Image input apparatus

• US 7,009,652 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2000
• Issued: 03/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Japan Science And Technology Corpration, Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Japan Science And Technology Corpration, Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Kenji, Miyatake, Shigehiro, Tanida, Jun, Ishida, Kouichi, Miyazaki, Daisuke, Ichioka, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz, David L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGGARWAL, YOGESH K
• Application Number:
  US09/639,990
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• Field of Search: 348/291, 348/340, 348/208.1, 348/345, 348/273, 250/208.1, 250/216, 250/226
• US Class Current: 348/340
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0018 Reflow, i.e. characterized by the step of melting microstructures to form curved surfaces, e.g. manufacturing of moulds and surfaces for transfer etching
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0056 arranged along two different directions in a plane, e.g. honeycomb arrangement of lenses G02B3/0043 takes precedence; miniaturised objectives for electronic devices employing wafer level optics G02B13/0085
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1462 Coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14683 Processes or apparatus peculiar to the manufacture or treatment of these devices or parts thereof not peculiar thereto H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14685 Process for coatings or optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

An image input apparatus has a photoelectric converter element having a flat photosensitive surface and an image formation unit array having a plurality of image formation units arranged in an array. This image formation units individually receive light beams substantially from an identical area and focus the received light beams on different regions of the photosensitive surface of the photoelectric converter element to form images thereon.

Claims

1. An image input apparatus comprising:

an image formation unit array having a plurality of image formation units arranged in an array;

a photoelectric converter element having a flat photosensitive surface, the photosensitive surface being divided into regions, each corresponding to one of the image formation units, where each region includes a plurality of photosensitive elements arranged therein; and

a restricting member for restricting, independently for each of the plurality of image formation units, optical paths along which the light beams are focused,

wherein the plurality of image formation units individually receive light beams substantially from an identical area and focus the received light beams on different regions of the photosensitive surface of the photoelectric converter element to form two-dimensional images of a subject in corresponding regions of the photosensitive surface such that each two-dimensional image is an image of substantially the same area of an object in the identical area as seen from a different view point, and

wherein the restricting member is a polarizing filter array having polarizing filters arranged one for each group of the plurality of image formation units, every two adjacent polarizing filters having mutually perpendicular polarization angles.

2. An image input apparatus comprising:

an image formation unit array having a plurality of image formation units arranged in an array;

a photoelectric converter element having a flat photosensitive surface, the photosensitive surface being divided into regions, each corresponding to one of the image formation units, where each region includes a plurality of photosensitive elements arranged therein;

a restricting member for restricting, independently for each of the plurality of image formation units, optical paths along which the light beams are focused, wherein the plurality of image formation units individually receive light beams substantially from an identical area and focus the received light beams on different regions of the photosensitive surface of the photoelectric converter element to form two-dimensional images of a subject in corresponding regions of the photosensitive surface such that each two-dimensional image is an image of substantially the same area of an object in the identical area as seen from a different view point; and

spectroscopic members provided one for each of the plurality of image formation units.

3. An image input apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the spectroscopic members are diffraction gratings.

4. An image input apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the diffraction gratings have different grating constants in two mutually perpendicular directions.