SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, METHOD OF DRIVING SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, AND CAMERA

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure a contrast in both light and dark regions when there are both light and dark regions existing in a mixed manner in one frame. SOLUTION: A solid-state imaging device 100 includes a group of pixels 10, a vertical shift register 20, column signal lines (a) and (b) disposed for individual columns, a shift register 50 for controlling a switch, and a horizontal shift register 40 which, each time the line is selected, enables signal voltage to be read out sequentially via the column signal line selected by each switch from each pixel belonging to the selected line. When converting the intensity of incident light into signal voltage, each pixel applies a first conversion gain when the column signal line (a) is selected, and applies a second conversion gain when the column signal line (b) is selected. Each time the line is selected by the vertical shift register 20, the shift register 50 for controlling a switch enables each switch to select either of the column signal lines (a) and (b). COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT