# US 11,122,242 B2 · Imaging device

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- Number: US 11,122,242 B2
- Document ID: US11122242B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/207,715
- Filed: 2021-03-21
- Published: 2021-07-08
- Granted: 2021-09-14
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-09
- Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation
- Applicants: FUJIFILM Corporation
- Inventors: Shuji Ono
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122242B2

## CPC

- G02B 5/201: {in the form of arrays}
- H04N 25/134: {based on three different wavelength filter elements}
- G02B 27/281: {used for attenuating light intensity, e.g. comprising rotatable polarising elements}
- H04N 23/125: {Colour sequential image capture, e.g. using a colour wheel}
- H04N 23/55: Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
- H04N 25/11: Arrangement of colour filter arrays [CFA]; Filter mosaics
- H04N 25/133: including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light
- H04N 25/135: {based on four or more different wavelength filter elements}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

Provided is an imaging device that can acquire a high-quality multispectral image with one image sensor. An imaging device includes: an image sensor (100) including a plurality of pixel blocks each of which includes n (n≥2) types of spectral filter elements having different spectral transmittances and m (2≤m≤3) types of polarization filter elements having different transmission polarization directions which are combined such that q (q=n×m) types of light are received by each pixel; an optical system (10) that includes k (k≤q) optical regions transmitting light in different wavelength bands and polarization filter units provided in each of the optical regions; and a signal processing unit (200) that processes a signal (pixel signal) of each pixel obtained from the image sensor (100) to generate an image of each optical region of the optical system (10). The signal processing unit (200) performs predetermined arithmetic processing on q pixel signals (x1, x2, . . . , Xq) obtained from each pixel block of the image sensor (100) to calculate k pixel signals (X1, X2, . . . , Xk) corresponding to each of the optical regions of the optical system (100) and generates an image of each optical region.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An imaging device comprising:
an image sensor including a plurality of pixel blocks, each of which includes n types of first optical filter elements having different spectral transmittances and m types of second optical filter elements having different transmission polarization directions which are combined such that q types of light are received by each pixel, where n is an integer satisfying n≥2, m is an integer satisfying 2≤m≤3, and q is a product of n and m;
an optical system that includes k optical regions transmitting light in different wavelength bands and polarization filter units provided in each of the optical regions, where k is an integer satisfying k≤q;
a storage unit that stores a coefficient group configured by a matrix A of k rows and q columns in which each element is represented by aij, where i is an integer satisfying 1≤i≤k and j is an integer satisfying 1≤j≤q; and
an arithmetic unit that acquires the coefficient group from the storage unit and calculates k pixel signals X1, X2, . . . , Xk corresponding to each of the optical regions of the optical system from q pixel signals x1, x2, . . . , Xq obtained from each of the pixel blocks of the image sensor using the following expression
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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The imaging device according to claim 1,
wherein the matrix A is acquired by calculating an inverse matrix of a matrix that has, as an element, a ratio at which light incident on each of the optical regions of the optical system is received by each of the pixels of each of the pixel blocks of the image sensor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The imaging device according to claim 2,
wherein, in a case in which a transmittance based on polarization is c and a transmittance based on spectral transmittance is d, the ratio at which the light incident on each of the optical regions of the optical system is received by each of the pixels of each of the pixel blocks of the image sensor is calculated by a product of c and d.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The imaging device according to claim 3,
wherein the transmittance c based on polarization is obtained by calculating a square of a cosine of an angular difference between the transmission polarization direction of the light transmitted through the optical region and the transmission polarization direction of the light received by the pixel, and
the transmittance d based on spectral transmittance is calculated on the basis of the wavelength band of the light transmitted through the optical region and the spectral transmittance of the first optical filter element included in the pixel.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The imaging device according to claim 1,
wherein, in the optical system, the number of the polarization filter units having the same transmission polarization direction is equal to or less than n.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The imaging device according to claim 1,
wherein each of the pixel blocks of the image sensor has a configuration in which three types of the first optical filter elements having different spectral transmittances and three types of the second optical filter elements having different transmission polarization directions are combined such that nine types of light are received by each of the pixels.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The imaging device according to claim 6,
wherein the optical system includes nine optical regions that transmit light in different wavelength bands.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The imaging device according to claim 7,
wherein, in the optical system, each set of three optical regions includes the polarization filter unit having the same transmission polarization direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The imaging device according to claim 8,
wherein a combination of the transmission polarization directions of the polarization filter units included in the optical system is the same as a combination of the transmission polarization directions of the second optical filter elements included in the image sensor.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The imaging device according to claim 1,
wherein the optical system includes narrow-band filters having different transmission wavelengths which are provided in each of the optical regions.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The imaging device according to claim 10,
wherein, in the optical system, the narrow-band filter is provided at a pupil position.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The imaging device according to claim 1,
wherein, in the image sensor, the first optical filter element and the second optical filter element are provided between a photodiode and a microlens which constitute each of the pixels.