Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018139365-A1
Application number	US-201715795481-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 27, 2017
Priority date	Nov 15, 2016
Publication date	May 17, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an illumination device, a beam splitter, an imaging device, and an image forming circuit. The illumination device includes first emitters emitting first light polarized at 30°, second emitters emitting second light polarized at 90°, and third emitters emitting third light polarized at 150°, and illuminates a subject with the first, second, and/or third light. The beam splitter splits returning light and outputs a first component polarized at 0°, a second component polarized at 60°, and a third component polarized at 120°. The imaging device has an imaging surface that includes a first region receiving the first component, a second region receiving the second component, and a third region receiving the third component. The image forming circuit generates an image of the subject based on first, second, and third groups of images acquired when the subject is illuminated with the first, second, and third light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an illumination device including one or more first emitters, one or more second emitters, and one or more third emitters, the one or more first emitters each emitting a first light beam having a polarization direction of 30°, the one or more second emitters each emitting a second light beam having a polarization direction of 90°, the one or more third emitters each emitting a third light beam having a polarization direction of 150°, the illumination device illuminating a subject with at least one of the first, second, and third light beams; a beam splitter that splits a returning light beam from the subject and outputs a first component having a polarization direction of 0°, a second component having a polarization direction of 60°, and a third component having a polarization direction of 120°; an imaging device having an imaging surface that includes a first region that receives the first component, a second region that receives the second component, and a third region that receives the third component; and an image forming circuit, wherein the image forming circuit generates an image of the subject on the basis of
a first group of images of the first component, the second component, and the third component acquired by the imaging device when the subject is illuminated with the first light beam among the first, second, and third light beams,
a second group of images of the first component, the second component, and the third component acquired by the imaging device when the subject is illuminated with the second light beam among the first, second, and third light beams, and
a third group of images of the first component, the second component, and the third component acquired by the imaging device when the subject is illuminated with the third light beam among the first, second, and third light beams.

2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the beam splitter includes
a prism, and
first, second, and third analyzers of which directions of transmission axes are 0°, 60°, and 120°, respectively.

3 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an illumination device including one or more first emitters, one or more second emitters, and one or more third emitters, the one or more first emitters each emitting a first light beam having a polarization direction of 30°, the one or more second emitters each emitting a second light beam having a polarization direction of 90°, the one or more third emitters each emitting a third light beam having a polarization direction of 150°, the illumination device illuminating a subject with at least one of the first, second, and third light beams; an imaging device that includes a housing having first, second, and third apertures provided therein, and an image sensor having an imaging surface; one or more objective lenses located between the subject and the imaging surface; a first analyzer that is disposed at a position of the first aperture and of which a direction of a transmission axis is 0°; a second analyzer that is disposed at a position of the second aperture and of which a direction of a transmission axis is 60°; a third analyzer that is disposed at a position of the third aperture and of which a direction of a transmission axis is 120°; and an image forming circuit, wherein the imaging surface of the imaging device includes a first region, a second region, and a third region, the first region receiving a fourth light beam, of a returning light beam from the subject, that has passed through the first analyzer, the second region receiving a fifth light beam, of the returning light beam from the subject, that has passed through the second analyzer, the third region receiving a sixth light beam, of the returning light beam from the subject, that has passed through the third analyzer, and wherein the image forming circuit generates an image of the subject on the basis of
a first group of images of the fourth, fifth, and sixth light beams acquired by the imaging device when the subject is illuminated with the first light beam among the first, second, and third light beams,
a second group of images of the fourth, fifth, and sixth light beams acquired by the imaging device when the subject is illuminated with the second light beam among the first, second, and third light beams, and
a third group of images of the fourth, fifth, and sixth light beams acquired by the imaging device when the subject is illuminated with the third light beam among the first, second, and third light beams.

4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the one or more objective lenses include
a first objective lens located in an optical path connecting the subject and the first region,
a second objective lens located in an optical path connecting the subject and the second region, and
a third objective lens located in an optical path connecting the subject and the third region.

5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a microlens array located between the one or more objective lenses and the imaging surface, wherein the one or more objective lenses are a single objective lens that receives a light beam that has passed through the first aperture, a light beam that has passed through the second aperture, and a light beam that has passed through the third aperture.

6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first group of images includes two first polarization images and one first crossed-Nicols image, wherein the second group of images includes two second polarization images and one second crossed-Nicols image, wherein the third group of images includes two third polarization images and one third crossed-Nicols image, and wherein the image forming circuit forms an averaged pseudo-parallel-Nicols image that is based on the two first polarization images, the two second polarization images, and the two third polarization images and an averaged crossed-Nicols image that is based on the one first crossed-Nicols image, the one second crossed-Nicols image, and the one third crossed-Nicols image, and forms an image of the subject by obtaining a difference between the averaged pseudo-parallel-Nicols image and the averaged crossed-Nicols image.

7 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the illumination device further illuminates the subject simultaneously with the first, second, and third light beams, and wherein the imaging device images each of a light beam incident on the first region, a light beam incident on the second region, and a light beam incident on the third region when the subject is illuminated with the first, second, and third light beams.

8 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a first emitter that emits first light that oscillates in a first plane to an object during a first period, the first plane being parallel to a second plane defined by turning a plane by 30 degrees around a line included in the plane in a first direction; a second emitter that emits second light that oscillates in a third plane to the object during a second period, the third plane being parallel to a fourth plane defined by turning the plane by 90 degrees around the line in the first direction, the first period not overlapping the second period; a third emitter that emits third light that oscillates in a fifth plane to the object during a third period, the fifth plane being parallel to a sixth plane defined by turning the plane by 150 degrees around the line in the first direction, the third period not overlapping the first period, the third period not overlapping the second period; a beam splitter that (i) receives first resul

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kanamori Katsuhiro
• Ozawa Jun

Classifications

• H04N23/56 Primary

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N25/44

  by partially reading an SSIS array · CPC title

• H04N23/74

  by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/555

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title