Patent ID: 8072527

Claim:
A solid state image sensing device, comprising: a pixel array constituted of pixels arranged in a matrix of a predetermined number of rows and a predetermined number of columns; a vertical scanning circuit for cyclically selecting a row out of the rows of the pixel array; column A/D converters provided in correspondence to the columns of the pixel array, and for reading out a pixel signal of the row selected by the vertical scanning circuit for A/D conversion, each of the column A/D converters including first through n-th column A/D converting elements, where n is an integer of 2 or more; and a controller for controlling the pixel array, the vertical scanning circuit, and the first through the n-th column A/D converting elements to cause each of the first through the n-th column A/D converting elements to divide the pixel signal read out from the pixel array into first through n-th blocks from an uppermost bit to a lowermost bit, and sequentially perform A/D conversion with respect to the blocks in the unit of one horizontal scanning period in such a manner that concurrent A/D conversion with respect to different blocks of pixel signals at different rows is performed.