Image pickup apparatus which enables a light receiving period to

Abstract

An image pickup apparatus comprises a solid-state image pickup device including a plurality of light receiving areas, charge transfer areas, charge-reading gate areas and an output portion, a synchronous signal generator for producing line and frame synchronous signals, a timing signal generator for producing selectively a first internal frame synchronous signal in synchronism with the frame synchronous signal and a second internal frame synchronous signal asynchronous with the frame synchronous signal and for forwarding a charge-reading timing signal and a charge-transfer timing signal each synchronizing with the first or second internal frame synchronous signal, a driving signal generator for producing a gate driving signal and a charge-transfer driving signal in response to the charge-reading timing signal and the charge-transfer timing signal, respectively, and for supplying charge-reading gate areas and charge transfer areas with the gate driving signal and the charge-transfer driving signal, respectively, and a control unit operative, in response to a light-receiving command signal supplied thereto, to cause the timing signal generator to forward the charge-reading timing signal and the charge-transfer timing signal each synchronizing with the second internal frame synchronous signal during a predetermined period so that a light receiving period for the solid-state image pickup device is determined in response to the second internal frame synchronous signal.