Patent ID: 8471936
Filing Date: 2013-06-25
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An imaging device that senses light incident through an opening portion to generate, for each of a red color, a green color, and a blue color, an image signal having pixels arranged adjacent to each other in a two-dimensional array, characterized by comprising: a red color imaging element that senses the incident light to output a red color signal having pixels arranged in a check pattern; a green color imaging element that senses the incident light to output a green color signal having pixels arranged in a check pattern; a blue color imaging element that senses the incident light to output a blue color signal having pixels arranged in a check pattern; interpolation processing means for interpolating blank pixels between the pixels arranged in the check patterns using pixels neighboring the blank pixels, correlation processing means for determining correlations among the pixels neighboring the blank pixels; and wherein the red color imaging element, the green color imaging element, and the blue color imaging element output the red color signal, the green color signal, and the blue color signal, respectively, in which positions of the individual pixels spatially match each other, the correlation processing means determines the correlations for each of the red color signal, the green color signal, and the blue color signal on the basis of at least one type of color signal from among the red color signal, the green color signal, and the blue color signal, the correlation processing means combines the red color signal, the green color signal, and the blue color signal, and determines a correlation among pixels neighboring a blank pixel in the combined color signals, the interpolation means interpolates pixels of the blank pixels for each of the red color signal, the green color signal, and the blue color signal on the basis of the correlations for each of the red color signal, the green color signal, and the blue color signal or on the basis of the correlation in the combined color signals to generate the image signal, and each of the red color imaging element, the green color imaging element, and the blue color imaging element includes photosensitive elements disposed on a two-dimensional array in a square lattice rotated by 45° outputting the red color, green color, and blue color signals arranged in the check patterns, wherein the check patterns are characterized by a pitch distance, and a length of a side of each photosensitive element is either the pitch distance of the check patterns or the pitch distance of the check patterns multiplied by the square root of two.