High definition image pick-up which shifts the image by one-half pixel pitch

• US 5,369,266 A
• Filed: 06/10/1993
• Issued: 11/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kunii, Kakuji, Nohda, Shigetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allen, Stephone B.
• Application Number:
  US08/074,426
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 250/208.1, 250/216, 250/225, 359/93, 359/245
• US Class Current: 250/208.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3083 Birefringent or phase retarding elements G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence; systems for polarisation control G02B27/286; manufacturing phase modulating patterns by lithographic processes G03F7/001

Abstract

A solid-state image pickup device for imaging an object using a CCD image sensor. The solid-state image pickup device includes a half wave plate between first and second birefringence plates 2 and 4 shifting the optical path of the image pickup light the radiation of which is interrupted by on/off control of an electrical voltage. The half wave plate transforms an ordinary light ray into an extraordinary light ray and radiates the resulting extraordinary light ray, while transforming an extraordinary light ray into an ordinary light ray and radiates the resulting ordinary light ray. The image pickup light is radiated to the CCD image sensor while the voltage to be applied across the first and second birefringence plates is on/off controlled simultaneously. When the voltage to be applied across the first and the second birefringence plates is turned off, the image pickup light ray is radiated to the CCD image sensor as an extraordinary light ray without its optical path being changed. When the voltage to be applied across the first and the second birefringence plates is turned off, the image pickup light is split into an ordinary light ray and an extraordinary light ray for light axis shifting. However, the extraordinary light ray and the ordinary light ray are summed at the second birefringence plate so as to be radiated on the CCD image sensor.

Claims

1. A high definition image pickup device comprising, first electro-optical effect means selectively operable in a first mode or a second mode, said first electro-optical effect means being designed for splitting an incident image pickup light into an ordinary light ray and an extraordinary light ray having its optical axis shifted vertically with respect to that of said ordinary light ray for said first mode and for transmitting said incident image pickup light as an ordinary light ray for said second mode, light transforming means for transforming said ordinary light ray from said first electro-optical effect means into an extraordinary light ray and for transforming said extraordinary light ray from said first electro-optical effect means into an ordinary light ray, second electro-optical effect means selectively operable in a first mode or a second mode, said second electro-optical effect means being designed to transmit said ordinary light ray from said light transforming means and to shift the optical axis of said extraordinary light ray vertically with respect to that of said ordinary light ray so that said extraordinary light ray and said ordinary light ray are mixed together for said first mode, said second electro-optical effect means being designed to transmit said extraordinary light ray from said light transforming means for said second mode, and image sensor means for transforming said ordinary light ray and said extraordinary light ray from said second electro-optical effect means into electrical signals, wherein said image sensor means is operated by non-interlaced scanning, wherein said first and second electro-optical effect means are controlled by an electric signal for alternatingly selecting one or the other of the first and second modes, wherein said first mode or said second mode is selected at a one-field interval, wherein said extraordinary light ray is shifted vertically by a pitch equal to one-half pixel by said first and second electro-optical means in said first mode and said first and second electro-optical means shift said extraordinary light ray in the opposite directions, and wherein said image sensor means is a charge-coupled device.

2. The image pickup device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first electro-optical effect means is a low-pass filter.

3. The image pickup device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said light transforming means is a half wave plate.

4. The image pickup device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first electro-optical means, light converting means and the second electro-optical means are formed on said image sensor means.