System and method of providing images from solid state sensor

Claim 1

In an electronic imaging camera of the type which can be selectively operated in either a moving or still picture mode of operation and including a solid state image sensor comprising: a two-dimensional light sensing array including a plurality of photoresponsive pixel elements arranged in columns and rows, each photoresponsive pixel element responding to incident image defining light to provide a corresponding electronic information signal, a two-dimensional memory including a plurality of electronic information signal storage elements arranged in columns and rows, means for transferring the electronic information signal from the photoresponsive pixel elements to the storage elements in a manner whereby the electronic information signals from the rows of photoresponsive pixel elements are transferred to the columns of storage elements, and register means for transferring the electronic information signals from the memory in a select order whereby at least two electronic information signals from different columns of photoresponsive elements in the light sensing array can be simultaneously transferred during the moving picture mode of operation, the improvement including timing control means for transferring the electronic information signals during said still picture mode of operation from said memory array by way of a single register in a manner whereby the electronic information signals from the pixels of each succeeding row of pixels of the light sensing array are transferred in ordered groupings of pixels in which the pixels of each group are interspersed with the pixels of the remaining groups.