Patent ID: 7944494
Filing Date: 2011-05-17
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A solid-state image pickup apparatus for converting light incident from an object field to an electric picked-up signal and processing the electric picked-up signal to produce an image signal, comprising: a solid-state image sensor comprising an array of photosensitive cells bidimensionally arranged and converting the light to signal charges in accordance with an optical sensitivity of the photosensitive cells themselves corresponding to a sensitivity of the International Organization of Standardization (ISO), the optical sensitivity indicating a gain for generating signal charges in response to a predetermined amount of light incident on the photosensitive cells, vertical transfer paths for vertically transferring the signal charges read out from said array of photosensitive cells, and a horizontal transfer path extending perpendicularly to said vertical transfer paths and responsive to a horizontal transfer signal for transferring the signal charges received from the vertical transfer paths in a horizontal direction to thereby output the signal charges as the picked-up signal; a selecting circuit for selecting one of a plurality of optical sensitivities which are different from each other; a system controller for generating a control signal in accordance with the sensitivity selected; and a timing generator for generating a timing signal for transferring the signal charges for said solid-state image sensor in accordance with the control signal; said timing generator lowering a first frequency of the horizontal transfer signal for use in transferring signal charges in the horizontal direction when the sensitivity selected is higher than a predetermined value, and increasing above the first frequency a second frequency of the horizontal transfer signal for use in transferring the signal charges in the horizontal direction when the sensitivity selected is lower than the predetermined value.