Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Fujitsu Corporation

Osamu Ueda

Teruo Hieda

Norihiro Kawahara

Koji Takahashi

Hideo Kawahara

Yasuyuki Tanaka

Hirofumi Suda

Hisataka Hirose

Yoshiaki Nakata

Toshiki Ishida

Satoshi Nakamura

An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of obtaining a sufficient resolution in a picture signal for zooming in on an output signal of an image pickup device by means of an electronic zoom process and a control method thereof. To attain this object, a timing generator generates a timing signal for controlling timing for reading charges to an image pickup device and the timing for mixing or transferring the charges. A zoom control portion determines a scaling factor for, by signal processing, expanding or reducing picture data generated based on the output signal of the image pickup device. The zoom control portion also determines the number of mixed pixels and a cutout range of the charges in the image pickup device. A vertical scaling factor control portion controls the timing generator so that mixture of the charges and charge transfer will be compliant with the number of mixed pixels and the cutout range respectively as determined by the zoom control portion.

Image pickup device, imaging apparatus containing the same, and control method thereof

In order to achieve a digital video camera apparatus which decreases the number of components and facilitates connection with a digital VTR, a luminance signal Y and a color signal C input form external input terminals ( ) are converted into digital signals by A/D converters ( ) by sampling these signals respectively at the sampling frequency of a digital recording/reproduction device ( ) and a frequency four times the subcarrier frequency, the digital signals are selected by selectors ( ) together with signals Y and C from a digital signal processing circuit ( ), and the selected signals are supplied to the digital signal recording/reproduction device ( ). Color-difference signals are supplied after their frequency is converted into the sampling frequency of the digital signal recording/reproduction device ( ) by frequency converters ( ).

Digital video camera with electronic zoom

A recording apparatus of the kind recording a moving image signal in a first area on a recording medium and a still image signal in a second area on the recording medium is arranged to selectively display the moving image signal or the still image signal, and to display, along with the image on display, information which indicates that the still image is in the process of being recorded. The arrangement enables the operator of the apparatus to know that the apparatus is in the process of recording the still image as well as the contents of the still image being recorded and thus enables the operator to avoid faulty recording, etc.

Recording apparatus which switches from displaying a still image to

An image processing apparatus comprises a coefficient generation circuit for generating a coefficient such as to decrease as a level of a luminance signal which is obtained by processing an input image signal increases while exceeding a predetermined limit value and to decrease as the luminance signal level decreases to a value lower than a predetermined lower limit value, a multiplier for multiplying a color difference signal which is obtained by processing the input image signal and the coefficient generated from the coefficient generation circuit, an integrating circuit for integrating the multiplication output from the multiplier into a plurality of predetermined regions on a screen, and a white balance control circuit to control the white balance of the screen by using the integration output of the integrating circuit.

Image processing apparatus with white balance control

There is provided an image sensing apparatus which comprises a detecting part for detecting an optical characteristic of a photographic optical system, an image sensing part for converting an optical image photographed by the photographic optical system into an electrical signal, a combining part for combining character information with image information outputted from the image sensing part, and a control part for controlling a combining operation of the combining part in accordance with an output of the detecting part. There is also provided an image sensing apparatus which comprises a detecting part for detecting an optical characteristic of a photographic optical system, an image sensing part for converting an optical image photographed by the photographic optical system into an electrical signal, a character information generating part for generating character information to be combined with image information outputted from the image sensing part, and a compressing part for compressing the character information in accordance with an output of the detecting part.

Image sensing apparatus which can detect optical characteristics of an

In order to achieve a digital video camera apparatus which decreases the number of components and facilitates connection with a digital VTR, a luminance signal Y and a color signal C input from external input terminals (110, 118) are converted into digital signals by A/D converters (136, 138) by sampling these signals respectively at the sampling frequency of a digital recording/reproduction device (113) and a frequency four times the subcarrier frequency, the digital signals are selected by selectors (135, 137) together with signals Y and C from a digital signal processing circuit (106), and the selected signals are supplied to the digital signal recording/reproduction device (113). Color-difference signals are supplied after their frequency is converted into the sampling frequency of the digital signal recording/reproduction device (113) by frequency converters (139a, 139b).

Digital video camera for processing analog luminance signal and digital

A video camera comprises an image pickup device, an extracting circuit to extract a partial image signal corresponding to a picture plane range of a predetermined portion from a whole image signal which is generated from the image pickup device, and a microcomputer to determine a correction value of the whole image signal on the basis of an output signal of the extracting circuit. The extracting circuit has a function to generate an interruption signal to the microcomputer at a time point when the extracting operation of the partial image signal by the extracting circuit ends. The video camera further has a correcting circuit to correct the whole image signal on the basis of the correction value decided by the microcomputer.

Video camera and its control method

Digital video camera with external chrominance signal digitized at

This invention is related to a video signal color correction device. Color information signal inputs are received in rectangular form. A coordinates conversion means converts the inputs into polar coordinates using one of the inputs as a polar axis. The device has a correction data storing means in which are stored luminance signal correction data dependent on a luminance signal and the polar coordinates and color information signal correction data. The correction data storing means outputs the luminance signal correction data and the color information signal correction data in accordance with the luminance signal and the polar coordinates. A correction means corrects the luminance signal and the polar coordinates on the basis of the luminance signal correction data and the color information signal correction data output from the correction data storing means. The correction means may include addition means for adding the luminance signal correction data to the luminance signal and the color information signal correction data to the polar coordinates.

Video signal correction device

In a white balance adjusting apparatus, information about picture portions whose color components cannot be detected under normal conditions, e.g., picture portions whose brightness level is excessively high, or excessively low, are suppressed from white balance controlling data, so that data required for the white balance control can be correctly obtained without using small windows which a frame of picture is subdivided into. For this purpose, signals of predetermined window portions within one frame of picture are integrated by integration circuits, while weighting the signals by multiplication factor generating means based on brightness level, and then a white balance control is carried out by using an integrated value.

White balance adjusting apparatus

On a substrate having a surface slightly tilted by an angle .alpha. within the range of from 0.5 to 10 degrees from the (110) plane in the &lt;00-1&gt; direction, a superlattice structure having a periodicity in both &lt;110&gt; and &lt;001&gt; directions is formed. Various band structures are possible by selecting an appropriate constituent material and periodicity for the superlattice structure. When current flows in a direction without periodicity, a very high mobility is obtained as a result of suppressed alloy scattering. If current is caused to flow in a direction with periodicity, and the periodicity is properly selected, optical phonon scattering can also be suppressed.

Ordered mixed crystal semiconductor superlattice device

A video signal correction device is arranged to form a correction signal corresponding to an input video signal, to add the correction signal to the input video signal for correcting the video signal, and, in adding the correction signal to the video signal, to vary the level of the correction signal according to the level of the input video signal. This arrangement enables the device to correct the video signal always in an optimum manner for improved reproducibility of the video signal.

Automatic image signal correcting device

A color correction circuit featured by a correction signal generator for outputting a correction signal in accordance with the input color video signal, and an adder for adding the correction signal to the input color video signal.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Osamu Ueda