Patent ID: 7663684

Claim:
An electric charge transfer apparatus, comprising: a plurality of columns of photoelectric conversion elements, each column of photoelectric conversion elements containing a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, a plurality of columns of vertical charge transfer devices, each column of the plurality of columns of vertical charge transfer devices being formed adjacent to each column of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements and transferring a signal electric charge converted by each photoelectric conversion element of the adjacent column of photoelectric conversion elements; a plurality of charge-discharging circuit sets each set being connected to an end of each column of the vertical charge transfer devices near an horizontal charge transfer device, each charge-discharging circuit set including at least two charge-discharging circuits connected in a serial manner for discharging the signal electric charge transferred by at least one of the vertical charge transfer devices of the respective column of vertical charge transfer devices connected thereto, each of the at least two charge-discharging circuits forming a vertical transfer unit, wherein a first charge-discharging circuit of the at least two charge-discharging circuits discharges the signal electric charge transferred by at least one of the vertical charge transfer devices of the respective column of vertical charge transfer devices connected thereto at a predetermined position, and a second charge-discharging circuit of the at least two charge-discharging circuits discharges the signal electric charge left by the first charge-discharging circuit to an outside of the electric charge transfer apparatus; the horizontal charge transfer device being formed at a lower end of the columns of the vertical charge transfer devices and connected at one end thereof with an output circuit, wherein the output circuit outputs the signal electric charge transferred by the vertical charge transfer devices to the outside of the electric charge transfer apparatus.