Patent ID: 7141775

Claim:
A solid-state image pick-up device comprising: an image pick-up pixel element having image pick-up pixels in the row and column directions; a vertical transfer element which outputs, to a vertical signal line arranged to each column, a pixel signal from the image pick-up pixel in each column of the selected row; a plurality of amplifier elements each of which is arranged to the vertical signal line of each column and receives the pixel signals from the image pick-up pixels of each respective column; a limiter element which limits an output voltage range of said amplifier element, a plurality of said limiter elements being arranged to said plurality of amplifier elements; and a horizontal transfer element which transfers, by a horizontal signal line, the pixel signals amplified by said each amplifier element and limited by each said limiter element, wherein said limiter element comprises an MOS transistor in which a source terminal thereof is connected to an output terminal of said amplifier element, a drain terminal thereof is connected to the power supply or the ground, and a gate terminal thereof is connected to a reference potential for determining a limiter level.