An image sensing apparatus of the invention has a photoelectric conversion device including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, arranged in a matrix pattern, and output terminals for simultaneously reading out signals of a plurality of lines. A control circuit simultaneously reads out the signals of the lines of the photoelectric conversion device. An edge signal generating circuit receives the signals of the lines, operating them and generating an edge-corrected signal. A switch switches the connection between the output terminals of the photoelectric conversion device and the input of the edge signal generating circuit, in correspondence with a change in the combination of the lines to be read out. The apparatus has a simple configuration and can perform signal processing such as edge correction.

Alternate ones of the charge transfer stages in the CCD output register of a solid-state imager are loaded with charge packets descriptive of the intensities of respective image elements. The intervening charge transfer stages are loaded with charge packets descriptive of a reference level. Subsequently, the CCD output register is operated as a shift register to serially supply charge packets to an electrometer. Successive samples of the electrometer response are differentially combined to obtain an output signal with undesired components suppressed therein.

The invention relates to a read and clear readout circuit and a method of operation of an IR sensing array. The invention eliminates "readout circuit lag" which reduces transient response for an individual sensor, and reduces angular resolution of an array. "Readout circuit lag" also emphasizes longer duration IR background causing unwanted saturation and restriction of the dynamic range. Readout circuit lag arises from the capacitance of the sensor elements and the capacitance of the readout circuit at a node to which the sensor elements are periodically coupled for readout, the IR induced charge being partitioned between these capacitances, with that attributable to the sensor capacitance not being injected, causing readout circuit lag. Elimination of such lag is achieved by following each readout step, with a clear or clear and skim step that removes charge to the clear level or to the skim level, precluding the lag earlier described.

An image sensing apparatus of the invention has a photoelectric conversion device including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, arranged in a matrix pattern, and output terminals for simultaneously reading out signals of a plurality of lines. A control circuit simultaneously reads out the signals of the lines of the photoelectric conversion device. An edge signal generating circuit receives the signals of the lines, operating them and generating an edge-corrected signal. A switch switches the connection between the output terminals of the photoelectric conversion device and the input of the edge signal generating circuit, in correspondence with a change in the combination of the lines to be read out. The apparatus has a simple configuration and can perform signal processing such as edge correction.

An image pickup apparatus is provided with a first adder which outputs a sum signal by adding a first luminance signal produced from the signals of odd-numbered lines of a solid-state image sensor and a second luminance signal produced from the signals of even-numbered lines of the solid-state image sensor, a first subtracter which outputs a difference signal by subtracting the first luminance signal from the second luinance signal, a noise reducer which reduces noise in the difference signal, a second adder which outputs a third luminance signal by adding the difference signal with its noise reduced to the sum signal, and a second subtracter which outputs a fourth luminance signal by subtracting the difference signal with its noise reduced from the sum signal. A frame still picture is formed from the third luminance signal and fourth luminance signal.