Patent ID: 6426493
Filing Date: 2002-07-30
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising:an image pickup section; and a signal feeding section; said image pickup section comprising: photosensitive cells arranged bidimensionally, 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 being positioned in front of a particular photosensitive cell in a direction of light incidence for separating colors of incident light representative of a scene; first transfer electrodes, each being assigned to a particular photosensitive cell for reading out a signal charge generated by said photosensitive cell; and second transfer electrodes, each being assigned to a particular photosensitive cell arranged on at least every third column in a horizontal direction for reading out a signal charge generated by said photosensitive cell; wherein said solid-state image pickup apparatus sequentially performs preliminary pickup and actual pickup, which reads all of the signal charges out of said photosensitive cells, and executes digital signal processing with resulting signals; andwherein said signal feeding section feeds transfer timing signals for transferring, during the preliminary pickup, signal charges output from said photosensitive cells arranged on at least every third column via said second transfer electrodes to vertical transfer paths, vertical drive signals for transferring said signal charges along said vertical transfer paths toward a horizontal transfer path perpendicular to said vertical transfer paths, and horizontal drive signals adjusted in timing for transferring the signal charges along said horizontal transfer path while maintaining a color of an individual signal charge.