US 11,837,015 B2
Imaging apparatus and imaging method
Qihong Wang, Tokyo (JP); Masatomo Kurata, Tokyo (JP); Hiroyuki Shigei, Tokyo (JP); Naoko Kobayashi, Tokyo (JP); and Toru Amano, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/612,467
Filed by SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed May 18, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/019695
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 18, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/241364, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 3, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-099714 (JP), filed on May 28, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0222966 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. G06V 40/13 (2022.01); G06V 40/12 (2022.01)
CPC G06V 40/1394 (2022.01) [G06V 40/1318 (2022.01); G06V 40/1365 (2022.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:
an irradiation unit configured to irradiate a subject with light;
an imaging unit configured to image the subject a plurality of times to obtain a plurality of imaged images; and
a central processing unit (CPU) configured to:
control each of the imaging unit and the irradiation unit; and
combine the obtained plurality of imaged images, wherein
the imaging unit includes a plurality of imaging elements in a matrix,
the irradiation unit includes a plurality of light emitting elements,
each light emitting element of the plurality of light emitting elements is associated with a corresponding imaging element of the plurality of imaging elements, and
the CPU is further configured to:
control the irradiation unit to:
 turn on a first set of light emitting elements of the plurality of light emitting elements; and
 turn off a second set of light emitting elements of the plurality of light emitting elements, wherein the second set of light emitting elements is different from the first set of light emitting elements; and
control the imaging unit to drive a set of imaging elements of the plurality of imaging elements, wherein the set of imaging elements is associated with the second set of light emitting elements.