| US 7,576,788 B2 | ||
| Image pickup apparatus including a plurality of pixels, each having a photoelectric conversion element and an amplifier whose output is prevented from falling below a predetermined level | ||
| Katsuhito Sakurai, Machida (Japan); Toru Koizumi, Yokohama (Japan); Fumihiro Inui, Yokohama (Japan); Hiroki Hiyama, Zama (Japan); Masaru Fujimura, Atsugi (Japan); and Tomoko Eguchi, Atsugi (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on May 03, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/119,932. | ||
| Application 11/119932 is a continuation of application No. 09/783556, filed on Feb. 15, 2001, granted, now 6,963,371. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2000-041295 (JP), filed on Feb. 18, 2000. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2005/0195307 A1, Sep. 08, 2005 | ||
| Int. Cl. H04N 3/14 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 348—301 | 6 Claims |
| 1. A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising:
a plurality of amplifying transistors each of whose gate potential is changed according to a quantity of a signal charge generated
in a photoelectric conversion element;
a plurality of vertical output lines each of which reads out a change of a source potential of one of the amplifying transistors,
based on a change of the gate potential of the amplifying transistor;
load transistors that supply current to the amplifying transistors provided on the plurality of vertical output lines; and
a clipping circuit provided on the plurality of the vertical output lines that performs a clipping operation in response to
a changing of the potential of the plurality of vertical output lines to exceed a predetermined value, and
wherein the clipping circuit is made active to perform the clipping operation during a time period for reading out, through
the plurality of vertical output lines, the change of the source potential of one of the amplifying transistors, which is
based on the signal charge generated in the photoelectric conversion element.
|