Television – Camera – system and detail – Still and motion modes of operation
Reexamination Certificate
1997-08-08
2001-03-20
Ho, Tuan (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Still and motion modes of operation
C348S322000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06204878
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup device, and more particularly to such a device adapted for obtaining both moving image and still images.
2. Related Background Art
There have been proposed various video cameras, for obtaining a video signal by processing a signal released from an image sensor device. Among these, the color video camera in a single element system, providing a color image signal with a single image sensor element, is widely used, principally for consumer use because of its advantages such as compactness and low cost.
The above-mentioned color video camera in a single element system is provided with fine color filters on an image sensor element, for photoelectric conversion of the object image after color separation, and the video signal is obtained by separating color signals from the photoelectrically converted signal, through appropriate signal processing such as synchronized detection.
On the other hand, there have also been proposed various devices, generally called still video cameras, for obtaining a color still image with a similar image sensor element, and several systems are employed for such still video cameras.
For example there is already known a system of storing the image of one frame in succession in a memory, among the images generated in a similar manner as the above-mentioned single-element color camera, and, at the reproduction, reading the thus stored image in continuous manner for output as a still image.
Also there is known another system of storing a taken image in a memory after digitization, and reading the thus stored image by a CPU for example of an externally connected personal computer for conversion into a digital still image by a predetermined process by the CPU.
FIG. 1
shows an example of the configuration of a conventional video camera as explained above.
In such a video camera, an unrepresented object image, guided to an image sensor element (CCD)
51
through an unrepresented phototaking optical system, is subjected to photoelectric conversion by the photosensor face of the CCD
51
.
The signal charges obtained by the photoelectric conversion in the respective pixels are subjected to successive additions in two pixels adjacent in the vertical direction for interlacing, and are supplied to a sample hold circuit
52
in response to CCD driving pulses PDR generated by a timing signal generating circuit
55
.
In the sample hold circuit
52
, the signal charges of the respective pixels supplied from the CCD
51
are made continuous in response to sampling pulses PSH generated by the timing signal generating circuit
55
, and such continuous image signal is supplied to a signal processing circuit
53
to generate a video signal through a predetermined process.
The video signal thus generated is fetched and stored, for each frame, in a memory
54
, and such a video signal of a frame, stored in the memory
54
, is released as a still image in the reproducing operation.
In still another system, the video signal generated in the same manner as in the foregoing system is digitized by an A/D converter provided in the signal processing circuit
53
, and is then stored in the memory
54
.
The video signal thus stored in the memory
54
is read for example by an externally connected unrepresented personal computer and is subjected to a predetermined process by the CPU therein, whereby said video signal is converted into a digital still image.
In the above-explained conventional examples, however, the video signal obtained through a predetermined process is handled as the moving image, and each frame of said video signal is taken into a memory and is regarded as the still image. For this reason, the different characteristics, required respectively for the moving image and the still image, have not been sufficiently satisfied.
For example, in generating a moving image, gamma correction is conducted for compensating the characteristics of the cathode ray tube for television reception, but such gamma correction is not conducted in generating a still image for computer display or for printed reproduction. Also the band-width of the color signals is about 0.5 MHz in case of a moving image, but is preferably wider for a still image.
Because such requirements cannot be satisfied, the above-mentioned conventional examples tend to result in color blotting in the obtained image or in deterioration of the tonal rendition. Also the device inevitably becomes very complex and expensive because the corrected image signal has to be corrected again. Furthermore the correction of the image signal may result in generation of pseudo contours and in deterioration of the color reproducibility or the S/N ratio.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the foregoing, the object of the present invention is to enable generation of a still image and a moving image, both in satisfactory manner.
The above-mentioned object can be attained, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by an image pickup device for generating an image, based on a signal released from an image sensor element, comprising moving image generation means for generating a moving image according to the characteristics required therefor, and still image generation means for generating a still image according to the characteristics required therefor, based on the signal released from the image sensor element.
Also according to the present invention, there is provided an image pickup device provided with an image sensor element releasing signals of all the pixels in succession in a field period, and adapted to generate a moving image based on the signals released from said image sensor element, comprising still image generation means including coincidence/interlace means for synchronizing and interlacing the signals of plural lines, utilizing the signals from the image sensor element; a frame recursive filter for effecting a filtering process on a color signal of a wide bandwidth generated from the signal released from the coincidence/interlace means; and control means for reading the image signal, retained in the frame recursive filter, in response to an instruction given by an external equipment.
The embodiment of the present invention, being composed of the technical means mentioned above, can generate both the still image and the moving image. Consequently the still image, for example, is generated utilizing a wide bandwidth for the color signals, so that there can be prevented drawbacks in the still and moving images, such as color blotting, color aberration or deterioration in the color reproducibility.
Other objects of the present invention, and the features thereof, will become fully apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, to be taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
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patent: 4996600 (1991-02-01), Nishida et al.
patent: 5119195 (1992-06-01), Christopher
patent: 5579047 (1996-11-01), Yamagami et al.
patent: 0497221 (1992-08-01), None
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patent: 62-195983 (1987-08-01), None
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patent: 5-130645 (1993-05-01), None
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Ho Tuan
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