Patent ID: 7664340

Claim:
An imaging device comprising: a plurality of imaging means each of which picks up an image of each of a plurality of sub-objects obtained by dividing an object in a wide range; and processing means for joining the images to form a composite image in accordance with image information output from the imaging means and input to the processing means, wherein each imaging means includes at least one lens having an aperture stop, and an imaging element for sensing a ray passing through the at least one lens, when a chief ray located in a Gauss region is selected from chief rays passing through the center of the aperture stop of the at least one lens of each imaging means, and a point at which an optical axis of the at least one lens of each imaging means intersects with an extended line component of the selected chief ray located in an object space is defied as a NP point, in terms of each imaging means, the NP point is located downstream of the imaging element of each imaging means, and in terms of the plurality of imaging means, the NP points are collectively located within a predetermined radius region centered on one of the NP points, in each imaging means, a lens which is included in the at least one lens and disposed closest to the object is cut along a plane not including the optical axis of each imaging means, and a>H is satisfied, where H is a distance from the optical axis of one of the plurality of imaging means to a center portion of an overlapping region, in which the image of the one imaging means is overlapped with that of the adjacent imaging means when the imaging element of the one imaging means is scanned from the optical axis toward the optical axis of the adjacent imaging means, and a is a distance from the optical axis of the one imaging means to a position at which an illuminance ratio with respect to a maximum illuminance in the scanning direction does not vary even if the aperture stop is shifted from an open aperture state to a closed aperture state, although the position is located in a region in which the illuminance ratio with respect to the maximum illuminance in the scanning direction decreases as the distance from the optical axis of the one imaging means increases.