Imaging apparatus for distance detection using high and low sensitivity sensors with inverted positional relations

摘要

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging optical system having an exit pupil and an image sensor having pixels including first and second pixels. Each pixel has high and low sensitivity light receiving sections and a pupil divider. Each of the first pixels is arranged near one of the second pixels. The pupil divider guides light from a part of the exit pupil of the imaging optical system to the high or low sensitivity light receiving section in a first pixel and guides light from another part of the exit pupil to the high or low sensitivity light receiving section in the neighboring second pixel. The positional relation between the high and low sensitivity light receiving sections relative to the center in a pixel is mutually inverted in the pupil dividing direction between a first pixel and the neighboring second pixel.

主权项

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:
an image sensor; an imaging optical system for forming an image of an object on the image sensor; and an image processing unit for processing signals from the image sensor, wherein the image sensor comprises pixels for generating imaging signals, each of the pixels being either a first pixel or a second pixel, wherein a plurality of each of the first and second pixels is provided, wherein the first pixel and the second pixel are arranged within an area in which luminous fluxes from the same objects are received, wherein the first pixel includes a first pupil dividing unit, a first photoelectric conversion section, and a second photoelectric conversion section, wherein the first photoelectric conversion section has higher sensitivity than the second photoelectric conversion section, wherein the first pupil dividing unit comprises a microlens or optical waveguides, and is so configured as to be able to (a) guide light from a first area of a part of the exit pupil of the imaging optical system to the first photoelectric conversion section and (b) guide light from a second area of a part of the exit pupil of the imaging optical system to the second photoelectric conversion section, wherein the second pixel includes a second pupil dividing unit, a third photoelectric conversion section, and a fourth photoelectric conversion section, wherein the third photoelectric conversion section has higher sensitivity than the fourth photoelectric conversion section, wherein the second pupil dividing unit comprises a microlens or optical waveguides, and is so configured as to be able to (a) guide light from a third area of a part of the exit pupil of the imaging optical system to the third photoelectric conversion section and (b) guide light from a fourth area of a part of the exit pupil of the imaging optical system to the fourth photoelectric conversion section, wherein a positional relation between the higher sensitivity photoelectric conversion section and the lower sensitivity photoelectric conversion section in the pixel is inverted in a pupil-dividing direction between the first pixel and the second pixel, and wherein in the image processing unit, amounts of discrepancies between a first ranging image formed by the light from the first area and a second ranging image formed by the light from the second area are obtained, and wherein (i) in case where the luminous fluxes entering the first and second pixels are a smaller number, the first ranging image is formed using signals from a plurality of the first photoelectric conversion sections, and the second ranging image is formed using signals from a plurality of the third photoelectric conversion sections, and (ii) in case where the luminous fluxes entering the first and second pixels are a larger number, the first ranging image is formed using signals from a plurality of the second photoelectric conversion sections, and the second ranging image is formed using signals from a plurality of the fourth photoelectric conversion sections.