Patent ID: 6867806

Claim:
An image sensor for sensing the light of an image impinging thereupon and for translating the image into a standard television format, said image sensor comprising a plurality of pairs of light-detecting elements arranged in rows and columns, characterized in that each pair of light-detecting elements comprises: (1) a first photo sensing means for generating analog signals in proportion to the intensity of the light impinging thereon; (2) a second photo sensing means for generating analog signals in proportion to the intensity of the light impinging thereon; (3) first turn-on means coupled to each of said first and second photo sensing means, wherein said first and second photo sensing means in each pair of light-detecting elements are coupled in parallel in the column direction at a floating sensing point through said first turn-on means, said first turn-on means being enabled by a first control line coupled thereto, such that analog signals acquired in said first and second photo sensing means of one of the same pairs are present at said floating sensing point in response to the enabling of said first control line; and (4) translating means coupled to said floating sensing point for resetting the initial state of said floating sensing point and reading out said analog signals to a column line; wherein said first and second photo sensing means in adjacent pairs of light-detecting elements, respectively, are coupled in parallel in the column direction.