Image capturing apparatus and method for controlling image capturing apparatus

An image capturing apparatus comprising:

• an image sensor including a pixel region including a plurality of pixel units each having a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion unit, the plurality of pixel units being arranged in a matrix, and a storage unit configured to store a signal read from the pixel region, one storage unit being provided for each column;
• and
• a driving unit configured to drive the image sensor by, for each row to be read of the plurality of pixel units, exclusively selecting an operation of combining a signal of the first photoelectric conversion unit and a signal of the second photoelectric conversion unit for each pixel unit and outputting the combined signal to the storage unit, an operation of reading a signal from the first photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit, or an operation of reading a signal from the second photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit.

An image capturing apparatus comprising:

• an image sensor including a pixel region including a plurality of pixel units each having a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion unit, the plurality of pixel units being arranged in a matrix, and a storage unit configured to store a signal read from the pixel region, one storage unit being provided for each column;
• and
• a driving unit configured to drive the image sensor by using a first drive method of, for rows to be read of the plurality of pixel units, combining a signal of the first photoelectric conversion unit and a signal of the second photoelectric conversion unit for each pixel unit and outputting the combined signal to the storage unit while skipping a plurality of rows between the rows to be read, and a second drive method of reading a signal from the first photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit in any of the plurality of rows skipped in the first drive method and reading a signal from the second photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit in another of the plurality of rows skipped in the first drive method.

A method for controlling an image capturing apparatus including an image sensor including a pixel region including a plurality of pixel units each having a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion unit, the plurality of pixel units being arranged in a matrix, and a storage unit configured to store a signal read from the pixel region, one storage unit being provided for each column, the method comprising:

• driving the image sensor by, for each pixel unit to be read of the plurality of pixel units, exclusively selecting an operation of combining a signal of the first photoelectric conversion unit and a signal of the second photoelectric conversion unit for each pixel unit and outputting the combined signal to the storage unit, an operation of reading a signal from the first photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit, or an operation of reading a signal from the second photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit.

A method for controlling an image capturing apparatus including an image sensor including a pixel region including a plurality of pixel units each having a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion unit, the plurality of pixel units being arranged in a matrix, and a storage unit configured to store a signal read from the pixel region, one storage unit being provided for each column, the method comprising:

• driving the image sensor by, for each row to be read of the plurality of pixel units, exclusively selecting an operation of combining a signal of the first photoelectric conversion unit and a signal of the second photoelectric conversion unit for each pixel unit and outputting the combined signal to the storage unit, an operation of reading a signal from the first photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit, or an operation of reading a signal from the second photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit.

A method for controlling an image capturing apparatus including an image sensor including a pixel region including a plurality of pixel units each having a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion unit, the plurality of pixel units being arranged in a matrix, and a storage unit configured to store a signal read from the pixel region, one storage unit being provided for each column, the method comprising:

• driving the image sensor by using a first drive method of, for rows to be read of the plurality of pixel units, combining a signal of the first photoelectric conversion unit and a signal of the second photoelectric conversion unit for each pixel unit and outputting the combined signal to the storage unit while skipping a plurality of rows between the rows to be read, and a second drive method of reading a signal from the first photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit in any of the plurality of rows skipped in the first drive method and reading a signal from the second photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel unit to the storage unit in another of the plurality of rows skipped in the first drive method.