IMAGING APPARATUS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an imaging apparatus which picks up an image or the like in a short time with a minimum deterioration in the target detection performance. SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus includes: an optical system including a polarizer 1 for separating a light beam made incident from an object into plane-polarized light beams which perpendicularly cross to each other and image forming lenses for forming respective images of the plane-polarized light beams separated with the polarizer 1; detectors 3 which transform the images formed with the optical system into electric signals; and a signal processing device 4 for extracting the plane parallel to the horizon plane and the vertical wall face of the object from the electric signals transformed with the detector 3, wherein the polarizer 1 is arranged so that the direction of the plane-polarized light may be settled to the direction parallel to or perpendicular to the horizon plane. COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT