Television – Image signal processing circuitry specific to television – Special effects
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-24
2002-03-26
Lee, Michael (Department: 2714)
Television
Image signal processing circuitry specific to television
Special effects
C348S593000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06362855
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a special-effect-waveform generator used for, for example, a vide o sub-adjuster (production switcher), particularly to a special-effect-waveform generator for generating a wipe waveform used to synthesize a plurality of video pictures.
For example, special-effect-waveform generator for generating a wipe waveform adapted to a standard definition television (SDTV) or a high definition television (HDTV) has been known so far. A special-effect apparatus using the special-effect-waveform generator performs the processing concerned with levels and time at the stage of a video signal when displaying an image based on the video signal obtained by picking up the signal with a television camera on a screen and thus, the apparatus is used to obtain a desired video effect.
Several apparatuses for generating a special effect are disclosed in the following official gazettes. For example, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 102068/1985 discloses a “special-effect apparatus”. The special-effect apparatus is provided with two DVE (Digital Video Effect) units corresponding to each of video signals of two channels so as to obtain two-channel DVE interlocking effect by supplying wipe waveforms having polarities different from each other generated by a waveform generator to respective DVE unit. In the official gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 102068/1985, a special-effect-waveform generator is shown as a waveform generator but the structure of the waveform generator is not disclosed.
Moreover, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 220570/1986 discloses a “special-effect-waveform generator”. The special-effect-waveform generator is constituted so as to solve the problem that, when synthesizing a contracted image generated in accordance with an input key signal and a video signal by using the same key signal, a phase shift occurs between the image and the signal because it takes a lot of time to contract the image and thereby, it is impossible to follow the quick operation of a fader. The special-effect-waveform generator eliminates the phase shift by generating two effect waveforms whose delay times are different from each other for a fader control signal, generates contracted images by using one effect waveform, and synthesizes the images by using the other effect waveform.
Furthermore, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 123280/1988 discloses a “digital special-effect apparatus”. The digital special-effect apparatus makes it possible to completely interlock a video signal with a key signal by processing the signals with a digital special-effect circuit.
Furthermore, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Publication No. 12149/1989 discloses a “special-effect waveform controller”. According to the special-effect waveform controller, it is possible to cut out a screen at any position of each special-effect waveform and obtain waveform-size data in which the waveform size does not change even if a positioner changes in the middle of a fader.
Furthermore, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Publication No. 26229/1989 discloses a “video special-effect signal generator”. The video special-effect signal generator makes it possible to provide many horizontal basic waves and vertical basic waves by constituting a memory for storing horizontal and vertical basic waves with an erasable memory so as to be able to store the waveform data generated by a central processing unit.
Problems to be Solved by the Invention:
However, an art for generating a special-effect waveform capable of corresponding to a plurality of television systems is not disclosed in any one of the above official gazettes of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 220570/1986 and 123280/1989 and Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 12149/1989 and 26229/1989. Thus, because a conventional special-effect-waveform generator is constituted exclusively for each television system such as the SDTV or HDTV, there is a problem that the production efficiency is low. Therefore, it is desired to develop a special-effect-waveform generator that can be used for these television systems in common.
Furthermore, an extended definition television (EDTV) obtained by improving the SDTV has been recently developed and a second-generation EDTV-2 in which the aspect ratio is particularly extended to 4:3 or more is practically used. Therefore, it is desired to develop a special-effect-waveform generator capable of also corresponding to the “4:2:0p” system of the EDTV-2 in addition to the above SDTV and HDTV.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made to meet the above requests and its object is to provide a special-effect-waveform generator capable of corresponding to signal formats of various television systems such as the SDTV, EDTV-2, and HDTV.
To achieve the above object, the special-effect-waveform generator of the first mode of the present invention comprises:
a pulse generation circuit for generating a control pulse used to generate waveform data for constituting a special-effect waveform suitable for a signal format designated from an external unit;
a basic-wave generation circuit for generating waveform data for constituting a basic wave in accordance with the control pulse output from the pulse generation circuit;
an interpolation circuit for interpolating the waveform data for constituting the basic wave generated by the basic-wave generation circuit; and
a selection circuit for selecting either of the waveform data interpolated by the interpolation circuit and the waveform data output from the basic-wave generation circuit in accordance with the signal format and outputting the selected waveform data as the waveform data for constituting a special-effect waveform.
The special-effect-waveform generator of the first mode outputs the waveform data for constituting a basic wave as the waveform data for constituting a special-effect waveform when the signal format for the SDTV is designated. Moreover, the generator outputs the waveform data in which the waveform data for constituting a basic wave is interpolated as the waveform data for constituting a special-effect waveform when the signal format for the HDTV is designated.
Therefore, when a device cannot operate because the frequency of a clock pulse is too high like a signal for the HDTV, it is possible to obtain a waveform same as the case of the device operated at the frequency of the original clock pulse through interpolation by operating the device at a frequency half the frequency of a clock pulse. Therefore, the special-effect-waveform generator of the first mode is able to correspond to both the SDTV and HDTV without requiring special hardware.
Moreover, for the same purpose, the special-effect-waveform generator of the second mode of the present invention comprises:
a pulse generation circuit for generating a control pulse used to generate waveform data for constituting a special-effect waveform suitable for a signal format designated from an external unit;
a basic-wave generation circuit for generating waveform data for constituting a basic wave in accordance with the control pulse output from the pulse generation circuit; and
a line memory for rearranging the waveform data for constituting the basic wave generated by the basic-wave generation circuit and outputting the rearranged waveform data as the waveform data for constituting a special-effect waveform.
The special-effect-waveform generator of the second mode outputs the waveform data for constituting a basic wave as the waveform data for constituting a special-effect waveform when the signal format for the SDTV is designated, similarly to the case of the special-effect-waveform generator of the first mode. Moreover, the generator outputs the waveform data generated by rearranging the waveform data for constituting a basic wave with a line memory as the waveform data for constituting a special-effect waveform when the signal format for the EDTV-2 is designated.
Therefore, because the special-effect-waveform generator
Dickstein , Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky, LLP
Lee Michael
NEC Corporation
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