Image acquisition device, image acquisition method, and computer-readable storage medium

An image acquisition device that acquires an image of a subject by capturing images of a plurality of regions of the subject, comprising:

• an image capturing device including an image formation optical unit configured to form an image of the subject and an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of the subject;
• a temperature measurement unit configured to measure a temperature of the image capturing device;
• a selection unit configured to select the temperature or an evaluation function by referring to an image of a first region from among the plurality of regions, the temperature or the evaluation function being selected as reference information for a second region adjacent to the first region;
• an information acquisition unit configured to acquire, as the reference information, the temperature or the evaluation function selected by the selection unit;
• and
• a processing unit configured to extract an image of the second region to be used for forming the image of the subject from among a plurality of images of the second region that are acquired by capturing, with the image capturing unit, images of a plurality of positions different in an optical axis direction of the image formation optical unit in the second region in accordance with the reference information acquired by the information acquisition unit,
• wherein the evaluation function is a function representing a relationship between (i) information about a plurality of overlapped-region images that are acquired by capturing images of a plurality of positions different in the optical axis direction in an overlapped region where the first region overlaps the second region, and (ii) the plurality of positions different in the optical axis direction in the overlapped region.

An image acquisition method for acquiring an image of a subject by capturing images of a plurality of regions of the subject by using an image capturing device including an image formation optical unit configured to form an image of the subject and an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of the subject, and a temperature measurement unit configured to measure a temperature of the image capturing device, the image acquisition method comprising:

• a selection step of selecting the temperature or an evaluation function as reference information for a second region adjacent to a first region by referring to an image of the first region;
• an information acquisition step of acquiring, as the reference information, the temperature or the evaluation function selected in the selection step;
• a control step of adjusting relative positions, in an optical axis direction of the image formation optical unit, of a surface conjugated with a light reception surface of the image capturing unit and the subject in accordance with the reference information acquired in the information acquisition step;
• and
• an image capturing step of capturing an image of the second region in a state where the relative positions have been adjusted,
• wherein the evaluation function is a function representing a relationship between (i) information about a plurality of overlapped-region images that are acquired by capturing images of a plurality of positions different in the optical axis direction in an overlapped region where the first region overlaps the second region, and (ii) the plurality of positions.

An image acquisition method for acquiring an image of a subject by capturing images of a plurality of regions of the subject by using an image capturing device including an image formation optical unit configured to form an image of the subject and an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of the subject, and a temperature measurement unit configured to measure a temperature of the image capturing device, the image acquisition method comprising:

• a selection step of selecting the temperature or an evaluation function as reference information for a second region adjacent to a first region by referring to an image of the first region;
• an information acquisition step of acquiring, as the reference information, the temperature or the evaluation function selected in the selection step;
• and
• a processing step of extracting an image of the second region to be used for forming the image of the subject from among a plurality of images of the second region that are acquired by capturing, with the image capturing unit, images of a plurality of positions different in an optical axis direction of the image formation optical unit in the second region in accordance with the reference information acquired in the information acquisition step,
• wherein the evaluation function is a function representing a relationship between (i) information about a plurality of overlapped-region images that are acquired by capturing images of a plurality of positions different in the optical axis direction in an overlapped region where the first region overlaps the second region, and (ii) the plurality of positions different in the optical axis direction in the overlapped region.