Patent ID: 6657674
Filing Date: 2003-12-02
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
An image pickup apparatus comprising:(a) a solid imaging device; (b) a progressive-scanning synchronizing signal producing circuit for supplying a progressive-scanning synchronizing signal; (c) an interlaced-scanning synchronizing signal producing circuit for supplying an interlaced-scanning synchronizing signal having a vertical synchronizing signal of the frequency that is identical with the frequency of the vertical synchronizing signal of said progressive-scanning synchronizing signal, and a horizontal synchronizing signal of the frequency that is substantially the half of the frequency of the horizontal synchronizing signal of said progressive-scanning synchronizing signal; (d) an imaging-device driving circuit for supplying a driving signal that performs scanning on said solid imaging device according to said progressive-scanning synchronizing signal; (e) a signal-charge reading-control circuit for switching to one of the following two modes; mode-1 in which one reading pulse is supplied in each vertical scanning interval of progressive-scanning, and mode-2 in which one reading pulse is supplied in every two vertical scanning intervals of progressive-scanning, for reading out signal-charge that is charged in said solid imaging device as the output signal of said solid imaging device, wherein said reading pulse is included in said driving signal supplied by said imaging-device driving circuit; (f) a memory into which said output signal of said solid imaging device is written; (g) a writing-control circuit that works for writing, into said memory, said output signal of said solid imaging device, during the interval when said output signal is obtained by reading out the signal-charge that is charged in said solid imaging device; and (h) a reading-control circuit that works for reading out, in said mode-1, the signal written in said memory as the output signal of said memory according to said progressive-scanning synchronizing signal, and, for reading out, in said mode-2, the signal written in said memory as the output signal of said memory in such a manner that odd lines are read out in each odd field and even lines are read out in each even field according to said interlaced-scanning synchronizing signal.