Imaging apparatus which adjusts for dark noise and readout noise

Abstract

An imaging apparatus using a charge multiplying solid-sate imaging device for use with an endoscope system, etc., capable of providing an output signal with an improved S/N ratio by reducing the dark noise. The full well size of the CCD imaging device is reduced to 1/M of the number of electrons corresponding to a maximum amount of light which may be received by the individual pixel determined by the technical specifications of the system, and the signal charges are read out N times in a prescribed time period corresponding to a time for a single frame in a TV frame rate. The system satisfies the relation, nd (1−1/M)>nr2(N2−1), assuming that nd is the dark noise and nr is the readout noise contained in single reading from a reference solid-state imaging means having a full well size equivalent to the number of electrons described above.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.