Television – Format conversion
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2001-11-27
Kostak, Victor R. (Department: 2611)
Television
Format conversion
C348S231900, C348S552000, C386S349000, C358S906000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06323906
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus which is most suitable for use in applying a predetermined image processing to an image signal to transfer it to other equipment through a digital interface.
2. Related Background Art
As the multimedia technology has recently been advanced, there is strong demand to transfer a motion picture image or a still image picked up by an image pick-up device such as a video camera or a camera-in-VTR to a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) for display, and technologies to meet the demand have been developed.
FIG. 15
shows a configuration of a prior art communication system having a camera-in-VTR
1502
connected thereto. Numeral
1501
denotes a portable camera-in-VTR, numeral
1502
denotes a stationary VTR, numeral
1503
denotes a TV, numeral
1504
denotes a digital camera for a PC and numeral
1503
denotes a personal computer (PC). The respective equipments are connected through an analog interface.
Usually, in order to display a motion picture image or a still image, it is necessary to format it in a VGA format, but in a prior art image pick-up device such as a camera-in-VTR
1501
, an image signal in an NTSC system or a PAL system is generated. Accordingly, in order to display the motion picture image on the PC, it is necessary to generate a pick-up image of a VGA format by the digital camera
1504
for the PC which is separate from the camera-in-VTR
1501
and transfer it. Namely, when the picked-up image is to be watched by the TV or the PC, a plurality of image pick-up devices which conform to the respective equipments need be provided.
As a method for solving the above problem, it has been proposed to provide, in the PC, means for converting the image signal of the NTSC system or the PAL system supplied from the image pick-up device such as the camera-in-VTR to the VGA format. In this case, since the image pick-up device and the PC are connected through an analog interface, an image quality is deteriorated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems.
It is another object of the present invention to allow an image processing apparatus to output image signals of various formats.
It is other object of the present invention to allow an image processing apparatus to output image signals of various formats in a time division fashion through a digital interface.
In accordance with one aspect to achieve the above objects, an image processing apparatus of the present invention comprises image pick-up means, signal processing means for processing an output from the image pick-up means to generate an image signal of a first format, conversion means for converting an output from the signal processing means to an image signals of a second format, and digital interface means for transmitting at least one of the output from the signal processing unit and an output from the conversion means to an external equipment.
In accordance with another aspect, an image processing apparatus of the present invention comprises image pick-up means for picking up an image of an object, reproducing means for reproducing an image signal of a second format recorded on a recording medium, signal processing means for generating an image signal of a first format from an output of the image pick-up means or an output from the reproducing means, conversion means for converting an output from the signal processing means to an image signal of a third format, and digital interface means for transmitting the output from the signal processing means and at least one of outputs from the conversion means.
In accordance with other aspect, an image rocessing apparatus of the present invention compresses image pick-up means for picking up an image of an object, recording and reproducing means for converting an image signal to an image signal of a second format, recording the same on a recording medium and reproducing the same therefrom, first signal processing means for applying a predetermined process to an output from the image pick-up means to generate an image signal of a first format, and digital interface means for transmitting at least one of an output of the recording and reproducing means and an output of the first signal processing means.
In accordance with a further aspect, an image processing apparatus of the present invention comprises input means for inputting an image signal, signal processing means for processing an output from the input means to generate an image signal of a first format, conversion means for compressing an output from the signal processing means and converting the same to an image signal of a second format, and digital interface means for selectively transmitting the output from the signal processing means and the output from the conversion means to an external equipment.
Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the present invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4691253 (1987-09-01), Silver
patent: 4797746 (1989-01-01), Ashcraft
patent: 5585856 (1996-12-01), Nakaya et al.
patent: 5712681 (1998-01-01), Suh
patent: 5787259 (1998-07-01), Haroun et al.
Hatae Shinichi
Kobayashi Takashi
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Kostak Victor R.
Morgan&Finnegan LLP
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