Patent ID: 8427564
Filing Date: 2013-04-23
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A driving method of a solid-state imaging apparatus, wherein the solid-state imaging apparatus includes a pixel portion with a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns, each of the pixels including: a photoelectric converting portion for photoelectrically converting an incident light; a first transferring portion for connecting the photoelectric converting portion to an accumulating portion for accumulating an electric charge; a second transferring portion for connecting the accumulating portion to a floating diffusion portion; a reset portion for connecting the floating diffusion portion to a first power source; and a third transferring portion for connecting the photoelectric converting portion to a second power source, such that, at least, during a time period of accumulating the electric charge in a pixel, a potential barrier formed in the first transferring portion for holding the electric charge accumulated in the accumulating portion is lower than a potential barrier formed in the third transferring portion, wherein the driving method comprises the steps of: setting, in a first driving mode, a start and an end of an operation of accumulating the electric charge in the pixel commonly to a plurality of rows of the pixels; and setting, in a second driving mode, a start and an end of an operation of accumulating the electric charge in the pixel commonly to pixels in each one of the rows of the pixels such that, setting in the first driving mode, during a time period of reading out a signal from the pixels in one of the rows, a potential barrier formed in the first transferring portion to be higher than a potential barrier formed in the third transferring portion for the plurality of rows of the pixels, while setting in the second driving mode, during a time period of reading out a signal from the pixels in one of the rows, the potential barrier formed in the first transferring portion to be lower than a potential of the photoelectric converting portion, and setting a potential barrier formed in the second transferring portion to be lower than a potential of the accumulating portion.