Patent ID: 8563915

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: a conversion unit including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, each pixel including a conversion element that has a semiconductor layer arranged between a first electrode and a second electrode and being adapted to convert radiation or light into an electric charge, an output switch element that has one of two main terminals connected to the first electrode and is adapted to perform an output operation to be in a conductive state to output an electrical signal based on the electric charge of the conversion element, and an initialization switch element that has one of two main terminals connected to the first electrode and is adapted to perform an initialization operation to initialize the conversion element and that is provided separately from the output switch element in a conductive state; an output drive circuit adapted to control the output operation of the output switch element in units of rows; an initialization drive circuit adapted to control the initialization operation of the initialization switch element in units of rows; a readout circuit including a transmission path through which an electrical signal output from the conversion element is transmitted, the readout circuit being adapted to perform a signal sample-and-hold operation to temporarily hold the electrical signal read out through the transmission path and a reset operation to reset a voltage of the transmission path, wherein the transmission path includes an amplifier circuit part that is adapted to amplify the electrical signal, and the amplifier circuit part includes an amplifier circuit including an operational amplifier that is adapted to amplify the electrical signal and outputs the amplified electrical signal, an integration capacitor, and a reset switch that resets the integration capacitor; and a control unit adapted to control the output drive circuit, the initialization drive circuit, and the readout circuit, wherein the control unit, by controlling the output drive circuit, the initialization drive circuit and the readout circuit, implements a first control in which both termination of the output operation of a certain row and start of the output operation of another row subsequent to the certain row are performed after termination of the reset operation, a second control in which start of the signal sample-and-hold operation is performed after the first control, a third control in which start of the reset operation and start of the initialization operation of the another row are performed after the termination of the signal sample-and-hold operation, a fourth control in which termination of the reset operation is performed after the termination of the initialization operation of the another row, and a fifth control in which both termination of the output operation of the another row and start of the output operation of a different row subsequent to the another row are performed after the fourth control.