PHOTOELECTRIC TRANSFER DEVICE AND DRIVE METHOD THEREFOR

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress a variation of a power supply voltage without using a large capacity of bypass capacitor and to reduce the influence of "fluctuations" or the like which occurs, when switch is made from a standby state to an operation state. SOLUTION: An image sensor chip reading an optical signal is operating, in a state where a supply current from a constant current supply circuit to an optical signal amplifying circuit is controlled to a first supply current by a supply current control circuit. The other image sensor chips are in a standby state, where the supply current is controlled to a second supply current smaller than the first supply current by the supply current control circuit. The supply current control circuit has function of controlling the supply current to at least one third supply current, which is smaller than the first supply current and larger than the second supply current. When the image sensor chip changes from the standby state to the operation state, the supply current control circuit controls the supply current so that it slowly changes from the second supply current to the first supply current via the third supply current. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT