Patent ID: 7768677

Claim:
A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising: an image sensor having an imaging surface comprising a plurality of pixels for producing signal charge for photoelectric conversion to produce image data from the signal charge, the plurality of pixels comprising photosensitive cells arranged in a row and a column direction; and a signal processor for receiving the image data from said image sensor and processing the image data, said image sensor having an optical black area for providing black-level signal charge, said image sensor comprising a plurality of output circuits respectively corresponding to a plurality of sub-areas forming a frame of image, and a horizontal transfer path for horizontally transferring the signal charge from the pixels to one of said output circuits, said output circuits using the signal charge transferred from said horizontal transfer path to output the image data; said apparatus further comprising a controller for directing determination of amplifier characteristics of said output circuits or directing normal imaging, said image sensor being in response to the direction of the amplifier characteristics determination to transfer first signal charge to first one of said output circuits, by allowing said imaging surface to send the first signal charge acquired from all pixels to said horizontal transfer path, allowing said horizontal transfer path to horizontally transfer the first signal charge to said first output circuit, and allowing said first output circuit to use the first signal charge to output first image data, while said imaging surface sends the first signal charge comprising optical black signal charge from the optical black area to said horizontal transfer path, and said first output circuit outputs the first image data comprising first optical black data indicating the optical black signal charge, said signal processor comprising a characteristics determiner operative in response to the direction of the amplifier characteristics determination for using at least the first optical black data in the first image data to determine a plurality of amplifier characteristics of said output circuits, said image sensor being operative in response to the direction of the normal imaging to transfer second signal charge to each of said output circuits, by allowing said imaging surface to send the second signal charge from the pixels in each of the sub-areas to said horizontal transfer path, allowing said horizontal transfer path to horizontally transfer the second signal charge from each sub-area to said corresponding output circuit, and allowing said output circuits to use the second signal charge to output a plurality of sets of second image data, said signal processor being operative in response to the direction of the normal imaging to process the sets of second image data to correct the second image data based on the amplifier characteristics, and produce third image data indicating one whole image comprising the sets of second image data.