Patent ID: 7586487

Claim:
A solid state imaging apparatus comprising: a matrix of pixels, each pixel including a photoelectric conversion element, transfer unit for transferring a signal charge generated by the photoelectric conversion element and accumulated therein to a floating diffusion element, reset unit for resetting the voltage of the floating diffusion element, amplification unit for providing an output corresponding to the voltage of the floating diffusion element, and outputting the output to an output signal line; vertical selection unit for sequentially selecting horizontal lines of pixels in the pixel matrix line by line in a vertical direction and wherein said vertical selection unit is capable of selecting at least two lines of pixels in the pixel matrix and sequentially shifting the selected line; and signal processing unit for processing signals output from the pixels selected by the vertical selection unit and wherein said signal processing unit is capable of independently reading the signals output from the respective pixels in the two lines selected by the vertical selection unit and wherein said signal processing unit captures pixel signals of two pixel lines selected by the vertical selection unit, immediately after a reset pulse is applied to the reset unit and immediately after a transfer pulse is applied to the transfer unit, and then determines the difference between the two pixel signals thereby obtaining an image signal.