Patent ID: 6774947
Filing Date: 2004-08-10
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
An image pickup apparatus comprising:a lens for forming a fore subject image in a back predetermined position; a support member for supporting a tip end of an optical fiber at the back of the lens, and disposing a tip end surface of the optical fiber on a surface for forming the subject image by said lens, so that a light constituting a part of the subject image is incident upon said optical fiber; driving means for moving the support member along the image forming surface of said subject image, and changing an incident position of the light upon said optical fiber on the image forming surface; photodetecting means, disposed on a terminal end of said optical fiber, for converting the light transmitted via the tip end of said optical fiber into an electric signal; scanning means for driving and controlling said driving means in a predetermined scanning pattern, and gradually changing the incident position of the light upon said optical fiber on the image forming surface of said subject image; and image data generating means for successively extracting the electric signal from said photodetecting means in synchronization with a change of the incident position of the light upon said optical fiber by an operation of the scanning means, associating a level of the electric signal with the incident position of the light upon said optical fiber, and storing the electric signal level and the light incident position to generate image data corresponding to said subject image.