A column analog-to-digital converter having a voltage comparator and a
counter is arranged for each a vertical signal line. The voltage
comparator compares a pixel signal inputted via the vertical signal line
at each row control signal line with a reference voltage, thereby
generating a pulse signal having a length in time axis corresponding to
the magnitude of a reset component and a signal component. The counter
counts a clock to measure the width of the pulse signal until the end of
the comparison operation of the comparator, and stores a count at the end
of the comparison. A communication and timing controller controls the
voltage comparator and the counter so that, in a first process, the
voltage comparator performs a comparison operation on a reset component
with the counter performing a down-counting operation, and so that, in a
second process, the voltage controller performs the comparison operation
on a signal component with the counter performing an up-counting
operation.