Spectral sensor with interference filter
AssigneeMinolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsSatoshi Yokota, Masami Sugiyama, Nobukazu Kawagoe, Tomoko Miyaura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spectral sensor comprises that a plurality of arrays of light receiving elements sensitive to different wavelength ranges which are arranged in a non-overlapping relationship with each other within the imaginary circle of a diameter smaller than the sum of lengths of the resective arrays of light receiving elements, and a filtering element of different transmission wavelength for each of the light receiving elements of all of the arrays, which filtering element is arranged in register with the respective light receiving element.
Claims12
A spectral sensor comprising:
- an interference filter which transmits light incident thereon while dividing the incident light into a plurality of light components having different wavelengths, the respective wavelengths being continuously or stepwisely varied in accordance with the position of the incident light, and
- at least one light receiving array for receiving light transmitted through the interference filter to convert respective intensities of the plurality of light components into corresponding electrical signals, said light receiving array including a plurality of light receiving elements arranged for receiving the plurality of light components divided by the interference filter, a light receiving element determined corresponding to the shorter wavelength being positioned to receive the higher order of a center wavelength of interference by the interference filter than that corresponding to the longer wavelength.
A spectral sensor comprising:
- filtering means for transmitting and dividing incident light into a plurality of light components having different wavelengths, the respective wavelengths being continuously or stepwisely varied in accordance with the position of the incident light, and
- light receiving means for receiving the light transmitted through the filtering means to convert the respective intensities of the plurality of light components into corresponding electrical signals, said light receiving means including a plurality of light receiving arrays, each of said light receiving arrays including a plurality of light receiving elements arranged within an imaginary circle having a diameter smaller than the sum of lengths of all of the light receiving arrays.
A spectral sensor which comprises at least one array of light receiving elements having different photoelectric conversion efficiencies according to a wavelength, and a plurality of filtering members having different transmissions according to a wavelength and disposed in face-to-face relationship with or in contact with the respective light receiving elements, both of said light receiving elements and said filtering elements having respective light receiving surface areas increasing with decrease in wavelength region of the overall spectral sensitivity of the light receiving element array and the filtering members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.