Imaging device having a characteristic converting section

An imaging device comprising:

• an imaging element constituted of a plurality of pixels having different photoelectric conversion characteristics with respect to an inflection point;
• and
• assuming that one of the different photoelectric conversion characteristics is a reference photoelectric conversion characteristic, and the other thereof is a non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic, a characteristic converting section which converts a pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic into a pixel value obtained from the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic,
• wherein the characteristic converting section converts the pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic into the pixel value obtained from the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic by using predetermined conversion information with respect to each of the pixels to eliminate variation of the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic of each of the pixels after the conversion, the variation of the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic resulting from variation of the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic of each of the pixels,
• a table storage which stores a correction table for use in correcting the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic of each of the pixels into a predicted non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic common to all the pixels, wherein
• the characteristic converting section corrects the pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic by using the conversion information and the correction table to convert the corrected pixel value into the pixel value obtained from the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic,
• the correction table is a plurality of correction tables,
• the conversion information is information for use in selecting a most preferable correction table, from among the plurality of the correction tables, in correcting the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic of each of the pixels into the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic common to all the pixels, and
• the characteristic converting section selects one correction table from among the plurality of the correction tables by using the conversion information, and corrects the pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic by using the selected correction table to convert the corrected pixel value into the pixel value obtained from the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic.

An imaging device comprising:

• an imaging element constituted of a plurality of pixels having different photoelectric conversion characteristics with respect to an inflection point;
• and
• assuming that one of the different photoelectric conversion characteristics is a reference photoelectric conversion characteristic, and the other thereof is a non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic, a characteristic converting section which converts a pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic into a pixel value obtained from the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic,
• wherein the characteristic converting section converts the pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic into the pixel value obtained from the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic by using predetermined conversion information with respect to each of the pixels to eliminate variation of the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic of each of the pixels after the conversion, the variation of the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic resulting from variation of the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic of each of the pixels,
• a table storage which stores a correction table for use in correcting the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic of each of the pixels into a predicted non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic common to all the pixels, wherein
• the characteristic converting section corrects the pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic by using the conversion information and the correction table to convert the corrected pixel value into the pixel value obtained from the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic,
• the correction table is a single correction table,
• the conversion information is a change value for use in changing the correction table into correction tables for the respective pixels to change the pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic into the pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic common to all the pixels, and
• the characteristic converting section converts the pixel value obtained from the non-reference photoelectric conversion characteristic into the pixel value obtained from the reference photoelectric conversion characteristic by using the respective correction tables changed by using the change value.