Matsushita Electronics Corporation

Yasuyuki Toyoda

Toshihide Nobusada

Masayoshi Ozaki

Hironori Tanaka

Noboru Kokusenya

Ryouichi Nagayoshi

Yukio Saitoh

Keijirou Itakura

A solid state image sensor comprising a matrix of photosensitive elements adapted to accumulate signal charges corresponding to at least two different aspect ratios, a plurality of vertical shift registers disposed adjacent to columns of the photosensitive elements for a vertical transfer of the signal charges and a plurality of horizontal shift registers corresponding to the respective aspect ratios and disposed in parallel with each other for a horizontal transfer of the signal charges from the vertical shift registers. As a horizontal shift register exclusive to each aspect ratio is provided in the above manner, it is no longer necessary to superimpose the signal outputs of a plurality of buffer amplifiers so that a picture signal corresponding to the desired aspect ratio can be easily read out.

Solid state image sensor device and its driving method

The solid state image sensor of the invention comprises a plurality of photosensitive elements arranged in a matrix form, a vertical shift register disposed adjacent each column of the photosensitive elements and adapted to vertically transfer signal charges read from the corresponding photosensitive elements, a storage region for storing signal charges transferred by the vertical shift register and a horizontal shift register adapted to horizontally transfer signal charges read from the storage region, the above vertical shift register comprising units of 2n (n is a positive integer of not less than 3) transfer electrodes which are respectively independent.

Solid state image sensor and its driving method

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Minou, Japan

Yasuyuki Toyoda