Patent ID: 7952629

Claim:
An image sensor, in particular a CMOS image sensor, for electronic cameras, having a plurality of pixels ( 11 ) arranged in lines and columns, with the pixels ( 11 ) in each case comprising: a light-sensitive detector element ( 15 ) to generate electrical charge from incident light; a transfer gate ( 39 ); a readout node ( 41 ) which is charge coupled to the detector element ( 15 ) via the transfer gate ( 39 ); a converter circuit ( 43 ) to generate a measurement signal which is proportional to a charge present in the readout node ( 41 ); and a reset device ( 45 ) to reset a charge present in the readout node ( 41 ) to a reference value; and furthermore having a control device ( 53 ) for the control of the transfer gate ( 39 ) and of the reset device ( 45 ) of the respective pixel ( 11 ), wherein the control device ( 53 ) is configured such that the charge generated during a single exposure procedure in the respective detector element ( 15 ) is transferred from the detector element ( 15 ) to the readout node ( 41 ) in a plurality of portions, wherein the control device ( 53 ) is configured such that at least two sequential transfer control signals are applied to the transfer gate ( 39 ) for the reading out of the charge generated during a single exposure procedure in the respective detector element ( 15 ) so that a respective charge transfer from the detector element ( 15 ) to the readout node ( 14 ) is made possible in order to generate a separate part value measurement signal for each charge transfer by means of the converter circuit ( 43 ), said part value measurement signal being proportional to the charge present in the readout node ( 41 ) on the basis of the respective charge transfer, wherein at least two of the transfer control signals have different control values, and wherein the absolute value of the control value of the later of the two transfer control signals is larger than the absolute value of the control value of the earlier of the two transfer control signals.