Patent ID: 8111313

Claim:
An image sensor driving unit, the image sensor driving unit driving an image sensor to carry out a capture of an image, the image sensor having a plurality of pixels and a charge-transfer channel, the pixels generating signal charges according to amounts of received light, the charge-transfer channel reading out the signal charges from the pixels and transferring the signal charges, the capture being carried out by ordering the pixels to generate the signal charges and the charge-transfer channel to transfer the signal charges, the image sensor driving unit comprising: a first controller that orders the image sensor to carry out a rapid discharge operation before the charge-transfer channel reads out and transfers the signal charges, an electrical charge remaining in the charge-transfer channel being discharged in the rapid discharge operation; a second controller that controls the first controller to order the image sensor to carry out the rapid discharge operation when light is made incident on the pixels for the capture after the first capture with the image sensor operating in continuous photographing mode; and a third controller that varies a discharge number, the discharge number being the number of rapid discharge operations to be carried out, the third controller decreasing the discharge number for the capture after the first capture from the discharge number for the first capture.