Sony Corporation

Fumiaki Kato

Toshiharu Kondo

Takashi Kohashi

Katsuaki Hirota

Akihiro Kikuchi

Ken Nakajima

Koji Ozaki

Kenichi Sakai

Shuji Shimizu

Data can be transferred from a picture processing section to an encoding section without necessity of using an external memory. In addition, with internal data transfer having a wider band than an external memory, data can be processed at high speed. An entire pictureas an original picture is divided into six blocks of (64&#xd7;4) pixels each. An enlargement process is performed for each block. Data of blocks are read in the order of blocks, and so forth. A size changing section processes a first block and generates picture data of a blockof (128&#xd7;8) pixels. From this picture data, macroblocksof (16&#xd7;8) pixels each are read and encoded. As a result, JPEG dataare obtained. A code rearrangement section rearranges the order of the JPEG datain the unit of a block. As a result, JPEG dataare generated. When JPEG dataare decoded in this order, a decoded picturewhose block order matches an areaof the original picture is obtained.

Picture processing apparatus and method, and imaging apparatus

An image capturing apparatus for capturing an image with solid state imaging devices may include a compressing section, a memory, a decompressing section, and a signal processing section. The compressing section may compress digitalized data of an image captured with the solid state imaging devices. The memory may temporarily store the compressed image data that is compressed by the compressing section. The decompressing section may decompress the compressed image data that is read out from the memory. The signal processing section may perform an image quality correction operation on the image data decompressed by the decompressing section. The compressed image data may contain a maximum value and a minimum value of pixel data in a block, information regarding positions of the maximum value and the minimum value in the block, and quantized data.

Image capturing apparatus, imaging circuit, and image capturing method

An image by using a solid-state imaging sensor, the imaging apparatus including: a compression section configured to compress image data by dividing the image data into blocks each composed of same color component pixels adjacent to each other as a unit of compression; a memory used for temporarily storing compressed image data; a decompression section configured to decompress the compressed image data read out from the memory; and a signal processing section configured to carry out an image-quality correction process on decompressed image data, wherein each of the blocks is split in advance into two quantization-subject areas, block types are distinguished from each other by the position of the inter-area boundary between the two quantization-subject areas, and the compression section has a dynamic-range computation sub-section, a block-type select sub-section, and a quantization processing sub-section are provided.

Imaging apparatus, imaging circuit and imaging method

A video signal processing circuit includes a level shifter for shifting the dc level of an input luminance signal; a gain adjuster for increasing the gain for the luminance signal when the luminance signal has a low luminance level and for decreasing the gain for the luminance signal when the luminance signal has a high luminance level; and a shifting amount setting unit for setting the amount for shifting the dc level on the basis of the frequency distribution of the luminance signal and the rate of modulation of the luminance signal.

Apparatus for shifting the DC level of a luminance signal based on

A switching circuit to selectively generate either one of an image pickup signal from an image pickup device and a reproduction video signal in which when the recording mode is set, the switching circuit is set to the side on which the image pickup signal from the image pickup device is supplied. When the reproducing mode is set, the switching circuit is set to the side on which the reproduction video signal is supplied. When the instantaneous reproduction is executed in the recording mode, the optical information from an optical information detecting circuit just before the switching circuit is switched from the side on which the image pickup signal is supplied to the side on which the reproduction video signal is supplied is held. An output of the switching circuit is converted into a digital signal. The digital signal is supplied to a digital signal processing circuit to process the digital signal and is also supplied to the optical information detecting circuit to detect the optical information.

Video camera

A focus detection signal is generated from the video signal produced by a video camera by deriving higher frequency components of that video signal, detecting when those higher frequency components exceed a minimum threshold level, sensing when the video signal exceeds a maximum threshold, and integrating those higher frequency components which exceed the minimum threshold, except during an interval when the video signal exceeds the maximum threshold, thereby producing the focus detection signal.

Auto-focus system for video camera

A sampling frequency conversion filter circuit permits the same auto focus circuit to be used with CCD imagers having different numbers of pixels per line. The conversion filter converts a digital signal of a first sampling frequency into a second sampling frequency and for providing a digital signal of the first sampling frequency with a predetermined frequency characteristic includes a delay circuit for delaying an input digital signal of the first sampling frequency by a predetermined amount; a first flip-flop for taking in the input digital signal of the first sampling frequency in synchronism with a clock of the second sampling frequency; a second flip-flop for taking in the digital signal of the first sampling frequency delayed by the predetermined amount through the delay circuit with a clock of the second sampling frequency; an adder for adding outputs of the first and flip-flops; and control circuits for controlling inputs of the first and second flip-flops to obtain from the adder circuit an output equivalent to a result obtained by over-sampling the digital signal of the first sampling frequency at a frequency that is a common multiple of the first sampling frequency and the second sampling frequency, and then re-sampling it at the second sampling frequency via a filter having the predetermined frequency characteristic.

Auto focus frequency conversion filter for CCD imagers having different

A color video camera providing a digital video signal has an auto-focus detector, an auto-exposure detector and an auto-white balance detector formed as sections of an optical detector circuit which further has serial input and output ports common to the auto-focus, auto-exposure and auto-white balance detectors, and a system controller which is common to the auto-focus, auto-exposure and auto-white balance detectors and provides control signals therefor through the serial input port while receiving focus, exposure and white-balance detection signals through the serial output port from the respective detectors. Further, an improved exposure control system is provided which compensates for abnormal lighting conditions, such as, back-lighting or excessive front-lighting of the scene in the field of view of the camera.

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Chiba, Japan

Fumiaki Kato