Patent ID: 7274399

Claim:
A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising: photosensitive cells arranged in a bidemensional array for converting incident light to signal charges, a plurality of vertical transfer registers arranged to transfer the signal charges in a vertical direction, and a horizontal transfer register disposed perpendicularly to said plurality of vertical transfer registers for transferring the signal charges input from said plurality of vertical transfer registers in a horizontal direction; said photosensitive cells close to given one of said photosensitive cells being shifted from said one photosensitive cell by substantially half a pitch defined by a distance between the photosensitive cells adjoining each other in the vertical and horizontal directions; each of said plurality of vertical transfer registers being formed zigzag between said photosensitive cells adjoining each other in the horizontal direction; a solid-state image sensor configured such that, assuming that each of said photosensitive cells actually present is an actual pixel while a virtual photosensitive cell in a vacant region surrounded by said actual pixels is a virtual pixel, then a photosensitive region for photoelectrically transducing light incident to one of said single actual pixels is divided, in a direction in which said virtual pixel is positioned, into a main region and a subregion having a relatively larger area and a relatively smaller area, respectively, said subregion extending to at least a position of said virtual pixel; said vertical transfer registers and said horizontal transfer register being screened from light except for a first optical opening corresponding to said main region and a second optical opening corresponding to said subregion and including a position of said virtual pixel; said main region and said subregion being provided with respective read gates for reading out the signal charges from said main region and said subregion either separately or simultaneously; a timing signal generator for generating timing signals for driving said read gates either separately or simultaneously; a driver for delivering drive signals to said solid-state image sensor in response to the timing signals; and a system controller for controlling said timing signal generator in accordance with operator's manipulation.