Patent ID: 6885402
Filing Date: 2005-04-26
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A solid-state image pickup apparatus including a plurality of photosensitive cells for performing a photoelectric conversion for incident light arranged two-dimensionally in a photosensitive array for receiving the incident light, the photosensitive cells being arranged obliquely adjacent to each other at positions shifted from each other by a length in row and column which is substantially equal to the half of a pitch at which the photosensitive cells are disposed in the row and column direction, wherein an image signal output from an image pickup section for transferring signal charge obtained by the photoelectric conversion by each of the photosensitive cells in response to a drive signal at a predetermined timing is converted to a digital signal, and a picture signal is generated by performing a signal processing on the digital signal, said image pickup section comprising: a color separator having color filters for separating the incident light into at least three separated colors, arranged in the column direction; and a signal reading out section for transferring the signal charge only to transfer devices each arranged in the column direction associated with one of said photosensitive cells, said apparatus comprising: a mode setting section for setting, among modes of reading out the signal charges from the image pickup section, either one of a whole-pixel reading out mode of reading out the signal charges from all of the plurality of photosensitive cells and a thinning reading out mode of reading out signal charges after thinning colors of the separated colors at a specified interval; a drive signal generation section for generating a drive signal according to instruction from the mode setting section, selecting a destination to which the drive signal generated according to the selected mode is supplied and then supplying the drive signal to the destination; and a control section for controlling generation of a drive signal appropriately for the mode selected in the drive signal generation section upon receiving the instruction from the mode setting section, and signal processing executed for the image signal, in the thinning reading out mode, said drive signal generation section supplying the drive signal to selectively drive the signal reading out section adjacent to each of the photosensitive cells by every other line, said image pickup section further comprising: a plurality of transfer devices arranged in a column direction with every eight of said plurality of transfer devices forming one unit; and a plurality of electrodes provided in said signal reading out section correspondingly to said plurality of transfer devices so that every eighth of said plurality of electrodes is interconnected to each other, the drive signal being supplied selectively through ones of the electrodes which correspond to every second or fourth line differently from the drive signal in the whole-pixel reading out mode.