Television – Camera – system and detail – With electronic viewfinder or display monitor
Reexamination Certificate
1995-04-10
2002-11-05
Ho, Tuan (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
With electronic viewfinder or display monitor
C348S333020, C348S240200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06476868
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus with enlarging function for electronic enlargement of a designated area within the image field.
2. Related Background Art
In the field of image pickup device capable of digital processing of image signals, there have been proposed electronic image magnification enlarging means such as the so-called electronic zooming function for electronically zooming up the object in a similar manner as in the optical zooming, and the electronic close-up function for instantaneously enlarging a part of the image, obtained from an image pickup device, to a predetermined magnification (for example doubled or tripled size).
In the following there will be explained, with reference to
FIG. 1
, such conventional electronic image magnification enlarging means.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of a video camera, for explaining such conventional image magnification enlarging means, wherein shown are a lens
1
for forming the image of an unrepresented object; an image pickup device
2
for converting the optical signals, inputting from the lens
1
, into electrical signals; an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter
3
for converting the photoelectrically converted analog signals into digital signals; a first camera signal processing circuit
4
for applying predetermined processes, such as gamma processes separately on the color signals and luminance signal, on the signals obtained by A/D conversion in the A/D converter
3
; an enlargement process circuit (electronic image magnification enlarging means)
5
for effecting an enlargement process on the image signals output from the first camera signal processing circuit
4
; a second camera signal processing circuit
6
for applying a predetermined process, such as the addition of synchronization signals, to the image signal output from the enlargement process circuit
5
; a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter
7
for converting the digital signals, output from the second camera signal processing circuit
6
, into analog signals; an enlargement process execution switch
8
for enabling the photographer to input an execution command signal for the enlargement of the image signals by the enlargement process circuit
5
; and a microcomputer
9
for controlling the entire video camera.
In the video camera of the above-explained configuration, the light from an object is focused, through the lens
1
and an unrepresented diaphragm (iris) mechanism, on the image pickup device
2
and is converted into electrical signals. The output electrical signals are supplied, for example through a correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit (not shown), to the A/D converter
3
for conversion into digital signals. Thus converted digital signals are supplied to the first camera signal processing circuit
4
for predetermined processes, and supplied, either directly or after an enlargement process in the enlargement process circuit
5
, to the second camera signal processing circuit
6
. After a predetermined process therein, the signals are converted into analog signal in the D/A converter
7
and output to an unrepresented video cassette recorder or the like.
The enlargement process by the enlargement process circuit
5
is executed by an execution command signal, which is input by the actuation of the enlargement process execution switch
8
by the photographer and is received by the microcomputer
9
.
In the following there will be explained, with reference to
FIGS. 2A
to
2
D, an example of image enlargement by linear interpolation. In case an original image (hatched area) in
FIG. 2A
is enlarged as shown in
FIG. 2B
, the relationship of the scanning lines in the original image (
FIG. 2A
) and the enlarged image (
FIG. 2B
) becomes as shown in
FIGS. 2C and 2D
. For converting the enlarged image in
FIG. 2B
into the standard television signals, it is necessary to prepare scanning lines of interpolated signals
1
to
7
, represented by broken lines, from scanning lines A to F, represented by solid lines in FIG.
2
D. Such broken-lined scanning lines can be obtained by the addition of the solid-lined scanning lines weighted according to the distances thereof. Such linear interpolation, applied in the vertical and horizontal directions, enables enlargement of the original image with an arbitrary rate of enlargement.
FIG. 3
is a block diagram showing an example of the enlargement process circuit
5
, wherein shown are a memory circuit
10
for storing the image signals received from the first camera signal process circuit
4
(cf.
FIG. 1
) and outputting the signals of an n-th scanning line designated by a memory readout control signal and the signals of an (n−1)-th scanning line, preceded by a 1H period; a memory control signal generation circuit
11
for generating a memory control signal for controlling the data write-in and read-out of the memory circuit
10
; an enlargement ratio determination circuit
12
for determining the ratio and position of enlargement in the enlargement process by the enlargement process circuit
5
; an enlargement coefficient generation circuit
13
for generating an interpolation coefficient according to the ratio of enlargement determined by the enlargement ratio determination circuit
12
; a first multiplier
14
for multiplying the signals of the n-th scanning line from the memory circuit
10
with the interpolation coefficient from the interpolation coefficient generation circuit
13
; a second multiplier
15
for multiplying the signals of the (n−1)-th scanning line from the memory circuit
10
with the interpolation coefficient from the interpolation coefficient generation circuit
13
; an adder
16
for adding the output signals of the first multiplier
14
and of the second multiplier
15
; and a microcomputer interface circuit
17
for receiving the information on the enlargement ratio and enlargement position, output from the microcomputer
9
(cf. FIG.
1
).
From the memory circuit
10
storing the input image signals, there are read the signals of the n-th scanning line and those of the (n−1)-th scanning line in response to the memory control signals generated from the memory control signal generation circuit
11
. At the same time the interpolation coefficient generation circuit
13
generates the interpolation coefficients, corresponding to the distances between the interpolated scanning line and the n-th and (n−1)th scanning lines. Then the first and second multipliers
14
,
15
effect multiplications of the signals of the n-th and (n−1)-th scanning lines respectively with the interpolation coefficients and the multiplied signals are added by the adder
16
to provide linearly added signals.
The enlarged image signals can be obtained by the linear interpolation explained above.
In such conventional configuration, however, the position of enlargement of the image obtained from the image pickup device is determined in advance, and it has been difficult for the photographer to arbitrarily select the position of enlargement.
Also the photographer is unable to arbitrarily determine the center position of the image enlargement and the image angle, and is unable to know, in advance, the area of the enlarged image.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, a first object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup device which enables the photographer, in simple manner, to arbitrarily select the position of execution of the image enlargement process such as the electronic zooming function or the electronic close-up function on the image area.
The above-mentioned object can be attained, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by an image processing apparatus provided with enlargement process means for enlarging the image signals output from an image pickup device, comprising execution position selecting means for selecting the position of execution of the enlargement process by the enlargement process means.
T
Adachi Yukihiro
Kaji Toshio
Kyuma Kenji
Shimizu Hiroyuki
Yamada Kunihiko
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