Patent ID: 7564492
Filing Date: 2009-07-21
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A solid-state image sensing device comprising: vertical transfer parts provided corresponding to respective columns of bidimensionally arranged pixels to vertically transfer signal charges read out from the pixels; and a horizontal transfer part for horizontally transferring the signal charges received from the vertical transfer parts, wherein the vertical transfer parts include transfer stages, those located closest to the horizontal transfer part being vertical last stages, and the vertical last stages have transfer electrodes formed to have identical configurations repeated every m (m denotes an integer of 2 or higher) columns, vertical last stages of columns other than one of the m columns or all vertical last stages of the m columns each are provided with a transfer electrode that is independent of those of other vertical last stages of the m columns so that an operation of transferring signal charges from the vertical last stages concerned to the horizontal transfer part is controlled independently of said other vertical last stages, the integer m is 2n+1 (n denotes an integer of 1 or higher), and signal charges of pixels included in each of first and second pixel mixture groups are added together in the horizontal transfer part, where the first pixel mixture groups each are composed of 2n+1 (n denotes an integer of 1 or higher) pixels arranged at every other pixel in a horizontal direction of the bidimensionally arranged pixels, and the second pixel mixture groups each are composed of 2n+1 pixels that are arranged at every other pixel and are pixels other than those of the first pixel mixture groups in the horizontal direction of the bidimensionally arranged pixels, with centers of gravity of the pixels of the respective second pixel mixture groups each being located at an equal distance from centers of gravity of the pixels of two first pixel mixture groups adjacent thereto, wherein the vertical last stages located closest to the horizontal transfer part of the vertical transfer parts have transfer electrodes formed to have identical configurations repeated every three columns, vertical last stages of at least the second and third columns of the three columns, counted as from an output side of the horizontal transfer part, each are provided with a transfer electrode that is independent of those of the other vertical last stages so that an operation of transferring signal charges from the respective vertical last stages concerned to the horizontal transfer part is controlled independently of the other vertical last stages, a vertical last stage of each column is formed with more than four transfer electrodes, and in all vertical transfer parts of three columns adjoining each other, among the six transfer electrodes, those located second and fourth from a side of the horizontal transfer part are independent electrodes that are independent of those of vertical last stages of the other columns, and the electrodes other than those located second and fourth are electrodes common to the other stages of the respective vertical transfer parts.