Patent ID: 9204073
Filing Date: 2015-12-01
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image pickup apparatus comprising: a plurality of photoelectric conversion circuits configured to convert incident light into an electric charge and accumulate the electric charge, wherein each of the plurality of photoelectric conversions circuits is further configured to provide a pixel signal corresponding to the accumulated electric charge; a plurality of pixel transistors, wherein each of the plurality of pixel transistors is electrically connected to at least one of the photoelectric conversion circuits; a plurality of control lines, wherein each of the plurality of control lines is electrically connected to a gate of each of the plurality of the pixel transistors; and a plurality of analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion circuits, wherein each of the plurality of A/D conversion circuits is shared between at least two columns of the plurality of photoelectric conversion circuits; wherein, at least one A/D conversion circuit of the plurality of A/D conversion circuits is configured to perform one or more A/D conversions of a first pixel signal obtained by adding at a shared floating diffusion region a pixel signal provided by each of a first plurality of the photoelectric conversion circuits included in a first pixel row of a common unit, and to perform one or more A/D conversions of a second pixel signal obtained by adding at the shared floating diffusion region a pixel signal provided by each of a second plurality of the photoelectric conversion circuits included in a second pixel row of the common unit, the common unit includes at least two photoelectric conversion circuits in each row and at least two photoelectric conversion circuits in each column, and the at least two photoelectric conversion circuits in each row and the at least two photoelectric conversion circuits in each column share at least one pixel transistor, and at least one control line of the plurality of control lines is disposed in a horizontal direction.