Patent ID: 7148927

Claim:
An image sensing apparatus comprising: a photoelectric converter having a plurality of pixels covered by color filters composed of a plurality of colors; a plurality of common readout units adapted to sequentially output signals from the plurality of pixels, a time division multiplex (TDM) unit adapted to perform time division multiplexing on signals from the plurality of common readout units so as to output time division multiplexed signals; and a read-out control unit adapted to read out the signals from the plurality of pixels to the common readout units so that signals from pixels covered with color filters of the same color are multiplexed continuously, wherein the plurality of common readout units includes at least a first common readout unit, a second common readout unit, a third common readout unit and a fourth common readout unit; and the time division multiplex unit includes at least a first time division multiplex unit and a second time division multiplex unit, the first common readout unit, the second common readout unit and the first time division multiplex unit being provided on one of the side of the photoelectric converter, the third common readout unit, the fourth common readout unit and the second time division multiplex unit being provided on a side of the photoelectric converter opposite the side on which the first common readout unit, the second common readout unit and the first time division multiplex unit are provided, the first time division multiplex unit multiplexing signals from the first common readout unit and the second common readout unit, the second time division multiplex unit multiplexing signals from the third common readout unit and the fourth common readout unit.