Solid state imaging apparatus with large electric charge amount in

Abstract

A solid state imaging apparatus includes a solid state imager of an interline charge transfer device type, including a number of photoelectric conversion cells arranged in the form of matrix, and a reading gate provided between each of photoelectric conversion cells in each one column and one adjacent vertical transfer register and controlled for reading an electric charge stored in one of each N photoelectric conversion cells to the adjacent vertical transfer register. A memory is connected to receive an image signal sequentially outputted from the solid state imager, and has a capacity corresponding to a double of the number of the photoelectric conversion cells of the solid state imager. A control circuit is provided for controlling driving of the solid state imager and the memory in such a manner that after a reading operation of the solid state imager is performed N times so as to store into a first half of the memory an image signal detected by all the photoelectric conversion cells of the solid state imager, an image signal is read out from the first half of the memory in accordance with a desired television format, and concurrently, a reading operation of the solid state imager is performed so as to store into a second half of the memory an image signal detected by the photoelectric conversion cells of the solid state imager.