Solid-state imaging element, imaging device, and method for controlling solid-state imaging element

An imaging device, comprising:

• a signal voltage sample-and-hold circuit configured to sample and hold, as a sample signal voltage, a voltage obtained by division of a difference between a first voltage of a vertical signal line corresponding to a light reception amount in a pixel and a determined variable reference voltage;
• a reference voltage control section configured to perform control to modulate a value of the determined variable reference voltage according to a dark current amount in the pixel;
• a reset voltage sample-and-hold circuit configured to sample and hold, as a sample reset voltage, a voltage obtained by division of a difference between a second voltage of the vertical signal line when the pixel is initialized and a determined fixed reference voltage;
• a differential conversion circuit configured to:
• convert a difference between the sample signal voltage and the sample reset voltage to a current signal;
• and
• supply the current signal as an analog signal;
• an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the analog signal to a digital signal;
• and
• a digital signal processing circuit configured to process the digital signal.

A method for controlling a solid-state imaging element, the method comprising:

• sampling and holding, as a sample signal voltage, a voltage obtained by dividing a difference between a first voltage of a vertical signal line corresponding to a light reception amount in a pixel and a determined variable reference voltage;
• performing control to modulate a value of the determined variable reference voltage according to a dark current amount in the pixel;
• sampling and holding, as a sample reset voltage, a voltage obtained by dividing a difference between a second voltage of the vertical signal line when the pixel is initialized and a determined fixed reference voltage;
• converting a difference between the sample signal voltage and the sample reset voltage to a current signal;
• supplying the current signal as an analog signal;
• and
• converting the analog signal to a digital signal.