Patent ID: 8717476

Claim:
A method for reading out an image signal, the method comprising: providing a first photosensitive region and a second photosensitive region; providing a first transfer gate coupled to transfer first image charge from the first photosensitive region and also providing a second transfer gate coupled to transfer second image charge from the second photosensitive region; providing a common charge-to-voltage conversion region electrically connected to the first and second transfer gates; providing a reset mechanism that resets the common charge-to-voltage conversion region; transferring the first image charge from the first photosensitive element to the common charge-to-voltage conversion region at a first time by enabling the first transfer gate; sampling a first voltage level generated by the first image charge on the common charge-to-voltage conversion region at a second time following the first time; transferring the second image charge from the second photosensitive element by enabling the second transfer gate at a third time following the second time, wherein the second transfer gate has been disabled to hold the second image charge in the second photosensitive element from the first time to the third time; and sampling a second voltage level on the common charge-to-voltage conversion region at a fourth time following the third time, wherein the first transfer gate is enabled during the fourth time.