Imaging method and imaging device calculating the correlation between light intensity and a spatially modulated mask image to construct an image of a target object

An imaging device comprising:

• a light source having a plurality of light emission points;
• a spatial modulation element that generates a plurality of mask patterns;
• a first optical system that irradiates the spatial modulation element with light from the light emission points of the light source;
• a second optical system that irradiates a target object with a mask image modulated according to the mask patterns generated by the spatial modulation element irradiated with light from the light emission points of the light source;
• a detector that condenses light transmitted through the target object or reflected by the target object irradiated with the mask image and detects a light intensity of the condensed light;
• and
• a computer that calculates, for all combinations of the plurality of mask patterns and a light emission pattern of the light emission points to be sequentially switched, a correlation between the mask image according to the mask pattern that generates pixel shift by sequentially switching and turning on one light emission point or two or more light emission points to be made to emit light simultaneously among the plurality of light emission points with respect to the single mask pattern generated in the spatial modulation element, and the light intensity detected by the detector when the target object is irradiated with the mask image, to acquire an image of the target object,
• wherein pixels of the mask image with which the target object is irradiated are shifted by a determined distance by sequentially turning on one light emission point or two or more light emission points of the light source with respect to the single mask pattern generated in the spatial modulation element,
• a pixel shift amount of the mask pattern determined by a position of the light emission point to be turned on of the light source is known, and
• the target object is irradiated with the mask images according to the plurality of mask patterns depending on the positions of the light emission points of the light source and the spatial modulation element, and the computer calculates the correlation between the light intensity detected by the detector and the mask image with which the target object is irradiated, to construct the image of the target object.