Solid state image pickup device having a number of vertical scanning

Abstract

A solid-state image pickup device includes an array of rows and columns of pixels, a vertical scanning circuit having vertical scanning circuit units disposed to correspond to alternate pixel rows in the vertical direction, a horizontal scanning circuit for taking a pixel signal out of pixel rows being currently selected by the vertical scanning circuit, and selected-row changeover switch section consisting of a pair of first and second switches for transferring an output of one vertical scanning circuit unit to a preceding pixel row and a succeeding one of a certain row corresponding to this unit. A select signal is derived from the unit during two successive horizontal scanning periods, causing the first switch to turn on and the second one to turn off within a first horizontal scanning period, and also causing, during the following horizontal scanning period, the second switch to turn on and the first one to turn off. With such an arrangement, the vertical scanning circuit units are decreased in number to be half the pixel number in the vertical direction, thus enabling achievement of all-pixel independent sequential-scanning read scheme in the solid-state image pickup device.