Patent ID: 7027085

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: a first solid-state imaging device including a matrix of first light receiving pixels, wherein each of the first light receiving pixels generates an information charge in accordance with a first imaging subject and accumulates the generated information charge; a second solid-state imaging device including a matrix of second light receiving pixels, wherein each of the second light receiving pixels generates an information charge in accordance with a second imaging subject and accumulates the generated information charge; a first drive circuit connected to the first solid-state imaging device, wherein the first drive circuit drives the first solid-state imaging device to generate a first image signal that corresponds to the information charge accumulated in each of the first light receiving pixels in accordance with a vertical scan timing and a horizontal scan timing; a second drive circuit connected to the second solid-state imaging device, wherein the second drive circuit drives the second solid-state imaging device to generate a second image signal that corresponds to the information charge accumulated in each of the second light receiving pixels in accordance with the vertical scan timing and the horizontal scan timing; a timing control circuit connected to the first and second drive circuits, wherein the timing control circuit determines the vertical and horizontal scan timing of the first and second solid-state imaging devices in accordance with a reference clock signal having a fixed cycle; a selection circuit connected to an output of each of the first and second solid-state imaging devices, wherein the selection circuit selects either one of the first and second image signals in synchronism with an operation timing of the first and second solid-state imaging devices; and a signal processing circuit connected to an output of the selection circuit, wherein the signal processing circuit performs a predetermined imaging process on the selected image signal to generate image data, wherein the selection circuit alternately selects the first and second image signals at predetermined time intervals.