Patent ID: 9293491
Filing Date: 2016-03-22
CPC Classification: A61B,G01J,G02B,H01L,H04N

Claim Text:
1. A polarization image sensor comprising: a plurality of photodiodes which are arranged on an image capturing plane and each of which converts light into an electrical signal; a color mosaic filter in which color filters in multiple different colors are arranged so as to face the photodiodes; an optical low-pass filter which covers the color mosaic filter; and a plurality of polarization optical elements which are located closer to a light source than the optical low-pass filter, wherein each of the polarization optical elements covers an associated one of the photodiodes and makes light which is polarized in a predetermined direction in a plane that is parallel to the image capturing plane incident onto the optical low-pass filter, wherein the color mosaic filter has a structure in which a plurality of color filters in multiple different colors are arranged two-dimensionally, the color filters being arranged so that light that has passed through a plurality of polarization optical elements is transmitted through an associated one of the color filters in a single color, each said color filter covering a plurality of photodiodes, and wherein the optical low-pass filter is configured to shift at least a part of a light ray that has been transmitted through each of the polarization optical elements parallel to the image capturing plane by at least the arrangement pitch of the color filters in the color mosaic filter.