Imaging apparatus and imaging method

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a first grating configured to form a two-dimensional interference pattern by diffracting light from a light source;
• a second grating including two-dimensionally arrayed shielding portions that shield the light and transmissive portions that transmit the light, and configured to shield part of the interference pattern;
• a detector configured to detect the light transmitted through the second grating;
• and
• an arithmetic unit configured to calculate a phase image or a differential phase image of a subject based on a periodic pattern of an intensity distribution of the light detected by the detector,
• wherein the interference pattern is a lattice-shaped pattern, and
• the shielding portions and the transmissive portions of the second grating are arranged in a checker board designed pattern.

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a first grating configured to form a two-dimensional interference pattern by diffracting light from a light source;
• a second grating including two-dimensionally arrayed shielding portions that shield the light and transmissive portions that transmit the light, and configured to shield part of the interference pattern;
• a detector configured to detect the light transmitted through the second grating;
• and
• an arithmetic unit configured to calculate a phase image or a differential phase image of a subject based on a periodic pattern of an intensity distribution of the light detected by the detector,
• wherein the interference pattern is a lattice-shaped pattern,
• wherein, in addition to the shielding portions and the transmissive portions, the second grating further includes semi-shielding portions that transmit the light more than the shielding portions do and shield the light more than the transmissive portions do, and
• wherein the shielding portions, the transmissive portions, and the semi-shielding portions are respectively arrayed in checker board designed patterns, and are arranged in a Bayer array.

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a first grating configured to form a two-dimensional interference pattern by diffracting light from a light source;
• a second grating including two-dimensionally arrayed shielding portions that shield the light and transmissive portions that transmit the light, and configured to shield part of the interference pattern;
• a detector configured to detect the light transmitted through the second grating;
• and
• an arithmetic unit configured to calculate a phase image or a differential phase image of a subject based on a periodic pattern of an intensity distribution of the light detected by the detector,
• wherein the interference pattern is a checker board designed pattern, and
• wherein the shielding portions and the transmissive portions of the second grating are arranged in a checker board designed pattern.

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a first grating configured to form a two-dimensional interference pattern by diffracting light from a light source;
• a second grating including two-dimensionally arrayed shielding portions that shield the light and transmissive portions that transmit the light, and configured to shield part of the interference pattern;
• a detector configured to detect the light transmitted through the second grating;
• and
• an arithmetic unit configured to calculate a phase image or a differential phase image of a subject based on a periodic pattern of an intensity distribution of the light detected by the detector,
• wherein the interference pattern is a checker board designed pattern, and
• wherein the shielding portions and the transmissive portions of the second grating are arranged in a lattice-shaped pattern.

An imaging method comprising:

• forming a two-dimensional interference pattern by diffracting light by a first grating;
• shielding part of the interference pattern by a second grating including two-dimensionally arrayed shielding portions that shield the light and transmissive portions that transmit the light;
• detecting the light transmitted through the second grating by a detector;
• and
• analyzing a periodic pattern of an intensity distribution of the light detected by the detector and calculating a phase image or a differential phase image of a subject by an arithmetic unit,
• wherein a period of the intensity distribution in a first direction is constant in a detection surface of the detector, and
• wherein the first and second gratings are configured such that a period of the intensity distribution in a second direction is constant in the detection surface of the detector.