Patent ID: 7545419

Claim:
A solid-state image-sensing device comprising: a pixel that generates an image signal commensurate with an amount of incident light and a noise signal representing a variation in sensitivity; an output circuit that holds, with opposite polarities, the image and noise signals output from the pixel and that combines together the image and noise signals thus held with opposite polarities so as to produce and output a noise-free image signal; and wherein the output circuit comprises: a first switch having one end thereof connected to a signal line to which the image signal is output from the pixel; a second switch having one end thereof connected to the signal line to which the noise signal is output from the pixel; a first capacitor, having one end thereof connected to another end of the first switch, for sampling and holding the image signal; a second capacitor, having one end thereof connected to another end of the second switch and having a reference voltage constantly applied to another end thereof, for sampling and holding the noise signal; a third switch having one end thereof connected to another end of the first capacitor and having another end thereof connected to a node between the second switch and the second capacitor; a fourth switch having one end thereof connected to a node between the first capacitor and the first switch and having the reference voltage constantly applied to another end thereof; and a fifth switch having one end thereof connected to a node between the first capacitor and the third switch and having the reference voltage constantly applied to another end thereof.