US Patent 7759624 Image data generating device and light receiving device

An image data generating device has a photoelectric sensor including an array of pixel generating units, each of which has one photoelectric conversion element and one floating diffusion. The photoelectric sensor includes a matrix of pixel sets, each of which includes a matrix of pixel generating units on two rows and two columns. To generate plane image data, the image data generating device finds a pixel value on a pixel basis from an output value for each pixel generating unit. To generate distance image data, the image data generating device finds a distance to a subject for each pixel set from an output value for each pixel generating unit belonging to the pixel set and calculates a pixel value per pixel set.