Reduced aliasing distortion optical filter, and an image sensing device using same

Claim 2

An image sensing apparatus comprising: image forming means for forming an image for luminance signal and an image for color signal of a subject on a sensing surface of an image sensing device; optical image rotating means for rotating an optical image of the subject during an exposure interval of said image sensing device in such a manner that the optical image makes one or a plurality of revolutions relative to the sensing surface along a plane perpendicular to the surface of said image sensing device while orientation of the optical image is substantially maintained vertically and horizontally with respect to the surface of said image sensing device, said optical image rotating means forming the optical image of the subject on the sensing surface via said image forming means; and setting means for setting a size of a rotational path of the optical image of the subject by said optical image rotating means, the size being determined according to a pitch of pixels of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for luminance signal by the image of forming means, and the size being determined according to an arranging period of a color filter of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for color signal by the image forming means.

Claim 3

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a path of rotation of an image by said optical image rotating means is closed in the plane perpendicular to an optical axis of said image forming means.

Claim 4

The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the shape of the cross section of the path of rotation is substantially circular or elliptical.

Claim 5

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said optical image rotating means has a glass plate with parallel and flat surfaces, said glass plate being rotated about the optic axis of said image forming means while inclined with respect to the optic axis.

Claim 6

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said optical image rotating means has means for rotating said image sensing device about an axis perpendicular to the surface of said image sensing device while orientation of said image sensing device is substantially maintained vertically and horizontally.

Claim 7

The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein a cross sectional path of rotation of said image sensing device by said optical image rotating means is closed.

Claim 8

The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the shape of the cross sectional path is substantially circular or elliptical.

Claim 9

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said optical image rotating means rotates the image of the subject an integral number of revolutions during the exposure interval of said image sensing device.

Claim 10

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said optical image rotating means rotates the image of the subject at a uniform angular velocity.

Claim 11

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said optical image rotating means rotates the optical image of the subject relative to said image sensing device along a circular path of radius r, where r is expressed as follows: r = ω 0 2  πρ and ω 0 represents the initial zero point of a Bessel function of the first kind of order zero and ρ represents spatial frequency, whereby intensity of the spatial frequency ρ of an image signal sensed by said image sensing device is attenuated.

Claim 12

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said optical image rotating means rotates the optical image of the subject relative to said image sensing device along an elliptical path, in which the elliptical path has a major axis r L expressed as follows: r L = ω 0 2  πρ L and a minor axis r S expressed as follows: r S = ω 0 2  πρ S and ω 0 represents the initial zero point of a Bessel function of the first kind of order zero and ρ L , ρ S represent two spatial frequencies, whereby intensities of the spatial frequencies ρ L and ρ S of an image signal sensed by said image sensing device are attenuated.

Claim 13

The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the spatial frequencies ρ L and ρ S are approximately half of the spatial sampling frequency by said image sensing device.

Claim 14

The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein said optical rotating means has means, into which two periodic signals having different velocities are entered, for periodically moving said image sensing device in two different directions.

Claim 15

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said optical rotating means includes: an optical element placed between said image-forming means and said image sensing device for parallel-shifting the optic axis of said image-forming means; and means, into which two periodic signals having different velocities are entered, for periodically moving said optical element in two different directions.

Claim 16

The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein a slower velocity period of periodic motions in the two different directions is set to be four or more times a higher velocity period of said periodic motion.

Claim 17

The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein a slower velocity period of periodic motions in the two different directions is set to be four or more times a higher velocity period of said periodic motion.

Claim 18

The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the two different directions are set so as to be mutually perpendicular.

Claim 19

The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the two different directions are set so as to be mutually perpendicular.

Claim 20

An optical spatial filter device for controlling a spatial frequency characteristic of an optical image for luminance signal and an optical image for color signal delivered by an image forming optical system and formed on an image sensing device, said device comprising: luminous flux rotating means for rotating a luminous flux, which is delivered by the image forming optical system, on a sensing surface of said image sensing device along a closed path along a plane perpendicular to the optic axis of said image forming optical system while orientation of the luminous flux is substantially maintained vertically and horizontally; setting means for setting a size of a rotation al path of the optical image of the subject by said optical image rotating means, the size being determined according to a pitch of pixels of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for luminance signal by the image forming optical system, and the size being determined according to an arranging period of a color filter of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for color signal by the image forming optical system; and control means for controlling said luminous flux rotating means in such a manner that the luminous flux is made one or more revolutions of the size set by said setting means, during an exposure interval of said image sensing device.

Claim 21

An optical spatial filter device for controlling a spatial frequency characteristic of an optical image for luminance signal and an optical image for color signal delivered by an image forming optical system and formed on an image sensing device, said device comprising: luminous flux rotating means for rotating a luminous flux, which is delivered by the image forming optical system, on a sensing surface of said image sensing device along a closed path along a plane perpendicular to the optic axis of said image forming optical system while orientation of the luminous flux is substantially maintained vertically and horizontally; setting means for setting a size of a rotation al path of the optical image of the subject by said optical image rotating means, the size being determined according to a pitch of pixels of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for luminance signal by the image forming optical system, and the size being determined according to an arranging period of a color filter of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for color signal by the image forming optical system; and control means for controlling said luminous flux rotating means in such a manner that the luminous flux is made one or more revolutions of the size set by said setting means, during an exposure interval of said image sensing device.

Claim 22

The device according to claim 19 , wherein a path of a rotation of the luminous flux is closed to form substantially circular or elliptical.

Claim 23

The device according to claim 19 , wherein said luminous flux rotating means has a glass plate with parallel flat surfaces, which are rotated about the optic axis of said image forming optical system while inclined with respect to the optic axis.

Claim 24

The device according to claim 19 , wherein said luminous flux rotating means has means for rotating said image sensing device while orientation of said image sensing device is substantially maintained vertically and horizontally.

Claim 25

The device according to claim 19 , wherein said control means control said luminous flux rotating means in such a manner that the luminous flux is made an integral number of revolutions relative to the sensing surface during the exposure interval of said image sensing device.

Claim 26

The device according to claim 19 , wherein said control means control said luminous flux rotating means in such a manner that the luminous flux rotates at a uniform angular velocity.

Claim 27

The device according to claim 19 , wherein said luminous flux rotating means rotates the optical image of the subject relative to said image sensing device along a circular path of radius r, where r is expressed as follows: r = ω 0 2  π   ρ and ω 0 represents the initial zero point of a Bessel function of the first kind of order zero and ρ represents spatial frequency, whereby intensity of the spatial frequency ρ of an image signal sensed by said image sensing device is attenuated.

Claim 28

The device according to claim 19 , wherein said luminous flux rotating means rotates the optical image of the subject relative to said image sensing device along an elliptical path,:in which the elliptical path has a major axis r L expressed as follows: r L = ω 0 2  πρ L and a minor axis r S expressed as follows: r S = ω 0 2  πρ S and ω 0 represents the initial zero point of a Bessel function of the first kind of order zero and ρ L , ρ S represent two spatial frequencies, whereby intensities of the spatial frequencies ρ L and ρ S of an image signal sensed by said image sensing device are attenuated.

Claim 29

The device according to claim 26 , wherein the spatial frequencies ρ L and ρ S are approximately half of the spatial sampling frequency by said image sensing device.

Claim 32

The method according to claim 28 , wherein a glass plate with parallel and flat is used at said rotating step, said glass plate being rotated about an optic axis of an image while inclined with respect to the optic axis.

Claim 33

The method according to claim 28 , wherein said rotating step rotates said image sensing device on said image sensing device while orientation of said image sensing device is substantially maintained vertically and horizontally.

Claim 34

The method according to claim 28 , wherein said rotating step rotates a luminous flux an integral number of revolutions relative to a sensing surface of the image sensing device during the exposure interval of said image sensing device.

Claim 35

The method according to claim 28 , wherein said rotating rotates the luminous flux at a uniform angular velocity.

Claim 36

The method according to claim 28 , wherein said step of deciding the radius of curvature decides the radius of curvature in such a manner that r = ω 0 2  π   ρ holds, where r represents the radius of curvature, ω 0 represents the initial zero point of a Bessel function of the first kind of order zero, and ρ represents spatial frequency.

Claim 37

The method according to claim 28 , wherein said step of deciding the radius of curvature decides the radii of curvature in such a manner that r L = ω 0 2  πρ L and r S = ω 0 2  πρ S hold, were r S , r L represent two radii of curvature, ω 0 represents the initial zero point of a Bessel function of the first kind of order zero, and ρ L , ρ S represent two spatial frequencies.

Claim 38

The method according to claim 34 , wherein the spatial frequencies ρ L and ρ S are approximately half of the spatial sampling frequency by said image sensing device.

Claim 39

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said optical rotating means includes: an optical element placed between said image-forming means and said image sensing device for parallel-shifting the optic axis of said image-forming means; and means, into which a periodic signal and a linear signal whose change is lower than the periodic signal are entered, for moving said optical element in two different directions.

Claim 40

An image sensing apparatus comprising: optical image rotating device to rotate an optical image of a subject during an exposure interval of an image sensing device in such a manner that the optical image makes one or a plurality of revolutions relative to the sensing surface along a plane perpendicular to the surface of said image sensing device while orientation of the optical image is substantially maintained vertically and horizontally with respect to the surface of said image sensing device; and setting devices arranged to set a size of a rotational path of the optical image of the subject by said optical image rotating device the size being determined according to a pitch of pixels of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for luminance signal and the size being determined according to an arranging period of a color filter of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for color signal.

Claim 41

An image sensing apparatus comprising: optical image rotating device to rotate an optical image of a subject during an exposure interval of an image sensing device in such a manner that the optical image makes one or a plurality of revolutions relative to the sensing surface along a plane perpendicular to the surface of said image sensing device while orientation of the optical image is substantially maintained vertically and horizontally with respect to the surface of said image sensing device; and setting devices arranged to set a size of a rotational path of the optical image of the subject by said optical image rotating device the size being determined according to a pitch of pixels of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for luminance signal and the size being determined according to an arranging period of a color filter of said image sensing device in the case of forming the image for color signal.