Patent ID: 7872677

Claim:
A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising: a pixel section where a plurality of pixels for effecting photoelectric conversion are two-dimensionally arranged, having an effective pixel section consisting of pixels for receiving object light and a reference pixel section consisting of pixels shielded from Light; a first scanning circuit for sequentially setting to said pixel section said pixels to be read out a signal; a noise suppressing circuit for suppressing noise components of signals from said pixels based on a first control signal associated with sampling and holding of signals from said pixels and a second control signal associated with setting of clamping potential that are applied at respective predetermined timings; a second scanning circuit for sequentially reading signals of each pixel suppressed of said noise components; and a reference signal control section for applying said first and said second control signals to said noise suppressing circuit so that said reference signal control section is brought into one or the other of a first condition where signals of said pixels shielded from light are inputted and a second condition where inputting of signals of said pixels shielded from light is omitted without changing an order according to which a release of sampling by said first control signal and a release of setting of clamping potential by the second control signal are effected, causing a generation of a first reference signal obtained in said first condition or a second reference signal obtained in said second condition as a signal corresponding to an optical black level.