IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS

• US 20130222553A1
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: TSUCHITA, Akiyoshi
• Application Number:
  US13/846,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20130222553A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/49
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14605 Structural or functional details relating to the position of the pixel elements, e.g. smaller pixel elements in the center of the imager compared to pixel elements at the periphery
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14645 Colour imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/218 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/257 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/286 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

An image pickup device, comprising: a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; a first microlens; and a second microlens, which is one microlens provided above n×n (n: 2 or more) of the photoelectric conversion elements laterally and longitudinally adjacent to each other, the second microlens pupil-dividing light entering the microlens for guiding to a light receiving surface of each of the n×n photoelectric conversion elements, the first microlens and the second microlens being provided in a mixed manner so that a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional image can be respectively generated based on at least a first output signal corresponding to the first microlens and a second output signal corresponding to the second microlens, color filters of any of the colors being provided above the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, and color filters of a same color being provided to the n×n photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the second microlens.

Claims

1. An image pickup device, comprising:

a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a row direction and a column direction on a semiconductor substrate;

a first microlens, which is one microlens provided above one of the photoelectric conversion elements, the first microlens guiding light entering the microlens to a light receiving surface of the one photoelectric conversion element; and

a second microlens, which is one microlens provided above n×

n (n;

an integer of 2 or more) of the photoelectric conversion elements laterally and longitudinally adjacent to each other, the second microlens pupil-dividing light entering the microlens for guiding to a light receiving surface of each of the n×

n photoelectric conversion elements,

the first microlens and the second microlens being provided in a mixed manner so that a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional image can be respectively generated based on at least a first output signal from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the first microlens and a second output signal from any of the photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the second microlens,

of color filters of a plurality of colors, color filters of any of the colors being provided above the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, and

color filters of a same color being provided to the n×

n photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the second microlens.

2. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein

the number of photoelectric conversion elements where the first microlens is provided and the number of photoelectric conversion elements where the second microlens is provided are equal to each other.

3. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein

4×

4 photoelectric conversion elements are taken as one block, and a first region where sixteen first microlenses are provided to one block and a second region where four second microlenses are provided to one block are arranged in a checkered manner.

4. The image pickup device according to claim 2, wherein

4×

4 photoelectric conversion elements are taken as one block, and a first region where sixteen first microlenses are provided to one block and a second region where four second microlenses are provided to one block are arranged in a checkered manner.

5. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein

2×

2 photoelectric conversion elements are taken as one block, and a first region where four first microlenses are provided to one block and a second region where one second microlenses are provided to one block are arranged in a checkered manner.

6. The image pickup device according to claim 2, wherein

2×

2 photoelectric conversion elements are taken as one block, and a first region where four first microlenses are provided to one block and a second region where one second microlenses are provided to one block are arranged in a checkered manner.

7. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:

a single imaging optical system;

the image pickup device according to claim 1 where the subject image is formed via the imaging optical system;

an imaging mode selecting unit that switches between a 2D imaging mode for imaging a two-dimensional image and a 3D imaging mode for imaging a three-dimensional image;

a first image generating unit that generates a two-dimensional image based on a first output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the first microlens of the image pickup device when the 2D imaging mode is selected by the imaging mode selecting unit;

a second image generating unit that generates a three-dimensional image based on a second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device when the 3D imaging mode is selected by the imaging mode selecting unit; and

a recording unit that records the two-dimensional image generated by the first image generating unit or the three-dimensional image generated by the second image generating unit.

8. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:

a single imaging optical system;

the image pickup device according to claim 1 where the subject image is formed via the imaging optical system;

an imaging mode selecting unit that switches between a 2D imaging mode for imaging a two-dimensional image and a 3D imaging mode for imaging a three-dimensional image;

a determining unit that determines whether an image imaged via the imaging optical system and the image pickup device includes many high-frequency components;

a first image generating unit that generates a two-dimensional image based on a first output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the first microlens of the image pickup device when the 2D imaging mode is selected by the imaging mode selecting unit and it is determined by the determining unit that the image includes many high-frequency components, and generates a two-dimensional image based on a second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device when it is determined by the determining unit that the image does not include many high-frequency components; and

a second image generating unit that generates a three-dimensional image based on the second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device when the 3D imaging mode is selected by the imaging mode selecting unit; and

a recording unit that records the two-dimensional image generated by the first image generating unit or the three-dimensional image generated by the second image generating unit.

9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a brightness detecting unit that detects a brightness of a subject, wherein

the first image generating unit generates a two-dimensional image based on the first output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the first microlens of the image pickup device when the 2D imaging mode is selected by the imaging mode selecting unit, it is determined by the determining unit that the image includes many high-frequency components, and the detected brightness of the subject exceeds a predetermined threshold, and generates a two-dimensional image based on the second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device when it is determined by the determining unit that the image does not include many high-frequency components or when the detected brightness of the subject is the predetermined threshold or less.

10. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:

a single imaging optical system;

the image pickup device according to claim 1 where the subject image is formed via the imaging optical system;

an imaging mode selecting unit that switches between a 2D imaging mode for imaging a two-dimensional image and a 3D imaging mode for imaging a three-dimensional image;

a brightness detecting unit that detects a brightness of a subject;

a first image generating unit generates a two-dimensional image based on the first output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the first microlens of the image pickup device when the 2D imaging mode is selected by the imaging mode selecting unit, and the detected brightness of the subject exceeds a predetermined threshold, and generates a two-dimensional image based on the second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device when the detected brightness of the subject is the predetermined threshold or less;

a second image generating unit that generates a three-dimensional image based on the second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device when the 3D imaging mode is selected by the imaging mode selecting unit; and

a recording unit that records the two-dimensional image generated by the first image generating unit or the three-dimensional image generated by the second image generating unit.

11. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:

a single imaging optical system;

the image pickup device according to claim 1 where the subject image is formed via the imaging optical system;

an imaging mode selecting unit that switches between a 2D imaging mode for imaging a two-dimensional image and a 3D imaging mode for imaging a three-dimensional image;

a determining unit that determines whether an image imaged via the imaging optical system and the image pickup device includes many high-frequency components, determining whether the image includes many high-frequency components for each divisional area obtained by N×

M division of one screen;

a first image generating unit that, when the 2D imaging mode is selected by the imaging mode selecting unit and it is determined that the image is in a divisional area including many high-frequency components, obtains, for the divisional area, a first output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the first microlens of the image pickup device, obtains a second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device when it is determined that the image is in a divisional area not including many high-frequency components, and generates a two-dimensional image based on the obtained first output signal and second output signal;

a second image generating unit that generates a three-dimensional image based on the second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device when the 3D imaging mode is selected by the imaging mode selecting unit; and

a recording unit that records the two-dimensional image generated by the first image generating unit or the three-dimensional image generated by the second image generating unit.

12. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the second image generating unit generates parallax images of four viewpoints from above, below, left and right or parallax images of two viewpoints from above and below or from left and right, based on a second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device.

13. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the second image generating unit generates parallax images of four viewpoints from above, below, left and right or parallax images of two viewpoints from above and below or from left and right, based on a second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device.

14. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the second image generating unit generates parallax images of four viewpoints from above, below, left and right or parallax images of two viewpoints from above and below or from left and right, based on a second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device.

15. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the second image generating unit generates parallax images of four viewpoints from above, below, left and right or parallax images of two viewpoints from above and below or from left and right, based on a second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device.

16. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the second image generating unit generates parallax images of four viewpoints from above, below, left and right or parallax images of two viewpoints from above and below or from left and right, based on a second output signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to the second microlens of the image pickup device.