Patent ID: 7348534

Claim:
A method for controlling an active pixel element, the method comprising: turning on a transfer transistor of the active pixel element and a reset transistor having a source coupled to a drain of the transfer transistor for resetting a sensor coupled to the transfer transistor; turning off the reset transistor and the transfer transistor so that the sensor is exposed; when a column-read transistor, having a drain coupled to a source of a source follower, is in an off state, and the reset transistor is in an off state, turning on the reset transistor so as to make a drain voltage of the reset transistor when reading a reset signal same as the drain voltage of the reset transistor when resetting the sensor, a gate of the source follower being coupled to a source of the reset transistor; and turning off the reset transistor and turning on the column-read transistor to read the reset signal.