Abstract: An imaging system according to the present disclosure includes: a polarized light source which emits illuminating light including a component of light that oscillates parallel to a first polarization axis; an image capturing unit IP which is configured to get simultaneously first, second, third and fourth pieces of image information S101, S102, S104 including pieces of information about light beams that fall within first, second, third and fourth wavelength ranges, respectively, based on light beams that have returned at the same point in time from an object that is irradiated with the illuminating light, the light beam falling within the fourth wavelength range having been emitted from the polarized light source and reflected from the object, oscillating parallel to a second polarization axis that is different from the first polarization axis, and belonging to the same wavelength range as the component of the illuminating light; a first arithmetic processing section S201 which is configured to generate a fir

Abstract: An image pickup device N according to an embodiment includes: an objective lens L with first and second regions D1, D2; an image sensor N with multiple groups of pixels Pg, in each of which first, second, third and fourth pixels P1 to P4 are arranged in two rows and two columns on an image capturing plane Ni; and an array of optical elements K which includes a plurality of optical elements M. The first and second pixels P1, P2 have a first spectral transmittance characteristic, and in each group of pixels Pg, the first and second pixels P1, P2 are arranged at mutually different positions in the second direction. Each of the plurality of optical elements M is arranged at such a position as to face groups of pixels Pg that are arranged in a row in the first direction among the multiple groups of pixels Pg.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus disclosed in this application includes: a lens optical system (L) including a first optical region and a second optical region; an image pickup device (N) including at least a plurality of first pixels and a plurality of second pixels where light transmitted through the lens optical system (L) enters; an area segmented optical attenuator device (W) including a first light control part and a second light control part, which are located in the first optical region and the second optical region, respectively; a control section (V) for changing at least one of a transmittance of the first light control part of the area segmented optical attenuator device and a transmittance of the second light control part of the area segmented optical attenuator device; and an array-patterned optical device (K), which is placed between the lens optical system and the image pickup device, for causing light transmitted through the first optical region to enter the plurality of first pixels and causing lig

Abstract: An image capture device according to the present disclosure includes: a lens optical system L; an image sensor N on which light that has passed through the lens optical system L is incident and which includes at least a plurality of first pixels and a plurality of second pixels; and an array of optical elements K which is arranged between the lens optical system and the image sensor. The lens optical system has a first optical region D1 which transmits mostly light vibrating in the direction of a first polarization axis and a second optical region D2 which transmits mostly light vibrating in the direction of a second polarization axis that is different from the direction of the first polarization axis. The array of optical elements makes the light that has passed through the first optical region D1 incident on the plurality of first pixels and also makes the light that has passed through the second optical region D2 incident on the plurality of second pixels.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus disclosed in the present application includes a lens optical system L, an imaging device N including a plurality of first and second pixels P1 and P2, and an arrayed optical device K, wherein: the lens optical system L includes a first optical region D1 which primarily passes therethrough light oscillating in a direction of a first polarization axis and a second optical region D2 which passes therethrough light oscillating in every direction; and the arrayed optical device K makes light having passed through the first optical region D1 incident on the first pixels P1 and makes light having passed through the second optical region D2 incident on the second pixels P2.

Abstract: A diffraction grating lens according to the present invention includes a lens body and a diffraction grating provided on the surface of the lens body, the diffraction grating including a plurality of annular zones having slopes inclined along a width direction and a plurality of step surfaces respectively located between the plurality of annular zones. At least one of the plurality of annular zones is light-transmissive across its entire area along the width direction, and in the at least one annular zone, a light transmittance near at least one of two ends along the width direction is smaller than a light transmittance near a central portion along the width direction.

Abstract: An imaging-observation apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: an image capturing section that shoots a subject under multiple different shooting optical conditions at the same time and sequentially generates a plurality of images under those multiple different shooting optical conditions; a display control section that accepts an operator's input; an image synthesizing section that synthesizes together the plurality of images in accordance with the input to the display control section at a synthesis ratio specified by the input and sequentially generates synthetic images one after another; and a display section that presents the synthetic images.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a lens optical system having first to third regions, the first region transmitting light of a first wavelength band, the second region transmitting light of the first wavelength band and having optical characteristics for providing a different focusing characteristic from a focusing characteristic associated with rays transmitted through the first region, and the third region transmitting light of a second wavelength band; an imaging device on which light having passed through the lens optical system is incident, the imaging device having a plurality of first to third pixels; and a microlens array causing light having passed through the first region to enter the plurality of first pixels, light having passed through the second region to enter the plurality of second pixels, and light having passed through the third region to enter the plurality of third pixels.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus disclosed in the present application includes a lens optical system, an imaging element and an optical array element. The lens optical system includes first and second areas having different optical characteristics with each other. The imaging element includes first and second pixels each including a filter of a first spectral transmittance characteristic, third pixels including a filter of a second spectral transmittance characteristic, and fourth pixels including a filter of a third spectral transmittance characteristic. The optical array element causes the light passing through the first area to be incident on the first pixels and one of the third and fourth pixels and causes the light passing through the second area to be incident on the second pixels and the other of third and fourth pixels.

Abstract: A method for designing a diffraction grating lens of the present invention is a method for designing a diffraction grating lens having a diffraction grating composed of a plurality of diffraction zones, the method including the steps of: (a) determining widths of the plurality of diffraction zones; and (b) determining an aspherical coefficient of a diffraction surface on which the diffraction grating is provided while the determined widths of the plurality of diffraction zones are fixed, after the step (a).

Abstract: An imaging device includes: a lens optical system including a first region and a second region having different optical properties; an imaging element including first pixels and second pixels; an arrayed optical element which is provided between the lens optical system and the imaging element, allows light passing through the first region to enter the first pixels, and allows light passing through the second region to enter the second pixels; a signal processing unit configured to generate object information using pixel values obtained from the first pixels and the second pixels; and a diffractive optical element provided between the arrayed optical element and the lens optical system and including a diffraction grating symmetrical about an optical axis of the lens optical system.

Abstract: An optical element including: a first light transmitting layer having a first sawtooth blazed surface, the first light transmitting layer including a plurality of first light-transmitting slopes defining a first blaze angle ?; and a second light transmitting layer having a second sawtooth blazed surface including a plurality of second light-transmitting slopes defining a second blaze angle ?, the second light transmitting layer being in contact with the first sawtooth blazed surface of the first light transmitting layer. A tilting direction of the first light-transmitting slope and a tilting direction of the second light-transmitting slope are opposite.

Abstract: A diffractive lens 11 that includes: a lens base 18, which has a second surface 13 with first and second groups of diffraction grating portions 20 and 21; and a protective coating 17, which is arranged on the first group of diffraction grating portions 20. The first group of diffraction grating portions 20 has a first group of diffraction steps and the second group of diffraction grating portions 21 has a second group of diffraction steps, which is lower in height than the first group of diffraction steps. One of the respective materials of the base 18 and the protective coating 17 has a higher refractive index and a greater Abbe number than the other material. And the second group of diffraction steps is not covered with the protective coating 17.

Abstract: An optical member includes: a total reflection mirror 14 including a reflection surface 14a for reflecting a laser beam 16; a filter 13 including a partially transmissive surface 13a for passing therethrough a part of the laser beam 16 and reflecting the remaining part of the laser beam, the partially transmissive surface 13a being located so as to be opposed to the reflection surface 14a; and a diffraction grating 18 into which the laser beam 16 enters, for diffracting the incident laser beam 16 to enter the total reflection mirror 14 or the partially transmissive filter 13.

Abstract: A measurement method and an evaluating apparatus are provided which are capable of easily and accurately evaluating the light amount of a spot beam, the diffraction efficiency, and the intensity distribution in the optical axis direction by detecting even a weak diffracted beam in an arbitrary wavelength range converged by a diffraction optical element as an imaging lens.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a small-sized double-lens imaging optical system whose chromatic aberration is corrected even at a super wide angle of 150° or more can be provided. The double-lens imaging optical system of the present invention includes a concave lens, and a convex lens having a diffraction grating provided thereon, and satisfies the following conditional expression (1): 4.5<P1=(1?f/fa)·?d<9.0??(1). Herein, f is an effective focal length of the double-lens imaging optical system; fa is an effective focal length of the double-lens imaging optical system excluding the diffraction grating; and ?d is an Abbe number of the material of the convex lens with respect to the d-line. As a result, chromatic aberration can be well corrected even with respect to rays entering at high angles of view.

Abstract: An image processing device that can highly precisely correct an image with a degraded image quality due to the unnecessary diffracted light generated in the optical system including the diffractive optical element is provided.

Abstract: An imaging optical system according to the present invention includes: at least one diffraction grating lens with a diffraction grating that is made up of q diffraction ring zones; and a stop. A surface of the at least one diffraction grating lens that has the diffraction grating is a lens surface that is located closest to the stop. Supposing the respective widths of diffraction ring zones that are located first, second, (m?1)th and mth closest to the optical axis of the optical system are identified by P1, P2, Pm-1 and Pm, at least one m that falls within the range 3<m?q satisfies the following Inequality (3): k = ( 1 P m - 1 · P m - 1 - P m P m - 1 · P m ) ( 1 P 1 · P 1 - P 2 P 1 · P 2 ) > 1.

Abstract: A measurement method and an evaluating apparatus are provided which accurately evaluate the light amount of a spot beam, the diffraction efficiency, and the intensity distribution in the optical axis direction by detecting even a weak diffracted beam in an arbitrary wavelength range converged by a diffraction optical element as an imaging lens. Light emitted from a white light source passes through a wavelength band-pass filter and is diaphragmed by a pinhole slit. The resultant light is paralleled by a collimator lens and enters a diffraction optical element as an imaging lens. The light getting out from the diffraction optical element is converged to be a spot beam, is magnified by a microscope 18, and is then projected on a CCD. A distance changing member changes the distance between the CCD and the diffraction optical element, and then, the intensity distribution in the optical axis direction is measured.

Abstract: A diffraction grating lens according to the present invention includes a lens body and a diffraction grating provided on the surface of the lens body, the diffraction grating including a plurality of annular zones having slopes inclined along a width direction and a plurality of step surfaces respectively located between the plurality of annular zones. At least one of the plurality of annular zones is light-transmissive across its entire area along the width direction, and in the at least one annular zone, a light transmittance near at least one of two ends along the width direction is smaller than a light transmittance near a central portion along the width direction.