Television – Camera – system and detail – Combined image signal generator and general image signal...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-14
2003-10-28
Ho, Tuan (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Combined image signal generator and general image signal...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06639627
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an imaging apparatus having the function of displaying an image of an object on a finder in real-time.
2. Description of the Related Art
A digital still camera retrieves image data obtained by a CCD image sensor into a DRAM or a flash memory and subsequently transfers the image data to a so-called personal computer or the like. A major proportion of this type of the digital still camera has hitherto been of the type coping with the video graphics array (VGA) system.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, this digital still camera
200
includes a CCD image sensor
201
for generating image signals, an input processing/image processing circuit
202
, a memory controller
203
for reading and writing image data, an output processing circuit
204
for conversion to an output image of a pre-set system, a finder
205
for displaying the state of an object at the time of image shooting, a recording unit
207
for recording compressed image data over a CPU bus
206
and a compression/expansion circuit
208
for compressing/expanding image data. The digital still camera
200
also includes a memory
209
, formed by, for example, a DRAM, and a CPU
210
for controlling the overall device.
Before starting the image shooting of an object, the user has to confirm an object image displayed on the finder
205
. This state is termed a finder mode. At this time, the CCD image sensor
201
sends image signals obtained on photoelectric conversion of the imaging light from an object to the input processing/image processing circuit
202
. The input processing/image processing circuit
202
performs the correlated dual sampling processing on the image signals to digitize the image signals. The input processing/image processing circuit
202
then performs pre-set signal processing, such as gamma correction, knee processing or camera processing and routes the processed image signals to the memory controller
203
, which then is responsive to the control by the CPU
210
to send the image data from the input processing/image processing circuit
202
to the output processing circuit
204
. The output processing circuit
204
encodes image data in accordance with, for example, the National Television System Committee (NTSC) system, and analogizes the encoded image data to route the resulting analog data to the finder
205
. This allows the object as an object of image shooting to be indicated on the finder
205
.
On the other hand, if the user pushes a shutter button, not shown, to shift to the recording mode, the memory controller
203
causes the image data furnished from the input processing/image processing circuit
202
to be written in the memory
209
. The CPU
210
causes the image data to be read out from the memory
209
and compresses the image data from the recording unit
207
in the compression/expansion circuit
208
in accordance with, for example, the Joint photographic Experts Group (JPEG) system to record the compressed image data in the recording unit
207
.
If the user performs pre-set processing to shift to the reproducing mode, the CPU
210
causes image data to be read out from the recording unit
207
to cause the image data to be expanded in JPEG system in the compression/expansion circuit
208
to route the resulting data via memory controller
203
and output processing circuit
204
to the finder
205
. This causes the as-shot image to be displayed on the finder
205
.
In keeping up with recent outstanding technical progress in the CCD image sensor, the resolution of image data is approximately surpassing 1,000,000 pixels. On the other hand, it may be feared that the digital still camera of the above-described structure cannot sufficiently cope with the image data exceeding 1,000,000 pixels.
If, for example, the CCD image sensor
201
outputs image signals of high resolution in the finder mode, the input processing/image processing circuit
202
has to perform resolution conversion of image data in real-time in meeting with the resolution of the finder
205
. Simultaneously, the memory controller
203
has to access the memory
209
. The output processing circuit
204
also has to perform pre-set processing.
The result is stagnancy on the CPU bus
106
, such that each circuit cannot execute pre-set processing in real-time and hence an image of an object is displayed in a frame-decimated fashion on the finder
205
. If, in this case, an object has made movements, there is produced deviation between the actual object and the movement of the object displayed on the finder
105
, thus producing an inconvenience in the imaging operation.
On the other hand, if image data is not of high resolution, the resolution of the image data has to be converted into that of, for example, the NTSC system or the PAL system, taking into account the system of the finder
205
. In this case, it is similarly required to display an image on a finder in real-time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an imaging apparatus in which, even of image data of an image are of high resolution, the image can be displayed in real-time on the finder.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an imaging apparatus including imaging means for generating image data corresponding to the imaging light from an object, first resolution converting means for lowering the resolution of the image data from the imaging means by way of resolution conversion, second resolution conversion means for raising the resolution of the image data supplied from the first resolution conversion means over an image data bus by way of resolution conversion, and outputting means for outputting the image data from the second resolution conversion means on display means.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a recording/reproducing apparatus including imaging means for generating image data corresponding to the imaging light from an object, recording/reproducing means for recording the image data on a recording medium and for reproducing the image data recorded on the recording medium, first resolution conversion means for effecting resolution conversion of lowering the resolution of the image data from the imaging means, second resolution conversion means for effecting resolution conversion of raising the resolution of the image data supplied from the first resolution conversion means over an image data bus, storage means for storing the image data, third resolution conversion means for performing resolution conversion of the image data supplied from the storage means, and display means for displaying an image corresponding to the image data from the second or third resolution conversion means.
According to the imaging apparatus of the present invention, in which, by way of performing resolution conversion, the first resolution conversion means lowers the resolution of the image data from the imaging means, and the second resolution conversion means raises the resolution of the image data supplied from the first resolution conversion means over the image data bus to reduce the proportion of occupation of the image data on the image data bus to enable real-time display of the object image on the display means.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5525957 (1996-06-01), Tanaka
patent: 5734427 (1998-03-01), Hayashi
patent: 5978020 (1999-11-01), Watanabe et al.
patent: 6313877 (2001-11-01), Anderson
patent: WO 97 24880 (1997-07-01), None
Matsumoto Hideki
Mizutani Yoichi
Nakajima Ken
Takezawa Masayuki
Yamamoto Toshihisa
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Ho Tuan
Sony Corporation
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