Victor Company of Japan, Limited

Tetsuya Oura

Hiroshi Nishiyama

Takeshi Ibaraki

Hiroyasu Kunimi

Hiroyuki Miyahara

Akihito Shimoozono

Norio Kurashige

Naoki Hanada

Hideki Jinguji

Pixel signals output from an imaging device having pixels arranged in horizontal and vertical directions are compensated if there are pixel defects. Extracted from the pixel signals are: a first signal from a target pixel; second signals from second pixels having the same color as the target pixel; and third signals from third pixels having a different color from the target pixel, the second and third pixels being located as close to the target pixel on both sides thereof in each direction. Extracted from the second signals are a highest-level signal having the highest luminance level and a second-level signal having the second luminance level. An average luminance level of the second signals is calculated. It is determined whether a particular pixel among the second pixels and causing generation of the highest-level signal is defective by using the highest and average levels. The highest-level signal is selected when the particular pixel is not defective, otherwise, the second-level signal. It is determined whether the target pixel is defective by using the levels of the first and selected signals. The first signal is output when the target pixel is not defective, otherwise, the selected signal.

Imaging apparatus and pixel defect compensation method implemented therein

A video camera which is provided with an inter-line type CCD and also which enjoys a function as a digital still camera. The video camera includes an irising mechanism for adjusting a quantity of light incident upon the CCD, an iris driving circuit for driving the irising mechanism, and a camera microcomputer for controlling operations of adjusting an incident-light quantity by the irising mechanism by controlling the iris driving circuit. The camera microcomputer controls the iris driving circuit to drive the irising mechanism, whereby the incident light upon the CCD is blocked to perform only a read-out operation while data of all the pixels is read out from the CCD.

Image pickup apparatus with function of adjusting incident light quantity

An image-sensing apparatus for compensating video signal of a plurality of channels, adds an electric charge of a pilot signal on a signal vertically transferred in an image-sensing device. A pixel area of the image-sensing deviceis divided into a plurality of pixel areas to obtain an output signal of a plurality of channels. The pilot signal is add to an output signal of each pixel area corresponding to each channel for twice a field period, and for different electric potential. The control circuitobtains a difference between the two pilot signals in one filed period, and controls the gain compensationto make the pilot signal level in each channel equal. Additionally, the pilot signal is not used for compensation but the previous signal is used when a smear element is detected from the output signal of each channel.

Image-sensing apparatus for compensating video signal of a plurality of channels

An imaging apparatus has a solid-state image sensing device having an imaging area divided into left and right sub-imaging areas, a first optical-black (OB) area and a second OB area being provided at both edges of the imaging area in the horizontal direction. First video signals are extracted from monitoring areas in the sub-imaging areas close to the border between the sub-imaging areas. Optical-black clamping is applied to second video signals output from the sub-imaging areas by subtracting a first OB signal indicating an OB level in the first OB area from the second video signal output from one of the sub-imaging area and subtracting a second OB signal indicating an OB level in the second OB area from the second video signal output from the other of the sub-imaging areas. Detected first in the optical-black clamping is a level difference between the extracted first video signals. Calculated next is an adjusting value per row of pixels, that provides the smallest level difference per row of pixels in the imaging area based on the detected level difference. The first OB signal is subtracted from one of the second video signals and the second OB signal is subtracted from the other second video signal, thus outputting an optical-black-clamped video signal. Video-signal levels are adjusted by multiplying the optical-black-clamped video signal by the adjusting value.

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Yokohama, Japan

Tetsuya Oura