Image acquisition apparatus and biometric information acquisition apparatus

• US 8,340,362 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Maxell Limited (Maxell, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsukamoto, Hiroyuki, Kishimoto, Kiyoharu, Arai, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Tom Y
• Application Number:
  US12/560,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20100067757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns

Abstract

An image acquisition apparatus includes an image pickup device that includes a plurality of pixels, and a filter layer that blocks propagation of an incident light ray which comes from an object side to the pixel side in accordance with an increase in incident angle of the incident light ray.

Claims

1. An image acquisition apparatus comprising:

an image pickup device that includes a plurality of pixels;

a filter layer that blocks propagation of an incident light ray which comes from an object side to the pixel side in accordance with an increase in incident angle of the incident light ray;

a first light shielding layer that has a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of pixels, wherein

the filter layer blocks propagation of the incident light ray which comes from the object side to the pixel side through the openings in accordance with an increase in incident angle of the light ray.

2. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transparent substrate that supports at least one of the filter layer and the first light shielding layer.

3. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a lens array substrate that includes a plurality of lenses corresponding to the plurality of pixels.

4. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a second light shielding layer that has a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of pixels, wherein

the second light shielding layer is placed immediately above the image pickup device.

5. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second light shielding layer is formed by a wiring layer of the image pickup device.

6. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the filter layer and the first light shielding layer are placed on the transparent substrate.

7. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each thickness of the first light shielding layer and the second light shielding layer is substantially uniform in a plane.

8. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a third light shielding layer that has a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of pixels, wherein

the third light shielding layer is placed between the first light shielding layer and the second light shielding layer with a given space from the first light shielding layer and the second light shielding layer.

9. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a thickness of the third light shielding layer is substantially uniform in a plane.

10. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 9, wherein each thickness of the first light shielding layer, the second light shielding layer and the third light shielding layer is smaller than a thickness of the transparent substrate.

11. A biometric information acquisition apparatus for acquiring biometric information of a test body, comprising:

a light source;

an image pickup device that picks up a vein image of the test body by receiving light that is emitted from the light source and made incident on a plurality of pixels thereof through the test body;

a filter layer that blocks propagation of an incident light ray that comes from the test body side to the pixel side in accordance with an increase in incident angle of the incident light ray; and

a first light shielding layer that has a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of pixels, wherein

the filter layer blocks propagation of the incident light ray that comes from the test body side to the pixel side through the openings in accordance with an increase incident angle of the incident light ray.

12. The biometric information acquisition apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a transparent substrate that supports at least one of the filter layer and the first light shielding layer; and

a lens array substrate that includes a plurality of lenses corresponding to the plurality of pixels.

13. The biometric information acquisition apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

a second light shielding layer that has a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of pixels, wherein

the second light shielding layer is placed immediately above the image pickup device.

14. An image acquisition apparatus comprising:

an image pickup means that picks up an image by receiving incident light with a plurality of pixels;

a filter means that blocks propagation of an incident light ray that comes from an object side to the pixel side in accordance with an increase in incident angle of the incident light ray; and

a first light shielding means that has a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of pixels, wherein

the filter means blocks propagation of the incident light ray which comes from the object side to the pixel side through the openings in accordance with an increase in incident angle of the light ray.