Image sensing apparatus

• US 20020089596A1
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Suda, Yasuo
• Application Number:
  US10/033,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20020089596A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/302
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/41 Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors

Abstract

It is an object of this invention to provide an image sensing apparatus capable of forming a high-resolution image by increasing the number of final output pixels. To achieve this object, a digital color camera has a plurality of image sensing units for receiving object images via different apertures. These image sensing units are so arranged that images of an object at a predetermined distance are received as they are shifted a predetermined amount from each other in at least the vertical direction. Further, these image sensing units have filters having different spectral transmittance characteristics.

Claims

1. An image sensing apparatus comprising a plurality of image sensing units for receiving an object image via different apertures,

wherein said plurality of image sensing units are arranged such that images of an object at a predetermined distance are received as they are shifted a predetermined amount from each other in at least the vertical direction, and

wherein said plurality of image sensing units have filters having different spectral transmittance characteristics.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of image forming optical--systems for forming images of object light, entering via said different apertures, onto said plurality of image sensing units.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of image sensing units are arranged such that images of an object at a predetermined distance are received as they are shifted a predetermined amount from each other in the horizontal direction.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of image sensing units are at least three image sensing units.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of image sensing units are at least three image sensing units which receive object images via said filters having different spectral transmittance characteristics.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of image sensing units are at least three image sensing units which receive object images via filters having green, red, and blue spectral transmittance characteristics.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of image sensing units are formed on the same plane.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of image sensing units are area sensors by which images of an object at the predetermined distance are received as they are shifted at a pitch of a ½

pixel in the vertical direction.

9. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of image sensing units are area sensors by which images of an object at the predetermined distance are received as they are shifted at a pitch of a ½

pixel in the horizontal direction.