Patent ID: 6084659
Filing Date: 2000-07-04
Classification: G01J,H04N

Abstract:
A photosensitive CCD device for global analysis of a light signal during a plurality of observation periods each comprising a plurality of successive acquisition periods, including:an image zone constituted by a matrix of M lines and N columns of photosensitive sites for receiving the light signal and generating charges, M and N being integers greater than 1;a first memory zone constituted by a matrix of P lines and N columns of non-photosensitive sites having a first line of sites each of which is adapted to receive and to sum charges generated in a respective column of the image zone at the end of each of successive acquisition periods, P being an integer greater than 1;a read-out register having a single line of N sites, each adapted to receive charges stored in a respective site of a last line of the first memory zone;a second memory zone having P lines of N sites, adapted to receive in parallel, charges contained in the N sites of the read-out register and adapted to store said charges and to transfer said charges to N sites of a same line of the image zone or the first memory zone thereby accumulating, in each line of the first memory zone, charges accumulated during said observation period and resulting from a plurality of successive summations; andtiming means for:at the end of each said acquisition period, transferring, at a high speed as compared to acquisition, the charges present in all sites of all columns of the image zone along the columns to respective sites of the integration line, andduring each observation period, transferring the charges accumulated in each site of the integration zone step by step, at a frequency of the successive acquisition periods, along the columns of the memory zone, to the read-out register.