Patent ID: 7978240

Claim:
An imaging unit comprising: an image sensor including a number of pixels arranged in a matrix, the pixels having color pixels where color filters are disposed, and white pixels where the color filters are not disposed; a first sampling circuit and a second sampling circuit for sampling pixel signals generated in the image sensor; a main controller for controlling the image sensor and/or the first sampling circuit and the second sampling circuit to sample pixel signals generated in the white pixels or pixel signals generated in the color pixels sequentially in a time-series manner; a first signal path disposed between the image sensor and the first sampling circuit, and along which the pixel signals generated in the white pixels flow toward the first sampling circuit; a second signal path disposed between the image sensor and the second sampling circuit, and along which the pixel signals generated in the color pixels flow toward the second sampling circuit; a first amplifier disposed in correspondence to the first signal path, and for amplifying the pixel signals generated in the white pixels with a predetermined gain; and a second amplifier disposed in correspondence to the second signal path, and for amplifying the pixel signals generated in the color pixels with a gain different from the gain of the first amplifier, wherein the main controller controls the image sensor to output only the pixel signals generated in the white pixels along the first signal path, and to output only the pixel signals generated in the color pixels along the second signal path.