Nikon Corporation

Hirofumi Hidari

Keiichi Nitta

Kiyoshige Shibazaki

Junya Yamashita

Takaaki Hashimoto

Yasunobu Nakagawa

Takashi Matsukuma

An image processing apparatus comprises a number of times of integration determiner for determining a number of times of integration based on stop information representing a stop value of an image pickup unit for picking up a still object, and an integrator for integrating the still image data produced by the image pickup unit by the number of times determined by the determiner. The apparatus modifies the still image data integrated by the integrator for each integration in accordance with the current number of times of integration and the stop information. In another aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises a calculator for sequentially and circulatively adding K times (0&lt;K&lt;1) of an input video signal and (1-K) times of a past image signal correlated to the input video signal to reduce a noise component of a still image or a still image area in a motion picture. The apparatus modifies the coefficient K in accordance with an elapsed time from the start of the noise reduction operation at an interval of unit period in which the video signals are correlated to each other or an interval which is an integer multiple of the unit period.

Image processing apparatus

A video processing apparatus uses multiple image signal integration and reduction for decreasing noise. A television camera picks up an image of a still object and outputs image signals repetitively. An adder adds each newly outputted signal to the sum of previously outputted image signals stored in a memory and stores each new sum of image signals in the memory. A circuit divides each new sum of image signals by the number of times the adder has performed additions, thereby providing a signal that is displayed on a monitor.

Video processing apparatus with multiple image signal integration and

A recursive noise reduction device which has adaptability with respect to changes in input image data which are not noise, resulting from, e.g., scene changes and subject movement, and in which a rise in the black level and a drop in the white level does not occur. The recursive noise reduction device includes a storage unit which stores image signals in field or frame units, and a computation unit which multiplies by an input image signal A by K (0&lt;K&lt;1), and multiplies by (1-K) an image signal B from a previous recursive calculation, which is output from the storage unit. The computation unit adds the input image signal A, which has been multiplied by K, to the signal B, which has been multiplied by (1-K), and the computation results are stored in the storage unit. A comparison device compares the signal A with the signal B. The value obtained by rounding the result of the addition upward to the next whole number is considered the computation result when A&gt;B, and the value obtained by rounding the result of the addition downward to the next whole number is considered the computation result when A&lt;B. The comparison device and the computation unit may comprise a Look-up Table.

Recursive noise reduction device having improved adaptability with

A camera of the type in which a rotary filter having color filter sections formed for three different colors is rotated between an image pickup and an object and the image pickup repeatedly stores one frame of a video signal therein. The camera comprising a rotation controller, a memory and an output controller. The rotation controller controls the rotation of the rotary filter in such manner that the image pickup scans by at least two frames of the video signal for a certain residence time during which each of the color filter sections is disposed between the image pickup and the object. The output controller controls the outputting of the video signal from the image pickup into the memory. The output controller inhibits the image pickup from outputting into the memory the first frame of the video signal during residence time.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Hirofumi Hidari