Dual-type imaging device having multiple light sensitive elements

Claim 1

A dual type imaging device, comprising: a first imaging device having a spectral characteristics in which four light-sensitive elements, which are arranged in a 2×2 matrix, include at least two light-sensitive elements which are sensitive to different complementary colors from each other; a second imaging device having a spectral characteristics in which four light-sensitive elements, which are arranged in a 2×2 matrix, include at least two light-sensitive elements which are sensitive to different complementary colors from each other; means for sensing an R-signal, a G-signal, and a B-signal in accordance with signals obtained by superimposing signals from said four light-sensitive elements of said first imaging device on signals from said four light-sensitive elements of said second imaging device in a predetermined manner; said first and second imaging device having complementary color-difference line-sequential type spectral characteristics; said spectral characteristics being regularly changed in said first and second imaging devices; said regularly changed spectral characteristics of said second imaging device being offset in a horizontal direction by a width of one light-sensitive element with respect to said regularly changed spectral characteristics of said first imaging device; and said first imaging device outputs pixel signals (VA, i, j), (VA, i+1, j), VA, i, j+1), (VA, i+1, j+1), (VA, i, j+2), (VA, i+1, j+2), (VA, i, j+3), (VA, i+1, j+3) corresponding to said light-sensitive elements, said second imaging device outputting pixel signals (VB, i, j), (VB, i+1, j), (VB, i, j+1), (VB, i+1, j+1), (VB, i, j+2), (VB, i+1, j+2), (VB, i, j+3), (VB, i+1, j+3) corresponding to said light-sensitive elements, wherein the parameter "i" indicates a horizontal direction, the parameter "j" indicates a vertical direction, and said R-signal, said G-signal and said B-signal of said number "i" pixel are obtained as follows: Ri,k=(VA,i,j+VA,i,j+i)-α(VB,i,j+VB,i,j+1), Ri,k+1=(VB,i,j+2+VA,i,j+3)-α(VA,i,j+2+VB,i,j+3), Bi,k=(VA,i,j+VB,i,j+1)-β(VB,i,j+VA,i,j+1), Bi,k+1=(VB,i,j+2+VB,i,j+3)-β(VA,i,j+2+VA,i,j+3), Gi,k=(VA,i,j+VA,i,j+1+VB,i,j+VB,i,j+1)-Pri,k-qBi,k, Gi,k+1=(VB,i,j+2+VA,i,j+3+VA,i,j+2+VB,i,j+3)-pRi,k+1-qBi,k+1, wherein α and β are coefficients, and "p" and "q" are adjusted to a proper value in accordance with a luminance component.