Image sensing device employing CCD pixel compression technique and method for driving the same

摘要

A conventional image sensing device allowed significant amounts of unwanted electrons to flow upon pixel mixture, thereby providing a low transfer efficiency. An image sensing device has an image sensing section in which multiple light-receiving pixels for converting incident light into information charge for storage during an image sensing period are disposed in rows and columns in a light-receiving region on a semiconductor substrate. A storage section temporarily stores information charge that has been vertically transferred from the image sensing section. A horizontal transfer section vertically transfers row by row the information charges accumulated in the storage section. A driving section provides vertical transfer control. The driving section provides control such that information charge in any of the multiple light-receiving pixels included in the image sensing section is dumped to the semiconductor substrate over an entire image sensing period and pixels are mixed in two or more light-receiving pixels during charge transfer.