Patent ID: 8274584

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: an imaging device operable to convert light incident on a photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device into a plurality of electric signals; a light guide unit arranged adjacent to the photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device, the light guide unit having a plurality of apertures operable to guide light from a subject to the photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device; and a signal processing unit operable to perform an arithmetic processing on the plurality of electrical signals, wherein, at least one electrical signal corresponding to one pixel of the photoelectric conversion portion is derived from the light guided onto the photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device through the plurality of apertures, the signal processing unit is operable to (i) perform the arithmetic processing using a coefficient based on intensity distribution of the light incident on the photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device to obtain subject information units of the subject, and (ii) correct differences between the subject information units, and the intensity distribution of the light incident on the photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device is based on pitch of the plurality of apertures, the size of each of the plurality of apertures, the shape of each of the plurality of apertures, the cross-sectional shape of each of the plurality of apertures, the orientation of each of the plurality of apertures, the position of each of the plurality of apertures, the transmittance distribution of each of the plurality of apertures, the distance between each of the plurality of apertures and the imaging device, the distance between each of the plurality of apertures and the subject, the diffraction of light through each of the plurality of apertures, and the interference of light through each of the plurality of apertures.