Patent ID: 8278615

Claim:
An imaging system, comprising: a light source unit which emits illuminating light to illuminate an object; an illuminating-light transmitting unit which transmits the illuminating light; a timing adjustment unit which, being placed between the illuminating-light transmitting unit and the object, individually varies a transmission timing of rays contained in the illuminating light with respect to one another, causing the rays to reach a surface of the object at respectively different times; a reflected-light incidence unit upon which reflected light coming from the surface of the object is incident; a light detection unit which temporally breaks down the reflected light incident upon the reflected-light incidence unit, converts the reflected light into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal in sequence; and a signal processing unit which converts the electrical signal outputted in sequence by the light detection unit into pixel information about an optical image on the surface of the object, wherein the timing adjustment unit emits the illuminating light which has passed through the illuminating-light transmitting unit to the object as a light with a spiral pattern.