| US 7,586,526 B2 | ||
| Image sensing apparatus with at least two transfer speeds and its control method | ||
| Shinji Kurokawa, Kanagawa (Japan); and Yasuyuki Yamazaki, Chiba (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Mar. 28, 2002, as Appl. No. 10/113,516. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2001-097043 (JP), filed on Mar. 29, 2001; and application No. 2001-203387 (JP), filed on Jul. 04, 2001. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2002/0140844 A1, Oct. 03, 2002 | ||
| Int. Cl. H04N 9/64 (2006.01); H04N 5/225 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 348—243 [348/241; 348/312; 348/314] | 10 Claims |
| 1. An image sensing apparatus comprising:
an image sensing element having a plurality of pixels configured to generate charges in correspondence with an amount of incoming
light, a plurality of vertical transfer units and a horizontal transfer unit configured to transfer a plurality of charge
signals generated by the plurality of pixels; and
a controller that controls said vertical transfer units to transfer and discard noise charge accumulated in each of said vertical
transfer units during exposing said image sensing element a plurality of times after said image sensing element is exposed
for a predetermined period of time and before any of the charge signals generated by the pixels are transferred to said vertical
transfer units,
wherein the transferring and discarding of noise charge accumulated in said vertical transfer units by said controller includes
a first transfer of noise charges at a first transfer speed, and a second transfer of noise charges at a second transfer speed
different from the first transfer speed,
wherein the first transfer is performed in a charge sweep-away period of said noise charge and the second transfer is performed
in an idle read period of said vertical and horizontal transfer units.
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