Imaging apparatus, image processing apparatus, imaging system, imaging method, image processing method, and recording medium

An image processing apparatus, comprising:

• an acquirer that acquires a superposed image composed of two or more input images from mutually different viewpoints that have been modulated and optically superposed on each other;
• and
• an image processor that generates reconstructed images corresponding to the two or more input images by splitting the superposed image with the use of modulation information that indicates a mode of modulation of the two or more input images,
• wherein the mode of modulation included in the modulation information differs between the two or more input images.

An image processing apparatus, comprising:

• an acquirer that acquires a superposed image composed of two or more input images from mutually different viewpoints that have been modulated and optically superposed on each other;
• and
• an image processor that calculates a parallax between reconstructed images corresponding to the two or more input images by using modulation information that indicates a mode of modulation of the two or more input images and the superposed image and calculates a distance to an object in the two or more reconstructed images on the basis of the calculated parallax,
• wherein the mode of modulation included in the modulation information differs between the two or more input images.

An imaging system, comprising:

• an imaging apparatus;
• and
• an image processing apparatus,
• wherein the imaging apparatus includes
• an imaging device,
• two or more imaging optical systems that form respective input images from mutually different viewpoints onto the imaging device, and
• two or more modulation masks that modulate the input images formed by the respective two or more imaging optical systems,
• wherein the imaging device captures a superposed image composed of the two or more input images that have been formed by the two or more imaging optical systems, modulated by the two or more modulation masks, and optically superposed on each other,
• wherein the image processing apparatus includes
• an acquirer that acquires the superposed image captured by the imaging device, and
• an image processor that generates reconstructed images corresponding to the two or more input images from mutually different viewpoints by splitting the superposed image with the use of modulation information that indicates a mode of modulation of the two or more modulation masks, and
• wherein the two or more modulation masks have mutually different optical transmittance distribution characteristics.

An imaging system, comprising:

• an imaging apparatus;
• and
• an image processing apparatus,
• wherein the imaging apparatus includes
• an imaging device,
• two or more imaging optical systems that form respective input images from mutually different viewpoints onto the imaging device, and
• two or more modulation masks that modulate the input images formed by the respective two or more imaging optical systems,
• wherein the imaging device captures a superposed image composed of the two or more input images that have been formed by the two or more imaging optical systems, modulated by the two or more modulation masks, and optically superposed on each other, and
• wherein the image processing apparatus includes
• an acquirer that acquires the superposed image captured by the imaging device, and
• an image processor that calculates a parallax between reconstructed images corresponding to the two or more input images by using modulation information that indicates a mode of modulation of the two or more modulation masks and the superposed image and calculates a distance to an object in the two or more reconstructed images on the basis of the calculated parallax, and
• wherein the two or more modulation masks have mutually different optical transmittance distribution characteristics.

An imaging method, comprising:

• modulating two or more input images from mutually different viewpoints and imaging on an imaging device by using two or more imaging optical systems and two or more modulation masks;
• and
• capturing, by the imaging device, a superposed image composed of the two or more input images that have been formed, modulated, and optically superposed on each other,
• wherein the two or more modulation masks have mutually different optical transmittance distribution characteristics.

An image processing method carried out by at least one processor, the image processing method comprising:

• acquiring a superposed image composed of two or more input images from mutually different viewpoints that have been modulated and optically superposed on each other;
• and
• generating reconstructed images corresponding to the two or more input images by splitting the superposed image with the use of modulation information that indicates a mode of modulation of the two or more input images,
• wherein the mode of modulation included in the modulation information differs between the two or more input images.

An image processing method carried out by at least one processor, the image processing method comprising:

• acquiring a superposed image composed of two or more input images from mutually different viewpoints that have been modulated and optically superposed on each other;
• and
• calculating a parallax between reconstructed images corresponding to the two or more input images by using modulation information that indicates a mode of modulation of the two or more input images and the superposed image and calculating a distance to an object in the two or more reconstructed images on the basis of the calculated parallax,
• wherein the mode of modulation included in the modulation information differs between the two or more input images.

A recording medium having a control program that causes an apparatus provided with a processor to execute processing,

• wherein the recording medium is nonvolatile and is computer readable,
• wherein the processing includes
• acquiring a superposed image composed of two or more input images from mutually different viewpoints that have been modulated and optically superposed on each other, and
• generating reconstructed images corresponding to the two or more input images by splitting the superposed image with the use of modulation information that indicates a mode of modulation of the two or more input images, and
• wherein the mode of modulation included in the modulation information differs between the two or more input images.

A recording medium having a control program that causes an apparatus provided with a processor to execute processing,

• wherein the recording medium is nonvolatile and is computer readable,
• wherein the processing includes
• acquiring a superposed image composed of two or more input images from mutually different viewpoints that have been modulated and optically superposed on each other, and
• calculating a parallax between the two or more input images by using modulation information that indicates a mode of modulation of the two or more input images and the superposed image and calculating a distance to an object in the two or more input images on the basis of the calculated parallax, and
• wherein the mode of modulation included in the modulation information differs between the two or more input images.

An image processing apparatus, comprising:

• a receiver that receives a first image, the first image being generated upon receiving mixed light including a first light and a second light;
• a first optical system, including a first lens, that receives light from an object and output a third light;
• a first modulation mask having a first transmittance distribution characteristic, the first modulation mask receiving the third light and outputting the first light;
• a second optical system, including a second lens, that receives light from the object and output a fourth light;
• a second modulation mask having a second transmittance distribution characteristic different from the first transmittance distribution characteristic, the second modulation mask receiving the fourth light and outputting the second light;
• a memory that stores first information describing the first transmittance distribution characteristic and second information describing the second transmittance distribution characteristic;
• and
• an image generator that generates a second image corresponding to the third light and a third image corresponding to the fourth light using an equation including a first member including third information describing the first image and a second member including the first information and the second information.