Solid-state image-pickup device, method of driving solid-state image-pickup device and image-pickup apparatus

1. A solid-state image-pickup device comprising:

a pixel array unit including pixels two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix, each pixel having a photoelectric transducer;

a first scanning means for reading out first pixel information from a first set of rows connected to the first scanning means, the first pixel information corresponding to a number of pixels less than the number of pixels included in the pixel array unit as monitoring image information; and

a second scanning means for, in parallel, reading out second pixel information from a second set of rows connected to the second scanning means, the second pixel information corresponding to a predetermined region in the pixel array unit at a cycle shorter than the display cycle of the monitoring image as autofocus image information,

wherein the reading out of the second pixel information is driven by a driving signal.

2. The solid-state image-pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the second scanning means adds the information of the pixels in a row to be read out and reads out the added information as autofocus image information and the first scanning means adds the information of the pixels in a row to be read out and reads out the added information as monitoring image information.

3. The solid-state image-pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the first scanning means scans a predetermined number of lines from a first line of pixels read out as the monitoring image information and scans all lines in the predetermined region up to a last line.

4. A method of driving a solid-state image-pickup device including pixels two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix, each pixel having a photoelectric transducer, the method comprising:

reading out, at a first scanning unit, first pixel information from a first set of rows connected to the first scanning unit, the first pixel information corresponding to a number of pixels less than the number of pixels included in the pixel array unit as monitoring image information; and

reading out, at a second scanning unit, second pixel information from a second set of rows connected to the second scanning unit, the second pixel information corresponding to a predetermined region in the pixel array unit in parallel to the reading out pixel information corresponding to a number of pixels less than the number of pixels included in the pixel array unit, at a cycle shorter than the display cycle of the monitoring image as autofocus image information,

wherein the reading out of the second pixel information is driven by a driving signal.

5. An image-pickup apparatus comprising:

a solid-state image-pickup device including pixels two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix, each pixel having a photoelectric transducer;

an optical system including a focus lens for forming an image of an object on an imaging plane of the solid-state image-pickup device; and

controlling means for driving the focus lens in the optical axis direction on the basis of an output signal from the solid-state image-pickup device,

wherein the solid-state image-pickup device includes a first scanning means for reading out first pixel information from a first set of rows connected to the first scanning means, the first pixel information corresponding to a number of pixels less than the number of pixels included in the pixel array unit as monitoring image information and a second scanning means for, in parallel, reading out second pixel information from a second set of rows connected to the second scanning means, the second pixel information corresponding to a predetermined region in the pixel array unit at a cycle shorter than the display cycle of the monitoring image as autofocus image information,

wherein the reading out of the second pixel information is driven by a driving signal, and

wherein the controlling means drives and controls the focus lens on the basis of the autofocus image information.

6. A solid-state image-pickup device comprising:

a pixel array unit including pixels two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix, each pixel having a photoelectric transducer;

a first scanning unit configured to read out first pixel information from a first set of rows connected to the first scanning unit, the first pixel information corresponding to a number of pixels less than the number of pixels included in the pixel array unit as monitoring image information and,

a second scanning unit configured to, in parallel, read out second pixel information from a second set of rows connected to the second scanning unit, the second pixel information corresponding to a predetermined region in the pixel array unit at a cycle shorter than the display cycle of the monitoring image as autofocus image information,

wherein the read out of the second pixel information is driven by a driving signal.

7. An image-pickup apparatus comprising:

a solid-state image-pickup device including pixels two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix, each pixel having a photoelectric transducer;

an optical system including a focus lens for forming an image of an object on an imaging plane of the solid-state image-pickup device; and

a controlling unit for driving the focus lens in the optical axis direction on the basis of an output signal from the solid-state image-pickup device,

wherein the solid-state image-pickup device includes a first scanning unit configured to read out first pixel information from a first set of rows connected to the first scanning unit, the first pixel information corresponding to a number of pixels less than the number of pixels included in the pixel array unit as monitoring image information and a second scanning unit configured to, in parallel, read out second pixel information from a second set of rows connected to the second scanning unit, the second pixel information corresponding to a predetermined region in the pixel array unit at a cycle shorter than the display cycle of the monitoring image as autofocus image information,

wherein the read out of the second pixel information is driven by a driving signal, and

wherein the controlling unit drives and controls the focus lens on the basis of the autofocus image information.

8. The solid-state image-pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the driving signal causes the second pixel information to be read out by the second scanning means asynchronously at a rate different from a rate at which the first pixel information is read out by the first scanning means.