Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• one or more first emitters, one or more second emitters, and one or more third emitters of an illumination device, the one or more first emitters each emitting a first light beam having a polarization direction of 30°, the one or more second emitters each emitting a second light beam having a polarization direction of 90°, the one or more third emitters each emitting a third light beam having a polarization direction of 150°, the illumination device illuminating a subject with at least one of the first, second, and third light beams;
• a housing of an imaging device having first, second, and third apertures provided therein, and an image sensor having an imaging surface;
• one or more objective lenses located between the subject and the imaging surface;
• a first analyzer that is disposed at a position of the first aperture and of which a direction of a transmission axis is 0°;
• a second analyzer that is disposed at a position of the second aperture and of which a direction of a transmission axis is 60°;
• a third analyzer that is disposed at a position of the third aperture and of which a direction of a transmission axis is 120°;
• and
• an image forming circuit,
• wherein the imaging surface of the imaging device includes a first region, a second region, and a third region, the first region receiving a fourth light beam, of a returning light beam from the subject, that has passed through the first analyzer, the second region receiving a fifth light beam, of the returning light beam from the subject, that has passed through the second analyzer, the third region receiving a sixth light beam, of the returning light beam from the subject, that has passed through the third analyzer, and
• wherein the image forming circuit generates an image of the subject on the basis of:
• a first group of images of the fourth, fifth, and sixth light beams acquired by the imaging device when the subject is illuminated with the first light beam among the first, second, and third light beams,
• a second group of images of the fourth, fifth, and sixth light beams acquired by the imaging device when the subject is illuminated with the second light beam among the first, second, and third light beams, and
• a third group of images of the fourth, fifth, and sixth light beams acquired by the imaging device when the subject is illuminated with the third light beam among the first, second, and third light beams.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a first emitter that emits first light that oscillates in a first plane to an object during a first period, the first plane being parallel to a second plane defined by turning a plane by 30 degrees around a line included in the plane in a first direction;
• a second emitter that emits second light that oscillates in a third plane to the object during a second period, the third plane being parallel to a fourth plane defined by turning the plane by 90 degrees around the line in the first direction, the first period not overlapping the second period;
• a third emitter that emits third light that oscillates in a fifth plane to the object during a third period, the fifth plane being parallel to a sixth plane defined by turning the plane by 150 degrees around the line in the first direction, the third period not overlapping the first period, the third period not overlapping the second period;
• a beam splitter that (i) receives first resulting light and emits first polarized light, second polarized light, and third polarized light, (ii) receives second resulting light and emits fourth polarized light, fifth polarized light, and sixth polarized light, and (iii) receives third resulting light and emits seventh polarized light, eighth polarized light, and ninth polarized light, the object emitting the first resulting light by reflecting the first light, the object emitting the second resulting light by reflecting the second light, the object emitting the third resulting light by reflecting the third light;
• an imaging device including first pixels, second pixels, and third pixels;
• and
• an image forming circuit,
• wherein each of the first polarized light, the fourth polarized light, and the seventh polarized light oscillates in a seventh plane parallel to the plane,
• each of the second polarized light, the fifth polarized light, and the eighth polarized light oscillates in an eighth plane parallel to a ninth plane defined by turning the plane by 60 degrees around the line in the first direction,
• each of the third polarized light, the sixth polarized light, and the ninth polarized light oscillates in a tenth plane parallel to an eleventh plane defined by turning the plane by 120 degrees around the line in the first direction,
• the first pixels receive the first polarized light and output first pixel values each corresponding to the first pixels,
• the second pixels receive the second polarized light and output second pixel values each corresponding to the second pixels,
• the third pixels receive the third polarized light and output third pixel values each corresponding to the third pixels,
• the first pixels receive the fourth polarized light and output fourth pixel values each corresponding to the first pixels,
• the second pixels receive the fifth polarized light and output fifth pixel values each corresponding to the second pixels,
• the third pixels receive the sixth polarized light and output sixth pixel values each corresponding to the third pixels,
• the first pixels receive the seventh polarized light and output seventh pixel values each corresponding to the first pixels,
• the second pixels receive the eighth polarized light and output eighth pixel values each corresponding to the second pixels,
• the third pixels receive the ninth polarized light and output ninth pixel values each corresponding to the third pixels,
• the image forming circuit calculates pixel values using an equation of p(i)=[(p1(i)+P2(i)+p5(i)+p6(i)+p7(i)+p9(i))×( 2/9)−(p3(i)+p4(i)+p8(i))/3] and generates an image of the object based on the calculated pixel values, and
• the p1(i), included in the first pixel values, corresponds to the p2(i) included in the second pixel values, the p3(i) included in the third pixel values, the p4(i) included in the fourth pixel values, the p5(i) included in the fifth pixel values, the p6(i) included in the sixth pixel values, the p7(i) included in the seventh pixel values, the p8(i) included in the eighth pixel values, and the p9(i) included in the ninth pixel values, and the i is a natural number.