Patent ID: 8295429

Claim:
An image input apparatus having a CCD color image sensor, comprising: a transferring unit that transfers effective charge accumulated in a photoelectric conversion element corresponding to one color to a shift register corresponding to the one color by opening a shift gate corresponding to the one color at a first timing for the one color; and a discarding unit that transfers unnecessary charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element, to the shift register so as to discard the unnecessary charge, by opening the shift gate at a second timing for the one color immediately before the first timing without the shift gate being opened after the second timing until the shift gate is opened at the first timing, and the photoelectric conversion element starts accumulating the effective charge, wherein the discarding unit further discards the unnecessary charge by opening the shift gate at one or more third timings for the one color that come after a previous transfer of effective charge from the photoelectric conversion element and immediately before the second timing without the shift gate being opened after the third timings until the shift gate is opened at the second timing, such that the third timings come before the unnecessary charge overflows in the photoelectric conversion element, and an interval between each of the timings is shorter than a time taken until the charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element starts overflowing, wherein, the discarding unit further discards the unnecessary charge by opening the shift gate at two or more third timings, and an interval between the second timing and a last of a third timings and an interval between one of the third timings and a next one of the third timings are shorter than an interval between the first timing and a first of the third timings.