Photosensitive charge coupled accumulation device and lidar

Abstract

The CCD device is suitable for use in a lidar. It has an image zone constituted by a matrix of M lines and N columns of photosensitive sites for receiving a light signal and generating charges, a first memory zone constituted by a matrix of P lines and N columns of non-photosensitive sites, a read-out register having a single line of N sites, and a second memory zone having P lines of N sites, apt to receive in parallel charges contained in the N sites of the read-out register. The first memory zone has a first line of sites apt to receive and to sum charges generated in a respective column of the image zone at the end of each of successive acquisition periods. The second memory zone stores and transfers charges to N sites of a same line of the image zone or the first memory zone whereby accumulating, in each line of the first memory zone, charges accumulated during an observation period and resulting from a plurality of successive summations. At the end of each acquisition period, a timer transfers at high speed the charges present in all sites of all columns of the image zone along the columns to respective sites of the line which achieves summation.