Patent ID: 7679665

Claim:
A solid-state image sensing device comprising: an image sensing region in which pixels are two-dimensionally arranged into rows and columns on a semiconductor substrate, the pixel comprising a photoelectric conversion circuit configured to convert an optical signal into a signal charge and store the signal charge, a read circuit configured to read out the electric charge stored in the photoelectric conversion circuit to a detecting portion, an amplification circuit configured to amplify and output a voltage corresponding to an amount of electric charge in the detecting portion, and a reset circuit configured to reset the electric charge in the detecting portion; a vertical signal line connected to each pixel column in the image sensing region; a variable load circuit connected to the vertical signal line, and configured to increase an electric current flowing through the vertical signal line when a plurality of pixel rows are simultaneously selected; and a storage circuit configured to hold the voltage read out to the vertical signal line from each amplification circuit in a selected pixel row, wherein the image sensing region includes a plurality of vertical blocks where the pixels are two-dimensionally arranged, the solid-state image sensing device further comprises: a vertical block selection circuit configured to output a vertical block selection signal in response to a horizontal sync pulse; an intra-block line selection circuit which selects one pixel row in one vertical block or simultaneously selects a plurality of pixel rows in one vertical block, on the basis of the vertical block selection signal output from the vertical block selection circuit, and a signal for setting the number of lines to be selected; and a pulse selector circuit configured to supply a pulse signal to a pixel row selected by the intra-block line selection circuit, on the basis of an output signal from the intra-block line selection circuit and a pixel driving pulse signal.