IP Library Granted Patent US 12,457,392
Granted Patent B2
US 12,457,392 · App. 18/273,228 · Granted Oct 28, 2025

Imaging device and optical element

Inventors: Masashi Miyata (Musashino, JP); Yoko Sogabe (Musashino, JP); Fumihide Kobayashi (Musashino, JP); Shiori Sugimoto (Musashino, JP); Naru Nemoto (Musashino, JP); Toshikazu Hashimoto (Musashino, JP)
Assignee: NTT, Inc.
H04N23/12H04N23/45H04N23/55H04N23/56H04N23/84
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,457,392
App. No.
18/273,228
Granted
Oct 28, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An imaging device includes an optical element including a transparent substrate and a plurality of structures disposed on or in the transparent substrate in a plane direction of the transparent substrate, an imaging sensor in which a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element are arranged, and a signal processing unit configured to generate an image signal based on an electric signal obtained from the imaging sensor, wherein the optical element outputs light with a different point spread function for each wavelength to form, on the imaging sensor, an image in which the point spread function of each wavelength is convoluted, the plurality of structures have the same height in a side view, and the signal processing unit reconstructs an image in which the point spread function of each wavelength is convoluted.

Claims (19)

1. An imaging device comprising:

an optical element including a transparent substrate and a plurality of structures disposed on or in the transparent substrate in a plane direction of the transparent substrate;

an imaging sensor in which a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element are arranged; and

a signal processing unit configured to generate an image signal based on an electric signal obtained from the imaging sensor, wherein

the optical element outputs light with a different point spread function for each wavelength to form, on the imaging sensor, an image in which the point spread function of each wavelength is convoluted, wherein the point spread functions corresponding to different wavelengths have shapes that vary in rotational orientations as a function of the wavelength,

the plurality of structures have the same height in a side view, and

the signal processing unit reconstructs an image in which the point spread function of each wavelength is convoluted.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processing unit reconstructs an image based on a matrix defined by an imaging process of the optical element and an image in which the point spread function of each wavelength is convoluted.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein the signal processing unit uses a model constituted by a neural network to solve an optimization problem that has, as an input, a matrix defined by an imaging process of the optical element and an image in which a point spread function of each wavelength is convoluted.

4. The imaging device according to any one of claim 1 , wherein

each of the plurality of structures is a columnar structure having a refractive index higher than a refractive index of the transparent substrate or a transparent layer formed on the imaging sensor and giving an amount of an optical phase delay corresponding to a cross-sectional shape to incident light, and

the plurality of structures have a cross-sectional shape set according to an amount of an optical phase delay distribution for realizing formation of an image in which the point spread function of each wavelength for a pixel has been convoluted, and are arranged according to an amount of an optical phase delay distribution for realizing formation of an image in which the point spread function of each wavelength for the pixel has been convoluted.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of each of the plurality of structures is a four-time rotationally symmetrical shape.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of structures are periodically arranged with a space period P satisfying P<λ min /n 0 , where λ min is a minimum wavelength in a wavelength band of light incident on the optical element, and n 0 is a refractive index of a medium on a transmission side of the optical element.

7. An optical element comprising:

a transparent substrate; and

a plurality of structures disposed on or in the transparent substrate in a plane direction of the transparent substrate,

the optical element configured to output light with a different point spread function for each wavelength to form, on an imaging sensor, an image in which the point spread function of each wavelength is convoluted, and the point spread functions corresponding to different wavelengths have shapes that vary in rotational orientations as a function of the wavelength, wherein

the plurality of structures have the same height in a side view.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 14, 2025
From: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
To: NTT, INC.
Reel/Frame 072471/0579 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 21, 2023
From: MIYATA, MASASHI; SOGABE, YOKO; KOBAYASHI, FUMIHIDE; SUGIMOTO, SHIORI; NEMOTO, NARU; HASHIMOTO, TOSHIKAZU
To: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064342/0128 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240121488A1 · Apr 11, 2024
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