Abstract: Output signals of two adjacent data signal lines DA1 to DAn and DB1 to DBn are supplied to comparators CMP1 to CMPn, respectively. When pixels are inspected, different signal potentials are input to signal input terminals 14a and 14b. Signals are written to pixels from the first row to the last row. Thereafter, a pre-charging process is performed by supplying a voltage to the terminals 14a and 14b. Thereafter, signals are read from all the pixels from the first row to the last row. The signal potentials that have been read are compared by the comparators CMP1 to CMPn. Depending on the relations of voltages written as digitally-compared outputs of the comparators CMP1 to CMPn, defective pixels are detected.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to make noise which contains regularities, which is likely to be generated in an image of an image signal obtained by using a CMOS sensor, less conspicuous. A CMOS sensor 50 includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion units 51-xy, which generate by photoelectric conversion pixel signals for respective pixels which together form an image and are arranged vertically and horizontally, and a plurality of wirings 52-x. Photoelectric conversion units 51-x0, 51-x1, 51-x2, and the like, which are arranged in the vertical direction, are not necessarily connected to the CDS unit 41-x of the signal correction unit 5 via a wiring 52-x. Each of the conversion units is connected to a CDS unit 41-z which is different from those of adjacent the photoelectric conversion units 51 in all four directions via the wiring 52-z. Here, z indicates a coordinate in the horizontal direction, which is a random value without regularity.

Abstract: Output signals of two adjacent data signal lines DA1 to DAn and DB1 to DBn are supplied to comparators CMP1 to CMPn, respectively. When pixels are inspected, different signal potentials are input to signal input terminals 14a and 14b. Signals are written to pixels from the first row to the last row. Thereafter, a pre-charging process is performed by supplying a voltage to the terminals 14a and 14b. Thereafter, signals are read from all the pixels from the first row to the last row. The signal potentials that have been read are compared by the comparators CMP1 to CMPn. Depending on relations of voltages written as digitally compared outputs of the comparators CMP1 to CMPn, defective pixels are detected.