Patent ID: 8670042

Claim:
A blinking-signal detecting device comprising: a light receiving section where M×N pixel units P 1,1 to P M,N each including a photodiode that generates charge of an amount according to an incident light amount, a charge accumulating section in which the charge is accumulated, and a switch for outputting data corresponding to an accumulated charge amount in the charge accumulating section are two-dimensionally arrayed in M rows and N columns; a row selecting section in which a first period and a second period having a common temporal width are set in tandem, the row selecting section causes each pixel unit P 2i-1,n of a (2i−1)-th row in the light receiving section to accumulate charge generated in the photodiode in the charge accumulating section during the first period, and causes each pixel unit P 2i,n of a 2i-th row in the light receiving section to accumulate charge generated in the photodiode in the charge accumulating section during the second period, and selects each row in the light receiving section after the first period and the second period, to close the switch of each pixel unit P m,n of every row so as to output data corresponding to an accumulated charge amount in the charge accumulating section; a readout section for which data output from each pixel unit P m,n of each row in the light receiving section selected by the row selecting section is input, and from which data D m,n corresponding to an amount of charge generated in the photodiode of each pixel unit P m,n is output; and a detecting section for which each data D m,n output from the readout section is input, the detecting section detects whether or not light reaching the pixel units P 2i-1,n and P 2i,n is a blinking signal on the basis of a difference between data D 2i-1,n and D 2i,n provided that M and N are each an integer not less than 2, m is an integer not less than 1 and not more than M, and n is an integer not less than 1 and not more than N, and i is an integer not less than 1 and not more than (M/2).