Solid state imaging device

Abstract

A plurality of pixels PX include effective pixels and optical black pixels. Signal lines VL are provided corresponding to each column of the pixels PX and supplied with output signals of the pixels PX of the corresponding column. Clip transistors CL are provided corresponding to the respective signal lines VL and limit a potential of the corresponding vertical signal lines VL based on a gate potential. At least in a predetermined operating mode, a potential Vclip_dark is supplied to a gate of one of the clip transistors CL corresponding to at least one pixel column formed of the optical black pixels when reading a noise level from the pixels PX corresponding to the clip transistors CL and when reading a data level from the pixels PX corresponding to the clip transistors CL.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A solid state imaging device, comprising:
 a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally including effective pixels generating a signal corresponding to incident light and optical black pixels generating a signal at a black standard level;   a plurality of signal lines provided corresponding to each column of the pixels and supplied with output signals of the pixels;   a plurality of transistors provided corresponding to the respective signal lines and limiting a potential of the signal lines based on a gate potential; and   a gate potential providing unit providing a first potential to a gate of one of the transistors corresponding to at least one pixel column formed of the optical black pixels when reading a noise level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors,   wherein the gate potential providing unit provides the first potential to gates of the transistors corresponding to pixel columns excluding the at least one pixel column when reading a noise level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors and provides a second potential when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in a predetermined operating mode.   
     
     
       2. The solid state imaging device according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a difference obtaining unit obtaining a difference between the noise level and the data level read from the respective pixels.   
     
     
       3. The solid state imaging according to  claim 1 , wherein the first potential is higher than the second potential. 
     
     
       4. A solid state imaging device, comprising:
 a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally including effective pixels generating a signal corresponding to incident light and optical black pixels generating a signal at a black standard level;   a plurality of signal lines provided corresponding to each column of the pixels and supplied with output signals of the pixels;   a plurality of transistors provided corresponding to the respective signal lines and limiting a potential of the signal lines based on a gate potential; and   a gate potential providing unit providing a first potential to gates of the respective transistors during a reading period of at least one pixel row formed of the optical black pixels when reading a noise level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors,   wherein the gate potential providing unit provides the first potential to gates of the respective transistors during a reading period of pixel rows excluding the at least one pixel row when reading a noise level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors and provides a second potential when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in a predetermined operating mode.   
     
     
       5. The solid state imaging device according to  claim 4 , further comprising
 a difference obtaining unit obtaining a difference between the noise level and the data level read from the respective pixels.   
     
     
       6. The solid state imaging device according to  claim 4 , wherein the first potential is higher than the second potential. 
     
     
       7. A solid state imaging device, comprising:
 a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally including effective pixels generating a signal corresponding to incident light and optical black pixels generating a signal at a black standard level;   a plurality of signal lines provided corresponding to each column of the plurality of pixels and supplied with output signals of the pixels;   a plurality of transistors provided corresponding to the respective signal lines and limiting a potential of the signal lines based on a gate potential; and   a gate potential providing unit providing a gate potential to gates of the respective transistors, wherein:   the gate potential providing unit provides a first potential to a gate of one of the transistors corresponding to at least one pixel column formed of the optical black pixels when reading a noise level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in a predetermined operating mode;   the gate potential providing unit provides the first potential to gates of the respective transistors during a reading period of at least one pixel row formed of the optical black pixels when reading a noise level and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in the predetermined operating mode;   the gate potential providing unit provides the first potential to gates of the transistors corresponding to pixel columns excluding the at least one pixel column when reading a noise level and provides a second potential when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in the predetermined operating mode: and   the gate potential providing unit provides the first potential to gates of the transistors corresponding to pixel columns excluding the at least one pixel column during a reading period of pixel rows excluding the at least one pixel row when reading a noise level and provides the second potential when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in the predetermined operating mode.   
     
     
       8. The solid state imaging device according to  claim 7 , further comprising
 a difference obtaining unit obtaining a difference between the noise level and the data level read from the respective pixels.   
     
     
       9. The solid state imaging device according to  claim 7 , wherein the first potential is higher than the second potential. 
     
     
       10. A solid state imaging device, comprising:
 a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally including effective pixels generating a signal corresponding to incident light and optical black pixels generating a signal at a black standard level;   a plurality of signal lines provided corresponding to each column of the pixels and supplied with output signals of the pixels;   a plurality of transistors provided corresponding to the respective signal lines and limiting a potential of the signal lines based on a gate potential; and   a gate potential providing unit providing a first potential to gates of the transistors provided corresponding to the optical black pixels when reading a noise level and when reading a data level from the optical black pixels   wherein the gate potential providing unit provides the first potential to gates of the transistors provided corresponding to the optical black pixels when reading a noise level and provides a second potential when reading a data level from the optical black pixels.   
     
     
       11. The solid state imaging device according to  claim 10 , further comprising
 a difference obtaining unit obtaining a difference between the noise level and the data level read from the respective pixels.   
     
     
       12. A solid state imaging device, comprising:
 a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally including effective pixels generating a signal corresponding to incident light and optical black pixels generating a signal at a black standard level;   a plurality of signal lines provided corresponding to each column of the pixels and supplied with output signals of the pixels;   a plurality of transistors provided corresponding to the respective signal lines and limiting a potential of the signal lines based on a gate potential; and   a gate potential providing unit providing an aligned potential to gates of the transistors corresponding to pixel columns when reading a noise level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors, wherein   the gate potential providing unit provides different potentials to a gate of one of the transistors corresponding to at least one pixel column formed of the optical black pixels when reading the noise level and when reading the data level.   
     
     
       13. A solid state imaging device, comprising:
 a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally including effective pixels generating a signal corresponding to incident light and optical black pixels generating a signal at a black standard level;   a plurality of signal lines provided corresponding to each column of the pixels and supplied with output signals of the pixels;   a plurality of transistors provided corresponding to the respective signal lines and limiting a potential of the signal lines based on a gate potential; and   a gate potential providing unit providing an aligned potential to gates of the transistors corresponding to pixel rows when reading a noise level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors, wherein   the gate potential providing unit provides different potentials to the gates of the transistors corresponding to at least one pixel row formed of the optical black pixels when reading the noise level and when reading the data level.   
     
     
       14. A solid state imaging device, comprising:
 a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally including effective pixels generating a signal corresponding to incident light and optical black pixels generating a signal at a black standard level;   a plurality of signal lines provided corresponding to each column of the plurality of pixels and supplied with output signals of the pixels;   a plurality of transistors provided corresponding to the respective signal lines and limiting a potential of the signal lines based on a gate potential; and   a gate potential providing unit providing a gate potential to gates of the respective transistors, wherein:   the gate potential providing unit provides an aligned potential to a gate of one of the transistors corresponding to at least one pixel column formed of the optical black pixels when reading a noise level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in a predetermined operating mode;   the gate potential providing unit provides an aligned potential to gates of the respective transistors during a reading period of at least one pixel row formed of the optical black pixels when reading a noise level and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in the predetermined operating mode;   the gate potential providing unit provides different potentials to gates of the transistors corresponding to pixel columns excluding the at least one pixel column when reading a noise level and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in the predetermined operating mode; and   the gate potential providing unit provides different potentials to gates of the transistors corresponding to pixel columns excluding the at least one pixel column during a reading period of pixel rows excluding the at least one pixel row when reading a noise level and when reading a data level from the pixels corresponding to the transistors at least in the predetermined operating mode.   
     
     
       15. A solid state imaging device, comprising:
 a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally including effective pixels generating a signal corresponding to incident light and optical black pixels generating a signal at a black standard level;   a plurality of signal lines provided corresponding to each column of the pixels and supplied with output signals of the pixels;   a plurality of transistors provided corresponding to the respective signal lines and limiting a potential of the signal lines based on a gate potential; and   a gate potential providing unit providing an aligned potential to gates of the transistors corresponding to the pixels when reading a noise level from the pixels and when reading a data level from the pixels, wherein   the gate potential providing unit provides an aligned potential to gates of the transistors corresponding to the optical black pixels when reading the noise level and the data level from the optical black pixels.   
     
     
       16. An imaging sensor comprising:
 a first photoelectric converter photoelectrically converting light to generate a charge;   a first output unit outputting a first signal based on the charge generated by the first photoelectric converter;   a first output line outputting a signal from the first output unit;   a second output unit provided at a shielding area in which incident light is shielded, and outputting a signal;   a second output line outputting the signal from the second output unit; and   a supplying unit supplying a first voltage to the first output line when the first signal is output from the first output unit, supplying a second voltage which is different from the first voltage to the first output line when a second signal for removing a noise of the first signal is output from the first output unit, and supplying the second voltage to the second output line when the signal is output from the second output unit.   
     
     
       17. The imaging sensor according to claim 16, wherein:
 the supplying unit has a wire supplying one of the first voltage and the second voltage.   
     
     
       18. The imaging sensor according to claim 16, wherein:
 the supplying unit has a switching unit being capable of switching the supply of one of the first voltage and the second voltage.   
     
     
       19. The imaging sensor according to claim 18, wherein:
 the supplying unit has a wire supplying one of the first voltage and the second voltage; and   the switching unit switches between the supply to supply the first voltage to the wire when the first signal is output from the first output unit and the supply to supply the second voltage to the wire when the second signal is output from the first output unit.   
     
     
       20. The imaging sensor according to claim 18, wherein:
 the switching unit has an input unit inputting one of a third signal and a fourth signal; and   the input unit inputs the third signal when the first signal is output from the first output unit and inputs the fourth signal when the second signal is output from the first output unit.   
     
     
       21. The imaging sensor according to claim 20, wherein:
 the switching unit switches between the supply to supply the first voltage to the first output line when the third signal is input to the input unit and the supply to supply the second voltage to the first output line when the fourth signal is input to the input unit.   
     
     
       22. The imaging sensor according to claim 16, wherein:
 the first voltage is lower than the second voltage.   
     
     
       23. The imaging sensor according to claim 16, wherein:
 the first output line outputs one of the signal from the first output unit and the signal from the second output unit.   
     
     
       24. The imaging sensor according to claim 23, further comprising:
 a second photoelectric converter being provided at the shielding area, and photoelectrically converting light to generate a charge, wherein:   the second output unit outputs the signal based on the charge generated by the second photoelectric converter.   
     
     
       25. The imaging sensor according to claim 23, wherein:
 the supplying unit supplies one of the first voltage and the second voltage to the first output line when the signal is output from the second output unit.   
     
     
       26. The imaging sensor according to claim 16, further comprising:
 a second photoelectric converter being provided at the shielding area, and photoelectrically converting light to generate a charge, wherein:   the second output unit outputs the signal based on the charge generated by the second photoelectric converter.   
     
     
       27. The imaging sensor according to claim 16, wherein:
 the second output unit outputs the second signal for removing the noise of the first signal.   
     
     
       28. The imaging sensor according to claim 16, wherein:
 the first voltage is a ground voltage.   
     
     
       29. An imaging device comprising:
 the imaging sensor according to claim 16; and   a generator generating image data based on a signal output from the imaging sensor.