Image pickup apparatus, image pickup system, and image processing method

An image pickup system comprising:

• an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a specimen;
• an imaging optical system configured to form an optical image of the specimen;
• an image sensor configured to photoelectrically convert the optical image of the specimen formed by the imaging optical system;
• and
• a driver configured to change a relative position along an optical axis direction of the imaging optical system between a focal plane of the imaging optical system and at least one of the specimen and the image sensor,
• wherein the driver changes the relative position in acquiring a plurality of images of the specimen,
• wherein a pupil plane of at least one of the illumination optical system and the imaging optical system has at least one of a transmittance distribution and a phase distribution which are asymmetric with respect to an optical axis, and
• wherein the image pickup system is connected to an operating unit configured to perform a compressive sensing reconstruction algorithm for the plurality of images, and to reconstruct information of the specimen.

An image processing method for images of a specimen acquired by an image pickup apparatus that forms, by an imaging optical system, an optical image of the specimen illuminated by an illumination optical system and photoelectrically converts, by an image sensor, the optical image of the specimen formed by the imaging optical system, wherein a pupil plane of at least one of the illumination optical system and the imaging optical system has at least one of a transmittance distribution and a phase distribution which are asymmetric with respect to an optical axis, the image processing method comprising:

• a drive step of changing a relative position in an optical axis direction of the imaging optical system between a focal plane of the imaging optical system and at least one of the specimen and the image sensor;
• an image pickup step of acquiring images of the specimen by the image pickup apparatus;
• and
• a reconstruction step of performing a compressive sensing reconstruction algorithm for a plurality of images obtained by repeating the driver step and the image pickup step, and of reconstructing information of the specimen.