Television – Camera – system and detail – Combined image signal generator and general image signal...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-21
2001-09-04
Garber, Wendy R. (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Combined image signal generator and general image signal...
C348S229100, C348S279000, C348S296000, C348S552000, C348S655000, C345S156000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285398
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of capture, transmission, representation and manipulation of video data. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of capture, transmission, representation and manipulation of video data and control of a video camera used to capture the video data.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A schematic block diagram of a configuration including a video camera and a host computer is illustrated in FIG.
1
. The video camera
10
includes a charge-coupled device (CCD)
12
and is coupled to the host computer
20
for providing video data from the video camera
10
to the host computer
20
. Within the video camera
10
, the CCD
12
is coupled to a timing chip
14
which provides a clocking signal to the CCD
12
. The CCD
12
is also coupled to a sample and hold and analog-to-digital converter circuit
16
. The CCD
12
provides image data at a rate determined by the timing chip
14
to the sample and hold and analog-to-digital converter circuit
16
. This image data is then sampled and converted into a digital format by the sample and hold and analog-to-digital converter circuit
16
. The sample and hold and analog-to-digital converter circuit
16
is coupled to a digital signal processing (DSP) circuit
18
. The DSP circuit
18
receives the digital data from the sample and hold and analog-to-digital converter circuit
16
and converts it into an appropriate video format, such as RGB, YC
R
C
B
, NTSC, PAL or any other appropriate format. The DSP circuit
18
is then coupled to an interface circuit
19
for providing the video data for transmission from the video camera
10
to a device coupled to the video camera
10
.
In the configuration illustrated in
FIG. 1
, the video camera
10
is a stand-alone camera and is coupled to a host computer
20
through which the video data transmitted from the video camera
10
can be displayed on an associated display
36
, saved and/or transmitted to another device. The interface circuit
19
of the video camera
10
is coupled to an interface circuit
28
of the host computer
20
by a bus or cable for transmitting the video data from the video camera
10
to the host computer
20
. The host computer system
20
, illustrated in
FIG. 1
, is exemplary only and includes a central processor unit (CPU)
42
, a main memory
30
, a video graphics adapter (VGA) card
22
, a mass storage device
32
and an interface circuit
28
, all coupled together by a conventional bidirectional system bus
34
. The mass storage device
32
may include both fixed and removable media using any one or more of magnetic, optical or magneto-optical storage technology or any other available mass storage technology. The system bus
34
contains an address bus for addressing any portion of the memory
30
. The system bus
34
also includes a data bus for transferring data between and among the CPU
42
, the main memory
30
, the VGA card
22
, the mass storage device
32
and the interface circuit
28
.
The host computer system
20
is also coupled to a number of peripheral input and output devices including the keyboard
38
, the mouse
40
and the associated display
36
. The keyboard
38
is coupled to the CPU
42
for allowing a user to input data and control commands into the computer system
20
. A conventional mouse
40
is coupled to the keyboard
38
for manipulating graphic images on the display
36
as a cursor control device.
The VGA card
22
interfaces between the components within the computer system
20
and the display
36
. The VGA card
22
converts data received from the components within the computer system
20
into signals which are used by the display
36
to generate images for display.
In the configuration illustrated in
FIG. 1
, the data read out from the CCD
12
is provided to the sample and hold and analog-to-digital converter circuit
16
where it is converted into a digital format. This digital data is raw video data representing the data read out from the CCD
12
. This digital data from the sample and hold and analog-to-digital converter circuit
16
is provided to the DSP circuit
18
where it is converted into the appropriate video data format before it is transmitted from the video camera
10
. As described above, the appropriate video format can include RGB, YC
R
C
B
, NTSC, PAL or any other appropriate format. Assuming eight (8) bit resolution per each color component or raw data, data in the RGB format requires twenty-four (24) bits per pixel and therefore three times as much bandwidth for transmission as the raw video data. Correspondingly, data in the YC
R
C
B
(4:2:2) format requires sixteen (16) bits per pixel and therefore one and a half to two times as much bandwidth for transmission compared to the raw video data. In systems with ever increasing image size, pixel density and limited transmission bandwidth capabilities, it is desirable to transmit the raw video data from a video camera because it is the format requiring the lowest data rate and correspondingly, the least bandwidth. Typical systems which receive video data from devices such as a video camera, however, are not equipped to process the raw video data and convert it into the appropriate format for display. Accordingly, transmission of the raw video data from a CCD camera to a receiving device is not used in typical systems.
Typical consumer video cameras, such as the camera
10
, maintain automatic control over the main functions and settings of the camera, including control of the iris or electronic shutter speed, control of the automatic gain control (AGC) to obtain the proper signal level, back light compensation, and auto white balance. Typically, the camera will determine the proper back light compensation based on some selected frames of video data. The auto white balance is performed automatically by the camera, assuming it can determine which areas within the picture should be white. All of these control functions are performed automatically by the DSP circuit
18
with no involvement from the user.
The CCD
12
typically includes a Yellow-Cyan-Magenta-Green mosaic color filter, as is well known in the art. Using this mosaic filter, the CCD
12
captures color images and outputs data representing the color images. The color image data from the CCD
12
is combined into a tile structure, as illustrated in FIG.
2
. This tile structure
50
provides raw video data representing the image captured by the CCD
12
. From this tile structure
50
, the luminance and chrominance components for the video data are obtained. Within the tile structure
50
, pixels representing different colors are arranged adjacent to each other.
The raw video data in the tile structure of the CCD color space cannot be scaled or compressed without violating the tile structure of the frame represented by the raw video data. Compression requires a correlation of data between adjacent pixels, either horizontally or vertically. Data in the tile structure of the CCD color space does include some correlation. However, in its regular format, direct manipulation of raw data pixels in the tile structure of the CCD color space will lead to severe color and luminance errors, due to the adjacent relationship of colored pixels of different colors within the tile structure.
As with many other devices, the size and weight of the video camera are important characteristics considered by a system designer or perspective purchaser. It is therefore desirable to minimize the size and weight of the video camera where it is feasible and appropriate. Including the DSP circuit
18
within the camera
10
and requiring the processing of the video data to be completed within the camera
10
increases the necessary size of the video camera
10
and thereby also increases its weight.
What is needed is a video camera which can be easily integrated into a supporting device, such as a personal computer. What is further needed is a video camera which will transmit raw video data to the supporting device where it can then be appropriately con
Carter Ken
Milenky Leonid
Shinsky Michael
Yukelson Michael
Garber Wendy R.
Haverstock & Owens LLP
Sony Corporation
Vu Ngoc-Yen
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