Imaging apparatus, imaging system, reconstruction apparatus, imaging method, and recording medium

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a photoelectric converter that converts light signals generated from light received by three or more pixels into electric charge signals, each of the electric charge signals corresponding to one of the three or more pixels;
• an electric charge holder that holds the electric charge signals for the three or more pixels resulting from conversion;
• an analog selective adder that generates a plurality of added electric charge signals by adding electric charge signals of a certain plurality of pixels among the three or more pixels by using a plurality of analog addition patterns which are rules of adding pieces of electric charge information corresponding to individual positions of the certain plurality of pixels by applying a weight to the pieces of electric charge information;
• an analog-to-digital converter that converts the plurality of added electric charge signals into a plurality of digital signals;
• and
• an addition data compressor that compresses the plurality of digital signals by using an addition result of the pieces of electric charge information with the weight in the plurality of analog addition patterns and thereby generates compressed digital signals.

An imaging method comprising:

• converting light signals generated from light received by three or more pixels into electric charge signals, each of the electric charge signals corresponding to one of the three or more pixels;
• generating a plurality of added electric charge signals by adding electric charge signals of a certain plurality of pixels among the three or more pixels by using a plurality of analog addition patterns which are rules of adding pieces of electric charge information corresponding to individual positions of the certain plurality of pixels;
• converting the plurality of added electric charge signals into a plurality of digital signals;
• and
• compressing the plurality of digital signals by using a total number of pixels for which pieces of electric charge information are added in the plurality of analog addition patterns and thereby generating compressed digital signals.

A recording medium storing a control program that causes an apparatus including a processor to perform processing, the recording medium being non-volatile and computer-readable, the processing comprising:

• converting light signals generated from light received by three or more pixels into electric charge signals, each of the electric charge signals corresponding to one of the three or more pixels;
• generating a plurality of added electric charge signals by adding electric charge signals of a certain plurality of pixels among the three or more pixels by using a plurality of analog addition patterns which are rules of adding pieces of electric charge information corresponding to individual positions of the certain plurality of pixels;
• converting the plurality of added electric charge signals into a plurality of digital signals;
• and
• compressing the plurality of digital signals by using a total number of pixels for which pieces of electric charge information are added in the plurality of analog addition patterns and thereby generating compressed digital signals.

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a photoelectric converter that includes a first plurality of pixels which receive light and which output a first plurality of electric charge signals, the first plurality of pixels corresponding to the first plurality of electric charge signals in a one-to-one relationship, and each of the first plurality of pixels outputting a corresponding one of the first plurality of electric charge signals;
• an analog selective adder that outputs a plurality of added electric charge signals, the plurality of added electric charge signals corresponding to a plurality of pieces of designation information in a one-to-one relationship, each of the plurality of added electric charge signals being obtained by adding a plurality of electric charge signals output from a plurality of pixels designated by a corresponding one of the plurality of pieces of designation information, the plurality of pieces of designation information being different from one another, the plurality of pixels that are designated corresponding to the plurality of electric charge signals in a one-to-one relationship, the plurality of pixels that are designated being included in the first plurality of pixels, and the plurality of electric charge signals being included in the first plurality of electric charge signals;
• an analog-to-digital converter that converts each of the plurality of added electric charge signals into a digital value and thereby outputs a plurality of digital values;
• and
• an addition data compressor that generates a first plurality of digital values by using the plurality of digital values and a total number of the plurality of pixels that are designated,
• wherein a total number of the first plurality of electric charge signals is larger than a total number of the plurality of added electric charge signals, and the total number of the plurality of added electric charge signals is larger than a total number of the plurality of electric charge signals.