Abstract: A method of driving a solid-state imaging device, in which signal charges are read out from all light receiving members of the solid-state imaging device simultaneously and independently to the vertical CCD register of the device. The signal charges in the vertical CCd registers are transferred in two vertical transfer steps in one horizontal blanking period of time. A plurality of the light receiving members are arranged in a matrix in the vertical and horizontal directions whereas a plurality of vertical CCD registers of the device read the signal charges received through the light receiving members and transfer them in the vertical direction. A horizontal CCD register which is disposed at the ends of the vertical CCD registers transfers the signal charges received from the vertical CCD registers to an output circuit member. A first field and a second field are respectively formed in accordance with the reading and transferring operations to effect an interlace motion in the solid-state imaging device.

Abstract: In a CCD solid-state image pickup device comprising a plurality of photosensitive elements arranged in a plurality of parallel columns, a vertical shift register adjacent to each column of the photosensitive elements, and a horizontal shift register coupled to the vertical shift register, a drain shift register is coupled to a drain circuit to drain disused charges accumulated in the photosensitive elements in each vertical blanking time period except for a specific time period of the vertical blanking time period. The drain shift register may be coupled to the photosensitive elements of each column through a plurality of drain transfer gates. Alternatively, the drain shift register may be coupled to the photosensitive elements through the vertical shift register. The drain shift register may be coupled to the drain circuit either directly or through the horizontal shift register.