Patent ID: 8908087

Claim:
A multiband camera for capturing an image of an image capture wavelength region in mutually different wavelength bands divided into four or more bands when capturing an image of a subject, comprising: a band-pass filter that is disposed in a position of a pupil of an optical system and has four or more optical filters for respectively transmitting the wavelength bands divided into four or more bands; a microlens array having two-dimensionally arrayed positive microlenses; a photoelectric conversion element that is disposed in the vicinity of a focal point of the microlens array and is disposed in or proximal to a conjugate position with the band-pass filter, and includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed pixels on which is incident a flux of light transmitted through the band-pass filter and guided by the microlens array; and a measurement unit for measuring a spectral intensity of the flux of light from the subject based on a signal output from the pixels corresponding to the optical filters; wherein: the expression below is satisfied; where Pl is a pitch in a prescribed direction between the microlenses of the microlens array; Ps is a pitch in the prescribed direction between the pixels of the photoelectric conversion element; n is a number of pixels in the prescribed direction corresponding to one of the microlenses; u is an effective dimension in a prescribed direction of the pixels; t is a dimension in a prescribed direction of a real image of the band-pass filter formed on the plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed pixels; Na is a number of microlenses arrayed in a prescribed direction; L is a distance from an exit pupil corresponding to the pupil to the microlens; and f (<<L) is a focal length of the microlens, ( 1 - f L ) ⁢ nPs - 3 ⁢ Ps - u - t Na ≤ Pl ≤ ( 1 - f L ) ⁢ nPs + 3 ⁢ Ps - u - t Na . [ Expression ⁢ ⁢ 11 ]