Patent ID: 6795119
Filing Date: 2004-09-21
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising:an image pickup section; a signal processing section for executing digital signal processing; and a signal feeding section; said image pickup section comprising: photosensitive cells arranged bidimensionally and each being shifted from adjoining photosensitive cells in a horizontal and a vertical direction for photoelectrically transducing incident light; a color filter having color filter segments each positioned in front of a particular photosensitive cell in a direction of light incidence for separating colors of incident light representative of a scene; vertical transfer paths for transferring signal charges, which are read out of said photosensitive cells, in a vertical direction corresponding to a direction of columns of a bidimensional arrangement of said photosensitive cells; a horizontal transfer path extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to said vertical transfer paths for transferring the signal charges input thereto from said vertical transfer paths in accordance with horizontal drive signals; and transfer electrodes each positioned between a particular photosensitive cell and a vertical transfer path adjoining said particular photosensitive cell; said signal feeding section feeding transfer timing signals to said transfer electrodes for causing the signal charges to be delivered from said photosensitive cells to said vertical transfer paths, feeding vertical drive signals to said vertical transfer paths for causing said signals charges to be transferred along said vertical transfer paths to said horizontal transfer path, and feeding the horizontal drive signals to said horizontal transfer path for causing said signal charges to be transferred along said horizontal transfer path, wherein said signal feeding section causes said signal charges to be transferred in a particular manner in each of an actual pickup mode, in which said signal charges are read out of substantially all of said photosensitive cells, and a preliminary pickup mode preceding said actual pickup mode; the signal charges being transferred in the preliminary pickup mode, along said horizontal transfer path in response to the horizontal drive signals to cause the signal charges generated by the photosensitive cells to be mixed with each other in terms of every set of colors different from and adjacent to each other of said color filter segments in the horizontal direction; wherein said signal processing section comprises an image signal generating circuit assigned to the preliminary pickup mode for performing calculations with the signal charges mixed in said horizontal transfer path to thereby generate a luminance signal and chrominance signals.