WO2019003361A1

WO2019003361A1 - Imaging system and imaging device

Info

Publication number: WO2019003361A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/023821
Authority: WO
Inventors: 嶋田　堅一; 和良山崎
Original assignee: マクセル株式会社
Priority date: 2017-06-28
Filing date: 2017-06-28
Publication date: 2019-01-03

Abstract

The imaging system (10) is provided with: an illumination unit 1 that emits illumination light on a photographic subject; a light adjustment unit 3 for adjusting the luminous flux quantity of the illumination light emitted by the illumination unit; an imaging unit 2 for capturing an image of the photographic subject using an image sensor and outputting an image signal; and a control unit 4 for controlling the light adjustment unit and the imaging unit. The control unit controls, via the light adjustment unit, the luminous flux quantity and/or emission duration of the illumination light emitted from the illumination unit in a synchronized manner with an imaging frame of the imaging unit. As an example, while using two consecutive imaging frames of the imaging unit as one cycle, the light adjustment unit adjusts the illumination unit such that luminous flux quantity L1 of the illumination light in a first frame of the imaging unit and luminous flux quantity L2 of the illumination light in a succeeding second frame are set to different values from each other.

Description

Imaging system and imaging apparatus

The present invention relates to an imaging system and an imaging apparatus that perform an imaging operation in cooperation with a lighting operation.

In an on-vehicle camera, there is an increasing demand for accurately recognizing distant objects and recognizing a wide range of objects without reducing the resolution. For example, the European new car assessment Euro NCAP is expected to further improve the detection performance of in-vehicle cameras in dark environments, such as adding a function to detect pedestrians at night as a target of collision avoidance by automatic braking in 2018 Be For that purpose, not only the high sensitivity of the imaging device mounted on the camera but also an illumination technology for illuminating the front as brightly as possible in a dark environment is required. For example, the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 is described to realize high-intensity illumination as a configuration including a light emitting unit including a phosphor, a laser optical system including a laser light source, a projection lens, and the like. .

JP, 2011-198560, A

As the detection performance required of an on-vehicle camera, not only the recognition performance of an object in a dark environment, but also the detection performance of an object at high speed traveling, that is, the detection speed is required. Which one of the requirements is prioritized depends on the brightness of the outside of the vehicle and the speed of the vehicle, which is the use condition of the camera. Therefore, it is desirable to switch the contents of the detection performance according to the use conditions.

According to the illumination device equipped with the laser light source as shown in Patent Document 1, the improvement of the recognition performance of the object in the former dark environment can be expected, but the laser light source is more expensive than general-purpose light sources such as LED light sources. There is a problem. Further, in the prior art including Patent Document 1, it has not been particularly considered to improve the detection performance and the detection speed according to the use conditions of the camera.

An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging system which realizes improvement in detection performance in a dark environment and improvement in detection speed at high speed while using a general-purpose light source.

The imaging system according to the present invention comprises an illumination unit for illuminating the subject with illumination light, a light control unit for controlling the amount of luminous flux of the illumination light emitted from the illumination unit, and imaging for imaging the subject with the imaging device and outputting an image signal. Unit, and a control unit for controlling the light control unit and the imaging unit, the control unit via the light control unit, and the luminous flux of the illumination light emitted from the illumination unit in synchronization with the imaging frame of the imaging unit; Alternatively, the irradiation time is controlled.

For example, the light control unit makes the illumination unit have two consecutive imaging frames of the imaging unit as a cycle, and the luminous flux amount L1 of the illumination light in the first frame of the imaging unit and the second following The light quantity L2 of the illumination light in the frame is adjusted to a different value.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the imaging system which implement | achieves the improvement of the detection performance in a dark environment, and the improvement of the detection speed at the time of high speed driving | running can be provided, using a general purpose light source.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an imaging system mounted on a vehicle in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an imaging unit (imaging device). The figure which shows the relationship between an imaging frame and illumination operation. FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the effect of illumination light according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a view showing an irradiation state of illumination light in Example 2. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the relationship between an imaging frame and an illumination operation in Embodiment 3. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an imaging system mounted on a vehicle in a fourth embodiment. The figure which shows the relationship between an imaging frame and illumination operation. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration and operation of an imaging element in the imaging unit 2; FIG. 18 is a view showing an example of a captured image according to the fourth embodiment. The figure which shows the example which applied the imaging system to the surveillance camera system.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the imaging system of the present invention will be described using the drawings. Although the following description takes as an example the case where the imaging system is mounted on a vehicle, it is also possible to apply to a surveillance camera system.

In the first embodiment, an imaging system suitable for improving detection performance in a dark environment will be described.
FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing the configuration of an imaging system mounted on a vehicle in the first embodiment. An imaging system 10 mounted on a vehicle 20 includes an illumination unit 1 for emitting illumination light, an imaging unit (imaging device) 2 for imaging a subject, a light control unit 3 for dimming illumination light from the illumination unit 1, and imaging The control unit 4 controls the unit 2 and the light control unit 3. Here, the illumination unit 1 is a lamp (headlight) for illuminating the front of the vehicle 20, and uses a general-purpose light source such as an LED light source.

The front region of the vehicle 20 is illuminated by the illumination light 30 emitted from the illumination unit 1, and the front region is imaged by the imaging unit 2. Image data captured by the imaging unit 2 is sent to the image processing unit 5 to detect an object (person) in the front area. The control unit 4 can also control the imaging unit 2 and the light control unit 3 in accordance with the processing result of the image processing unit 5. As a configuration, a part or all of the functions of the image processing unit 5 may be incorporated in the imaging system 10. In the present embodiment, under the control of the control unit 4, the imaging operation of the imaging unit 2 and the illumination operation of the illumination unit 1 by the light control unit 3 are coordinated.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing the configuration of the imaging unit (imaging device) 2. The imaging unit (imaging device) 2 outputs an imaged image data to the image processing unit 5, and a synchronization signal input terminal 2 b that inputs a synchronization signal of illumination light emission timing as a control signal from the control unit 4. And have. Thus, the imaging operation of the imaging unit 2 is performed in synchronization with the illumination light emission timing of the illumination unit 1.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the imaging frame and the lighting operation. (A) shows the imaging frame sequence by the imaging unit 2, (b) shows the change of the luminous flux emitted by the illumination unit 1, and (c) shows the SN ratio of the output signal obtained from the imaging unit 2. . In (a), reference symbols F1 to F4 denote the numbers of imaging frames, and the imaging operation is performed in units of frames in accordance with the control signal from the control unit 4.

(B) shows a change in the amount of light flux (indicated by symbol L) emitted from the illumination unit 1 in each frame of (a). In the present embodiment, the light quantity (L) of each frame is changed by controlling the pulse width of the LED light source of the illumination unit 1 by the light control unit 3. For example, the light amount is relatively high in the frame F1 (L = L1), and the light amount is relatively low in the next frame F2 (L = L2). At this time, by making the cycle of the imaging frame shorter than the response time of the human eye, even if the luminous flux of the illumination light changes in frame units, the human eye can not recognize the change in the brightness. That is, it becomes an average luminous flux amount (L = Lav) for human eyes, and flicker is not felt. On the other hand, since the imaging unit 2 uses a high-speed imaging device, it is possible to perform an imaging operation according to the change in brightness of the illumination light.

(C) relatively shows the SN ratio (indicated by symbol P) of the imaging signal output from the imaging unit 2. The SN ratio is high (P = P1) since the illuminance on the object is high in the period of frame F1 (P = P1), and the SN ratio is low (P = P2) since the illuminance on the object is low in the period of frame F2. Thereby, the SN ratio (P1) obtained in the frame F1 becomes larger than the SN ratio (Pav) obtained in the average luminous flux (Lav). Although the SN ratio (P2) is smaller than the average SN ratio (Pav) in the period of the frame F2, the image processing unit 5 performs detection processing on a frame basis, so detection performance in the frame F1 is There is no problem. Thus, by providing a period in which the SN ratio of the output signal of the imaging unit 2 is higher than the average SN ratio, detection performance can be improved.

As described above, in the present embodiment, light adjustment is performed to a relatively high light amount (L1) in the periods of the frames F1 and F3, while a relatively low light amount (L2) is performed in the subsequent periods of the frames F2 and F4. Dimmed to). The reason is that the average luminous flux amount (Lav) is made to be a substantially constant value over the continuous illumination operation period by alternately providing a period in which the luminous flux amount is high and a period in which the luminous flux amount is low. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the fluctuation of the original lighting effect by the lighting unit 1 felt by human eyes, and to make the power consumption of the lighting unit 1 substantially equal to that of the prior art.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, although light control was performed to a relatively high light amount (L1) in the periods of frames F1 and F3, and to a relatively low light amount (L2) in the periods of frames F2 and F4 following this ( It is needless to say that L1> L2) and L1 <L2 may be established by reversing the magnitude relationship of the luminous flux amounts. That is, with two consecutive frames as a cycle, the luminous flux amount L1 in the first preceding frame and the luminous flux amount L2 in the second frame following this may be dimmed to different values (L1 ≠ L2).

In addition, although the period of change of luminous flux amount is set to two frames, it is not limited to this, and the period can be set to be longer according to the response time of human eyes. That is, when one frame period of the imaging device is further short, a frame in which the light flux amount change period is N frames (N is 2 or more) and the light control is performed to the maximum light flux amount (L1) in N frames; The light control frame may be included in the minimum light flux amount (L2), and light control may be performed so that the average value of the light flux amount in the N frame period becomes Lav.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the effect of the illumination light according to the present embodiment. (A) shows the conventional illumination state for comparison, and (b) shows the illumination state in the present embodiment. In either case, the illumination light 30 is irradiated from the vehicle 20 in a dark environment, and the pedestrian 21 and the sign 22 relatively present from the vehicle 20 are detected.

FIG. 3A shows the case where illumination is performed with an average luminous flux amount L = Lav in FIG. 2 and the illuminance to the detection target (the pedestrian 21 and the sign 22) is not sufficient, and the SN ratio of the obtained imaging signal Is low and identification of the detection target is difficult.

On the other hand, in FIG. 3B, when the illumination is performed with a relatively high luminous flux amount L = L1 in FIG. 2 (period of frames F1 and F3), the illuminance on the detection target is increased, and the obtained imaging signal is The signal-to-noise ratio is improved, which makes it possible to identify an object to be detected. That is, the relatively high luminous flux amount L1 referred to here is a state in which light control is performed so that the SN ratio of the output signal from the imaging unit 2 is sufficient for detection of the detection target.

Although not shown here, when the irradiation is performed with a relatively low luminous flux L = L2 in FIG. 2 (period of frames F2 and F4), the illuminance on the object to be detected is greater than that in FIG. 3A. Also, the SN ratio of the obtained imaging signal is degraded. However, since the image processing unit 5 does not identify the detection target in this period, there is no problem.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the SN ratio of the output signal from the imaging unit 2 is increased while making the power consumption of the illumination unit 1 substantially the same as the conventional, and the detection performance of the detection object in the dark environment is improved. It becomes possible. At that time, since a general-purpose light source such as an LED light source can be used, there is no increase in cost.

In the first embodiment, the luminous flux amount is controlled with respect to the entire irradiation area of the illumination light, but in the second embodiment, a case where only a partial area of the irradiation area is subjected to the light control will be described.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the irradiation state of the illumination light in the second embodiment. Of the irradiation area 31 in front of the vehicle 20, only the area indicated by reference numeral 32 is partially dimmed. For example, this area 32 is the traveling direction of the vehicle 20, and is an area where detection performance is required more than the other.

FIG. 4A shows, for example, a state (L = L1 ') in which the luminous flux amount from the illumination unit 1 is dimmed relatively high only in the region 32 in the frames F1 and F3 of FIG. In the other region 31, an average luminous flux amount (L = Lav) is set.

On the other hand, FIG. 4B shows a state (L = L2 ') in which only the area 32 is dimmed in the frames F2 and F4 of FIG. In the other region 31, an average luminous flux amount (L = Lav) is set. By setting the average of the change (L1 ′, L2 ′) of the luminous flux at that time to be Lav, the human eye feels a difference in illuminance between the partial area 32 and the peripheral area 31. You can not let it go.

In addition, in order to control the luminous flux amount of the illumination light with respect to only a part of the area 32, the dimming of the partial area is possible by using, for example, an LED array light source in the illumination unit 1. Alternatively, dimming of a partial region is also possible by adopting an illumination method of scanning a light beam.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the detection performance by raising the SN ratio of the output signal from the imaging unit 2 in a part of the irradiation areas where the detection performance is required more than others. .

In the first embodiment, the change width of the light flux amount when dimming the illumination light is temporally constant, but in the third embodiment, the case where the change width of the light flux amount can be temporally changeable will be described. Hereinafter, the change width of the luminous flux amount is also referred to as “light control width”.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the imaging frame and the illumination operation in the third embodiment. (A) shows the change of the amount of luminous flux which the illumination part 1 irradiates, and (b) has shown the imaging frame row by the imaging part 2. As shown in FIG. In (a), reference symbols T1 to T3 denote imaging periods, and each imaging period includes a plurality of imaging frames (here, four frames).

As shown in (b), in the imaging period T1, the light control width (the change width of the luminous flux amount) is reduced, and the luminous flux amount is repeated between L1 and L2. On the other hand, in the imaging period T2, the light control width is increased, and the luminous flux amount is repeated between L3 and L4. As described in the first embodiment, as the illuminance by the illumination light is higher, the SN ratio of the imaging signal is higher. As a result, the SN ratios obtained in the frames F5 and F7 of the imaging period T2 become higher than the SN ratios obtained in the frames F1 and F3 of the imaging period T1.

Such illumination control is effective when it is desired to change (or further increase) the SN ratio of the output signal from the imaging unit 2 according to the imaging environment. That is, when the illuminance on the object to be detected is lowered and a higher illuminance is required, as in the imaging period T2, the amount of luminous flux in the frames F5 and F7 included in this is further increased (L = L3). Thereby, the SN ratio of the imaging signal can be improved. At this time, the controller 4 monitors the SN ratio of the output signal from the imaging unit 2 and the processing result of the image processing unit 5 or monitors the ambient brightness in the control unit 4 to determine whether the current illuminance is sufficient. Therefore, the determination may be made in comparison with a predetermined reference value.

As in the first embodiment, the power consumption of the lighting unit 1 is made to be substantially equal to that in the prior art so that the human eye does not feel a change in the illuminance during the continuous lighting operation period. Therefore, the luminous flux amounts in the frames F6 and F8 are further reduced (L = L4) so that the average value of the luminous flux amounts L3 and L4 in the imaging period T2 is substantially equal to the average value Lav of the luminous flux amounts in the imaging period T1.

In the fourth embodiment, an imaging system suitable for improvement in detection speed in response to high speed traveling will be described.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an imaging system mounted on a vehicle in the fourth embodiment. The imaging system 11 of the present embodiment includes two

illumination units

1a and 1b, and emits light of spectral components different from each other. For example, the illumination unit 1a emits white light, and the illumination unit 1b emits near infrared light. The two

illumination units

1a and 1b do not have to be separate, and each light source may be housed in the same housing. The light control unit 3 performs light control on the two

illumination units

1a and 1b. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 1A). The illumination light 30a emitted from the illumination unit 1a and the illumination light 30b emitted from the illumination unit 1b illuminate the front area of the vehicle 20. Although the illumination areas of the two

illumination lights

30a and 30b are drawn while being shifted in this figure, the illumination areas actually coincide. Also in this embodiment, under the control of the control unit 4, the imaging operation of the imaging unit 2 and the operation of the light control unit 3 for controlling the

lighting units

1a and 1b are linked.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the imaging frame and the lighting operation. (A) shows the imaging frame row by the imaging unit 2, and (b) and (c) show changes in the amount of luminous flux emitted by the illumination unit 1a and the illumination unit 1b, respectively.

As shown in (a), each imaging frame F1, F2,... Is time-divided, and for example, the frame F1 is divided into two periods, a first half period F1a and a second half period F1b. And as shown in (b) and (c), the first half period F1a of the frame F1 is illuminated only with the illumination portion 1a (white light), and the second half period F1b of the frame F1 is illuminated only with the illumination portion 1b (near infrared light) Do. The luminous flux amounts La and Lb at that time are set such that the SN ratio of the output signal from the imaging unit 2 is sufficient for detection of the detection target in the respective periods F1a and F1b. As a result, one imaging signal by the illumination unit 1a (white light) is output in the first half period F1a, and one imaging signal by the illumination portion 1b (near infrared light) is output in the second half period F1b. Two images can be obtained in the period of the frame F1. As a result, the frame rate is effectively doubled, and the detection speed can be improved.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration and operation of an imaging element in the imaging unit 2. (A) shows the arrangement of imaging elements, and (b) shows an imaging processing operation.

As shown in (a), the imaging device 40 supports detection of near infrared light (IR) in a pixel group in which color filters of R (red), G (green) and B (blue) are arranged in an array. Pixels are added and arranged in a two-dimensional manner. Thus, R, G, and B pixels perform photoelectric conversion on white light irradiation of the illumination unit 1 a and IR pixels on near infrared light irradiation of the illumination unit 1 b. As a result, only one pixel signal of R, G, B and IR is output from each pixel of the imaging device 40, and the obtained data is mosaic data.

(B) shows the image pickup processing operation of the image pickup unit 2; the mosaic data output from the image pickup element 40 is demosaicing processed, and the image 40a interpolated from the R pixel data group and the interpolation processed from the G pixel data group The image 40b, the image 40c interpolated from the B pixel data group, and the image 40d interpolated from the IR pixel data group are generated. Then, by combining the

images

40a, 40b, and 40c, it is possible to acquire a color image and a near infrared image from the image 40d in the same frame.

As described above, in this embodiment, one frame is time-divided and illuminated with illumination light having different spectra. Further, since the imaging device used for the imaging unit 2 is configured to respond to illumination light having different spectra, it is possible to generate two images shifted in time in one frame period without interference with each other.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a captured image according to the present embodiment. (A) shows an image pick-up frame, (b) shows an example of time change of an image pick-up picture. During the imaging frame F1, the imaged image 51a of the period F1a in which only the irradiation light (white light) of the illumination unit 1a is irradiated and the period in which only the irradiation light (near infrared light) of the illumination unit 1b is irradiated Two images of the captured image 51b of F1b can be generated. The same applies to the period of the frame F2, and two captured

images

52a and 52b can be generated. By thus time-dividing one frame to generate two images, it is possible to effectively increase the frame rate and to improve the detection speed for a rapidly changing detection target.

In the above example, the illumination light is divided into two, white light and near infrared light, but the invention is not limited to this, and illumination light with different spectra is used as the illumination light, and the imaging device is separate for each illumination light. If it is the structure which produces | generates an image, the same effect will be acquired. Also, the number to be separated may be an arbitrary integer M of 2 or more. For example, the illumination light may be divided into three colors of R, G, and B (M = 3), and one frame may be time-divided into three periods to sequentially emit R, G, and B light. In this case, as the imaging element of the imaging unit 2, one in which pixels of color filters of R, G, and B are arranged in an array is used. By sequentially generating three images of an R image interpolated from the R pixel data group, a G image interpolated from the G pixel data group, and a B image interpolated from the B pixel data group Can generate a captured image time-divided into three. Thereby, the effective frame rate can be improved threefold, and the detection speed of the imaging system can be further improved. According to this embodiment, as in the case where the vehicle is traveling at a high speed, it is effective in the case where the detection target object having a fast movement is detected at a high speed.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes various modifications. The above-described embodiments are described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. In addition, with respect to a part of the configuration of the embodiment, it is possible to add, delete or replace other configurations. For example, a configuration is also possible in which the operation of the first embodiment (improvement of detection performance) and the operation of the fourth embodiment (improvement of detection speed) are switched as appropriate according to the use conditions of the imaging system (traveling speed of the vehicle).

Moreover, although the case where the imaging system of this invention was mounted in the vehicle was demonstrated in each above-mentioned Example, it is not limited to this, The system (for example, surveillance camera and smart phone) provided with the imaging part and the illumination part It can be applied to

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the imaging system is applied to a monitoring camera system. The monitoring camera system 12 includes, in addition to the imaging unit (monitoring camera) 2, an illumination unit 1, a light control unit 3 for controlling the illumination unit 1, and a control unit 4 for controlling these.

As in the first embodiment, the light control unit 3 provides a period in which the illumination light by the illumination unit 1 is momentarily strong, and improves the SN ratio of the output signal from the imaging unit 2 in this period. At this time, a period in which the illumination light is momentarily weakened is provided to keep the average illuminance constant so that a human eye does not feel a change in the illuminance. Thereby, the detection performance in a dark environment can be improved.

Alternatively, as in the fourth embodiment, two illumination lights having different spectra are alternately emitted from the illumination unit 1. Then, by configuring the imaging unit 2 to generate separate images corresponding to the respective illumination lights, it is possible to effectively improve the frame rate of the monitoring camera and to improve the detection speed.

1, 1a, 1b: Lighting section,
2: Imaging unit (imaging device),
3: Light control section,
4: Control unit,
5: Image processing unit,
10, 11: Imaging system,
12: Surveillance camera system,
20: Vehicle,
30, 30a, 30b: illumination light,
40: Imaging device,
40a to 40d: Images.

Claims

In an imaging system that performs an imaging operation in cooperation with a lighting operation,
An illumination unit for illuminating the subject with illumination light;
A light control unit for controlling a light flux amount of illumination light emitted from the illumination unit;
An imaging unit that captures an image of the subject by an imaging element and outputs an image signal;
And a control unit that controls the light adjustment unit and the imaging unit.
The imaging system, wherein the control unit controls an amount of luminous flux and / or an irradiation time of illumination light emitted from the illumination unit in synchronization with an imaging frame of the imaging unit via the light adjustment unit.
In the imaging system according to claim 1,
The light control unit has a period of two continuous imaging frames of the imaging unit with respect to the illumination unit, and a luminous flux amount L1 of the illumination light in the first frame of the imaging unit and a second frame following the illumination light An image pickup system characterized in that the luminous flux amount L2 of the illumination light in the light control is adjusted to a different value (L1 ≠ L2).
In the imaging system according to claim 2,
An imaging system, wherein an average value Lav of the luminous flux amount L1 and the luminous flux amount L2 of the illumination light is a substantially constant value during a continuous illumination operation period by the illumination unit.
In the imaging system according to claim 2,
The image pickup system according to claim 1, wherein the light control operation of the light flux amount performed by the light control unit is performed only on a partial region of the region to which the illumination unit emits the illumination light.
In the imaging system according to claim 2,
The image pickup system according to claim 1, wherein the light control unit changes the values of the luminous flux amount L1 and the luminous flux amount L2 of the illumination light in accordance with an imaging period by the imaging unit.
In the imaging system according to claim 1,
The light control unit has a cycle of N (N is an integer of 2 or more) consecutive imaging frames of the imaging unit with respect to the illumination unit, and the luminous flux of the illumination light in the first frame included in the same period. The light quantity is adjusted so that the quantity becomes the maximum value L1 and the luminous flux quantity of the illumination light in the other second frame becomes the minimum value L2, and the average value of the luminous flux quantities of N imaging frames included in the same cycle An imaging system characterized in that Lav is a substantially constant value during a continuous illumination operation period by the illumination unit.
In the imaging system according to claim 1,
The illumination unit emits a first illumination unit that emits a first illumination light having a first spectrum, and a second illumination unit that emits a second illumination light that has a second spectrum different from the first spectrum. Equipped with a lighting unit,
The imaging element of the imaging unit has a first pixel group that performs photoelectric conversion on light of the first spectrum, and a second pixel group that performs photoelectric conversion on light of the second spectrum. ,
The light control unit causes the illumination unit to emit the first illumination light and the second illumination light in a time division manner within one frame of the imaging unit.
The imaging unit may output signals of a first image generated from the first pixel group and a second image generated from the second pixel group in a single frame in a time division manner. An imaging system characterized by
In the imaging system according to claim 1,
The illumination unit is configured to emit illumination light of M ways (M is an integer of 2 or more) having mutually different spectra,
The imaging device of the imaging unit has M groups of pixels for performing photoelectric conversion on the light of the M spectra,
The light control unit irradiates the M illumination lights in a time division manner with respect to the illumination unit in one frame of the imaging unit.
The imaging system, wherein the imaging unit outputs signals of M images generated from the M pixel groups in one frame in a time division manner.
An imaging device that performs an imaging operation in cooperation with the illumination operation of the illumination device,
A synchronization signal input terminal for inputting a synchronization signal of illumination light emission timing of the illumination device;
An imaging data output terminal for outputting captured image data;
An imaging device characterized by performing an imaging operation in synchronization with an illumination light emission timing of the illumination device.