Abstract: A mixing of color that follows mixing of horizontally adjoining information charges corresponding to different colors is minimized during an operation for adding information charges of a plurality of pixels in a horizontal direction and during a high-speed horizontal transfer operation in a horizontal CCD shift register of a CCD image sensor. An impurity is used for forming barrier regions having a shallow channel potential among the barrier regions and storage regions that constitute transfer stages of the horizontal CCD shift register. The concentration of the impurity is established separately in a main portion, which is composed of transfer stages that are connected to the output ends of vertical CCD shift registers, and in a dummy portion, which connects the main portion with an output section and has a width that gradually decreases towards the output section. The barrier potential is therefore also established separately in the main portion and the dummy portion.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a plurality of pixels, color filters disposed on a light-receiving surface of at least part of the plurality of pixels, infrared filters disposed on a light-receiving surface of the rest of the plurality of pixels, and a cutoff filter provided on the light-receiving surface of the plurality of pixels. Each pixel includes a photoelectric conversion element having photoelectric conversion sensitivity in a wavelength range including a visible light region and an infrared light region. Each color filter transmits visible light. Each infrared filter transmits infrared light. The cutoff filter shields light components in a wavelength range of approximately 650 nm to approximately 750 nm.

Abstract: In a solid state imaging element in which a plurality of bits are provided for storing information charges, during transfer of an information charge, a transfer electrode corresponding to a bit storing the information charge to be transferred is set to an OFF state and at least one transfer electrode corresponding to at least one of bits at a later stage along a transfer direction which is adjacent to the bit is set to a potential lower than that in the ON state.

Abstract: An imaging system, capable of reducing blooming in a solid-state imaging device and improving image sensitivity, comprises an imaging section which has at least three transfer electrodes and is continuously arranged with pixels for producing information charges in response to the light from the outside, wherein the information charges are stored and transferred using potential wells formed by potentials applied to the transfer electrodes and, during image capture, one of the transfer electrodes is maintained in an ON state and at least another one of the transfer electrodes is alternately switched between an ON state and an OFF state. It is more preferable to average the amount of generated dark current under the transfer electrodes by switching the transfer electrodes between an ON state and an OFF state for image capture. This provides restraint of a difference in the amount of generated dark current between pixels, thus reducing image graininess.

Abstract: There is provided a charge transfer element, comprising a shift register, with a plurality of transfer electrodes, for transmitting information charge by application of clock pulses to the transfer electrodes, and an output section for outputting an output voltage according to information charge sequentially transferred and output from the shift register, a driver for applying clock pulses to the transfer electrodes at a specified timing, and a sampling circuit for sampling output voltage output from the output section, wherein the sampling circuit samples the output voltage, avoiding points in time where the clock pulses applied to the transfer electrodes change. In this way, it is possible to reduce noise that is superimposed on an output signal of a solid state imaging device.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor capable of suppressing increase of a dark current and a power consumption, and suppressing reduction of a transfer efficiency of electrons is provided. The solid-state image sensor comprises a charge storage region including a first conductive type first impurity region that has a first depth from a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, a first conductive type second impurity region that has a second depth larger than the first depth and an impurity concentration lower than an impurity concentration of the first impurity region, and a first conductive type third impurity region that has a third depth larger than the first depth and smaller than the second depth.

Abstract: In an image pickup portion of a frame transfer CCD image sensor, a constitution that inhibits color mixing from occurring between light-sensitive pixels adjacent along a vertical CCD shift register channel is provided. A protrusion extending on the channel is formed at a clock wiring formed on a channel stop of the vertical CCD shift register with an wiring layer having the light-shielding property. When the protrusion portion is disposed at a boundary of light-sensitive pixels in the channel, a non-light-shielding portion generated at the boundary can be suppressed. The protrusions are disposed so as to alternately protrude from the clock wirings on both sides of the channel.

Abstract: A solid state image capturing device comprises a vertical transfer section including a plurality of vertical shift registers which vertically transfer information charges generated in a plurality of light-receiving pixels arranged in a matrix form, and a horizontal transfer section including a horizontal shift register in which each bit thereof is coupled to each of the vertical shift registers of the vertical transfer section, wherein the information charges corresponding to a plurality of light-receiving pixels transferred by the horizontal shift register are added and then horizontally transferred. Thus, transfer time of the information charges during horizontal transfer can be reduced.

Abstract: A valve actuating mechanism for an internal combustion engine in which a rotatable cam has its camming surface disposed to slide on a cam slipper surface of a rocker arm to thereby open and close an intake valve (or exhaust valve) of the engine by rocking motion of the rocker arm. The dimensions, shapes, and relative positions of the rotatable cam and the rocker arm are so designed as to satisfy a condition of V.sub.C +V.sub.F >0, where V.sub.C represents the velocity of movement of a contact point on the camming surface at which the camming surface slides on the cam slipper surface, and V.sub.F the velocity of movement of the contact point on the cam slipper surface at which the cam slipper surface slides on the camming surface.

Abstract: A valve driving apparatus in an internal combustion engine having plural valve stems in a cylinder head on an upper portion of a main body of an engine which are aligned radially about the cylinder head with the intersection of their longitudinally axes substantially coinciding with a center of curvature of an upper wall surface of a combustion chamber, the valve stems being arranged to be driven by at least one cam shaft through respective subsidiary rocker arms which are in abutment with respective heads of the valve stems and respective rocker arms which are in abutment with the subsidiary rocker arms, characterized in that a shaft for each of the subsidiary rocker arms is positioned on a plane crossing a longitudinal axis of the corresponding one of the valve stems at a right angle and existing in a range of up and down stroke of the head of the valve stem.