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AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorToshiharu Ueda
Estimating the term…
An image pickup apparatus capable of reducing the influence of dark current noise to thereby obtain excellent image quality, even when the dynamic range is expanded under a photographing condition. In an image pickup element of a CMOS image sensor of the apparatus, a photo diode (PD) generates and accumulates electric charge according to an optical input, and a floating diffusion portion (FD) accumulates the electric charges. A charge holding portion (MEM) is disposed between PD and FD. A first transfer transistor selectively separates and connect between PD and MEM, and a second transfer transistor selectively separates and connects between MEM and FD. A system control circuit sets an operation mode to either a first operation mode in which PD and MEM are separated or a second operation mode according to photographing conditions for shooting an object in which PD and MEM are connected.
An image pickup apparatus comprising:
A method of controlling an image pickup apparatus including a photoelectric conversion element configured to generate and accumulate electric charge according to an optical input, a charge accumulation portion configured to accumulate the electric charge, a charge holding portion disposed between the photoelectric conversion element and the charge accumulation portion, a first transfer switch configured to selectively separate and connect between the photoelectric conversion element and the charge holding portion, and a second transfer switch configured to selectively separate and connect between the charge holding portion and the charge accumulation portion,
A computer-executable program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling an image pickup apparatus including a photoelectric conversion element configured to generate and accumulate electric charge according to an optical input, a charge accumulation portion configured to accumulate the electric charge, a charge holding portion disposed between the photoelectric conversion element and the charge accumulation portion, a first transfer switch configured to selectively separate and connect between the photoelectric conversion element and the charge holding portion, and a second transfer switch configured to selectively separate and connect between the charge holding portion and the charge accumulation portion,
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.