Patent ID: 7170559
Filing Date: 2007-01-30
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An image pickup apparatus comprising: an optical system for forming an image of an object; an image pickup device; a beam limiting member having a light-transmitting portion and a light blocking portion, said beam limiting member being positioned between said object and said image pickup device to limit a beam diameter, thereby generating a light beam having an aperture number not less than F4 at all times; said image pickup apparatus satisfying the following conditions: where Ø is a size (given in millimeters) of a diameter of 90% encircled energy of a point spread function by amplitude of the optical system approximately at a center of an image plane, exclusive of low-pass action by an optical low-pass filter, for a wavelength of e-line at an aperture number F5.6; N is the number of pixels (given in million) of the image pickup device; and P is a pixel pitch (given in millimeters) of the image pickup device.