Patent ID: 8098315

Claim:
A solid state imaging apparatus comprising: a solid state imaging device having, light sensing units arrayed in a matrix, a vertical transfer unit provided for each vertical array of the light sensing units and configured to read out signal charges from said light sensing units and transfer the read-out signal charges in a vertical direction, and a horizontal transfer unit configured to receive the signal charges transferred from the vertical transfer unit and transfer the transferred signal charges in a horizontal direction; and a control circuit configured to control clock signals to be applied to the vertical transfer unit, wherein the control circuit performs control such that a first clock signal applied in order to transfer the signal charges for a time period from after a preceding signal charge has been read out from the light sensing unit to when the preceding signal charge is transferred to the horizontal transfer unit via the vertical transfer unit and a second clock signal applied for a time period from after the preceding signal charge has been transferred to the horizontal transfer unit to when a succeeding signal charge is read out from the light sensing unit, and a high level potential of the first clock signal is set higher than that of the second clock signal.