Solid-state image pickup apparatus
View Patent ↗A solid-state image pickup apparatus includes: two-dimensionally arrayed unit pixels, each including a PD performing optical-electrical conversion of an incident light; an FD and an output terminal provided for each of pixel groups, each including one or more pixels, the terminal being capable of outputting a noise signal and a signal-noise sum signal separately; first lines to which the terminals are connected in common and which are capable of holding voltages based on signals outputted from the terminals; second lines provided in parallel with the first lines and capable of holding a voltage; inter-transfer-line capacitive elements connecting the second lines and the first lines; a reset switch resetting each of the second lines to a reset voltage; a readout switch provided for each of the second lines; and a third line to which the second lines are connected in parallel via the readout switches, respectively.
1. A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising:
a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed unit pixels, each of the unit pixels including an optical-electrical conversion element performing optical-electrical conversion of an incident light;
a charge conversion element and an output terminal provided for each of a plurality of pixel groups, each pixel group including one or more of the unit pixels, the charge conversion element converting a signal charge optical-electrical converted by the optical-electrical conversion element of each of the unit pixels in the pixel group to voltage or current, and the output terminal being capable of outputting a noise signal that occurs at the time of resetting the charge conversion element and a signal-noise sum signal obtained by adding a signal that has occurred by optical-electrical conversion to the noise signal separately;
a plurality of first transfer lines to which the output terminals of a plurality of the pixel groups are connected in common, the plurality of first transfer lines being capable of holding voltages based on signals outputted from the output terminals;
a plurality of second transfer lines provided in parallel with the first transfer lines, the plurality of second transfer lines being capable of holding a voltage;
inter-transfer-line capacitive elements connecting the second transfer lines and the first transfer lines;
a reset switch resetting each of the second transfer lines to a reset voltage;
a readout switch provided for each of the second transfer lines; and
a third transfer line to which the second transfer lines are connected in parallel via the readout switches, respectively.
2. The solid-state image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a pixel selection part selecting the unit pixel to output a signal to the first transfer line from the output terminal of the pixel group, and a reset part resetting each of the first transfer lines to a first voltage; wherein
the solid-state image pickup apparatus causes the first transfer line to be in a floating potential state by, after causing the reset part to be in an ON state to reset the first transfer line to the first voltage, switching the reset part to an OFF state, and performs:
a noise signal readout operation of, while reading out a noise signal outputted to the output terminal, to the first transfer line caused to be in the floating potential state, causing the reset switch to be in an ON state to reset the second transfer line to the reset voltage; and
a signal-noise sum signal readout operation of, after causing the reset switch to be in an OFF state and causing the second transfer line to be in the floating potential state, reading out a signal-noise sum signal outputted from the unit pixel selected by the pixel selection part to the output terminal, to the first transfer line caused to be in the floating potential state.
3. The solid-state image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a pixel selection part selecting the unit pixel to output a signal to the first transfer line from the output terminal of the pixel group; and
constant current circuit elements turning on/off supply of a constant current to the first transfer lines; wherein
the solid-state image pickup apparatus performs:
a noise signal readout operation of, while reading out a noise signal outputted to the output terminal, to the first transfer line in a state of causing the constant current circuit element to be in an ON state to supply a constant current to the first transfer line, causing the reset switch to be in an ON state to reset the second transfer line to the reset voltage; and
an operation of, after causing the reset switch to be in an OFF state to cause the second transfer lines to be in a floating potential state, reading out a signal-noise sum signal outputted from the unit pixel selected by the pixel selection part to the output terminal, to the first transfer line, in a state of causing the constant current circuit element to be in the ON state to supply a constant current to the first transfer line.