Patent ID: 7248295
Filing Date: 2007-07-24
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image pickup apparatus comprising: a solid-state imager that includes a plurality of light-receptive areas each having a plurality of picture elements and outputs image signals corresponding to the picture elements from the light-receptive areas; a sample-and-hold circuit that detects at prescribed times instantaneous values of the image signals output from each of the light-receptive areas and continuously outputs each detected value of the image signals until subsequent detection of the image signals is made; and a driving circuit that generates driving pulses and sample-and-hold pulses, wherein a horizontal charge-transfer circuit of each light-receptive area of the solid-state imager is driven with the driving pulses, and the sample-and-hold circuit is driven with the sample-and-hold pulses in synchronization with the driving pulses, and wherein after the output of at least one of the image signals corresponding to the picture elements that are output first and last among those from each light-receptive area, the driving circuit stops driving the horizontal charge-transfer circuit and the sample-and-hold circuit for a specific period of time at least as long as required for horizontal charge-transfer of one picture element, and starts driving the horizontal charge-transfer circuit and the sample-and-hold circuit, such that the value of the at least one of the image signals corresponding to the picture elements that are output first and last are held for the specific period of time more than twice as long as those of image signals other than the at least one of the image signals.