Patent ID: 7714916

Claim:
A solid-state imaging device comprising: a pixel imaging area including a two-dimensionally arranged pixel array, wherein the pixel array is comprised of a plurality of first individual pixel types and second individual pixel types, the first individual pixel and the second individual pixel types have different structural characteristics and being arranged in rows and columns such that the individual pixels in each row and the individual pixels in each column alternate between pixels of the first pixel type and pixels of the second pixel type, and wherein the plurality of first individual pixel types have a substantially similar first light receiving characteristic and the plurality of second individual pixel types have a substantially similar second light receiving characteristic that is different from the first light receiving characteristic; pixel units being comprised of four individual pixels having two adjacent pixels from a first row and two adjacent pixels of a second row, the pixels in the second row being located immediately below the pixels in the first row of a given pixel unit such that the individual pixels of the pixel unit are arranged in a substantially 2×2 rectangle pattern; the individual pixels of each pixel unit arranged across a first diagonal of the square pattern being of the first pixel type and the individual pixels of each pixel unit arranged across a second diagonal of the square pattern being of the second pixel type and wherein the individual pixels of each pixel unit located along the first diagonal each having a same first color filter type and the individual pixels of each pixel unit located along the second diagonal having a color filter which is different from each other and which is different from the first color filter type for the pixels along the first diagonal.