Patent ID: 7864235

Claim:
An imaging device comprising: an image sensor; a color filter that is located on said image sensor and has at least one block of four color elements, each block comprising a red element, a blue element and two green elements having different spectral transmission distribution properties, said spectral transmission distribution properties characterizing spectral response distribution properties of said imaging device, that correspond to three spectral response distribution curves based on a color space; a signal reading processor that reads two predetermined series of color signals corresponding to the red and blue elements, and two remaining series of color signals corresponding to the green elements, from said image sensor; and a signal processor that generates primary color signals on the basis of the predetermined series of color signals in which information associated with a spectral distribution of an object is included, and selects one of the two remaining series of color signals as an adopted series of color signals based on the predetermined series of color signals; wherein the predetermined series of color signals correspond to related spectral response distribution curves over the entire spectrum, and each remaining series of color signals correspond to a related spectral response distribution curve over a part of the entire spectrum, wherein said signal processor defines a series of color signals that correspond to the related spectral response distribution curve for a wavelength range in which spectral values in the spectral distribution of the object are relatively large, as the adopted series of color signals.