Patent ID: 7679660
Filing Date: 2010-03-16
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising: an image sensor for transducing light incident on an image sensing surface, which has a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns, to electric signal charges on a pixel-by-pixel basis, shifting the signal charges on the rows transferred from said image sensing surface in a horizontal direction along a horizontal transfer path, concentrating the signal charges at a local portion, and transferring the concentrated signal charges to an output circuit, which converts the concentrated signal charges to an electric signal; an analog signal processor and an analog-to-digital converter for converting the electric signal to a digital image signal; and a signal processor for executing digital signal processing on the digital image signal; wherein, for main shooting, a predetermined value of ISO sensitivity, among a plurality of different values of the ISO sensitivity, is set as a value of ISO sensitivity for image pickup; said image sensor photographing a subject field in keeping with the value of ISO sensitivity for image pickup; said signal processor comprising: a horizontal transfer efficiency calculator for calculating in advance the horizontal transfer efficiency information, representing the horizontal transfer efficiency for signal charge transfer in said image sensor, in keeping with predetermined one of the different values of the ISO sensitivity, and storing the horizontal transfer efficiency information calculated; a horizontal transfer efficiency detector for acquiring the horizontal transfer efficiency information from said horizontal transfer efficiency calculator and for detecting the horizontal transfer efficiency for image pickup, consistent with the value of ISO sensitivity for image pickup, based on the horizontal transfer efficiency information; and a horizontal transfer efficiency corrector for correcting the digital image signal for compensating the horizontal transfer efficiency for image pickup, and wherein said horizontal transfer efficiency calculator calculates, as the horizontal transfer efficiency information, the local horizontal transfer efficiency for signal charge transfer in said concentrating portion and/or the horizontal transfer efficiency for all stages for signal charge transfer in said horizontal transfer path.