Color separator and imager
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsSeiji Nishiwaki, Michiyoshi Nagashima
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A color separator includes a polarization converting section for converting an incoming light ray into a linearly polarized light ray such that the polarization direction of the linearly polarized light ray is selectable from a number of predetermined directions, and a diffracting section, which is arranged so as to receive the linearly polarized light ray that has gone out of the polarization converting section and which produces a zero-order light ray in which one of multiple different wavelength components is selectively weakened according to the polarization direction at least.
Claims18
A color separator comprising:
- a polarization converting section for converting an incoming light ray into a linearly polarized light ray such that the polarization direction of the linearly polarized light ray is selectable from a number of predetermined directions;
- and
- a diffracting section, which is arranged so as to receive the linearly polarized light ray that has gone out of the polarization converting section and which produces a zero-order light ray in which one of multiple different wavelength components is selectively weakened according to the polarization direction at least.
An incoming ray color separating method comprising the steps of:
- (a) converting an incoming light ray into a linearly polarized light ray such that the polarization direction of the linearly polarized light ray changes from one of predetermined directions into another at regular intervals;
- and
- (b) diffracting the linearly polarized light ray, thereby producing a zero-order light ray in which one of multiple different wavelength components is selectively weakened according to the polarization direction at least.
A video capturing method comprising the steps of:
- (a) converting an incoming light ray into a linearly polarized light ray such that the polarization direction of the linearly polarized light ray changes from one of predetermined directions into another at regular intervals;
- (b) diffracting the linearly polarized light ray, thereby producing a zero-order light ray in which one of multiple different wavelength components is selectively weakened according to the polarization direction at least;
- and
- (c) detecting the zero-order light ray two-dimensionally at the intervals at which the directions change in the step (a).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.