conversion elements independently for each color by using the electronic shutter, the mechanical shutter and read-out of electric charges from the photoelectric conversion elements to the charge transfer paths, in accordance with the calculated charge accumulation times, and forming a final image on the semiconductor chip to let the plurality type of photoelectric conversion elements generate and accumulate charges.