Patent ID: 7639294

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus comprising: an image pickup device having a sensor portion for picking up an image of a subject and a package for holding the sensor portion, the package having a cavity formed therein and a flat package surface surrounding the cavity to define an opening thereinto, the cavity sized to receive the sensor portion in a manner that the package surrounds the sensor portion the flat package surface extending outwardly from the opening to define a flat package surface width; a flat output terminal configured in a generally rectangular shape to define a flat output terminal width and a flat output terminal length being greater than the flat output terminal width, the flat output terminal disposed on the flat package surface such that the flat output terminal width extends substantially across the flat package surface width; a light controlling device disposed in front of the image pickup device, transmittance thereof of light led to the image pickup device being adjusted by a driving voltage applied thereto, the light controlling device provided with a flat light controlling device surface; and a flat input terminal configured in a generally rectangular shape to define a flat input terminal width being at least approximately equal to the flat output terminal width and a flat input terminal length being at least approximately equal to the flat output terminal length, the flat input terminal disposed on the flat light controlling device surface to receive the driving voltage, wherein the output terminal for supplying the driving voltage to the input terminal facially opposes the input terminal, the output terminal and the flat package surface are disposed at least substantially in a first common plane, and the input terminal and the flat light controlling device surface are disposed at least substantially in a second common plane extending parallel to the first common plane.