Sony Corporation

Tsutomu Kume

Tokuichiro Yamada

Nobuo Yamazaki

Yoshihiro Yamamoto

Koichi Ohya

Fumiharu Hashimoto

Satoshi Kobayashi

Shinya Ishii

Junya Saito

Takatomo Nagamine

Motoki Kobayashi

Makoto Omata

Ryoko Amano

Hiroyuki Shiota

Yoshinori Tomita

Kazuhiko Nishiwaki

Kazunori Takagi

Kumiko Tsukuda

Hidefumi Fukasawa

Tetsuya Oda

Kanako Tamamatsu

An image pickup apparatus uses an image pickup device. A manual focus adjusting unit is configured to control a focus lens in response to a user's input operation. An edge detecting unit is configured to detect edge components from an image signal obtained by the image pickup device and to output detection levels of the detected edge components. A color signal replacement unit is configured to replace a signal of a pixel corresponding to the detection level with a predetermined color signal when the detection level satisfies a predetermined condition. A display unit is configured to display an image based on an output image signal from the color signal replacement unit.

Image pickup apparatus and display control method

A method for converting frames that can display smooth moving images is provided. A memory () to which image data of frames in the NTSC format is written is provided. A memory controller () for retrieving image data of an odd field and an even field from the memory () every odd field period and even field period in the frame period of the PAL format is provided. An interpolating circuit () is provided. The interpolating circuit () mixes the image data of the odd field retrieved by the memory controller () and image data of a next odd field at a predetermined ratio to output as image data of an odd field in the frame period of the PAL format, and mixes the retrieved image data of the even field and image data of a next even field at a predetermined ratio to output as image data of an even field in the frame period of the PAL format. A coefficient-generating circuit () for changing the mixing ratios in the interpolating circuit () every field period of the PAL format is provided.

Frame conversion method, frame conversion circuit, and electronic camera

An image pickup apparatus using a solid image pickup device includes a manual focus adjusting unit configured to control the position of a focus lens in response to a user's input operation; an edge detecting unit configured to detect edge components of each pixel from an image signal obtained by image pickup and to output detection levels of the detected edge components; a color signal replacement unit configured to replace a signal of a pixel corresponding to the detection level or signals of pixels in a predetermined range containing the corresponding pixel on the image signal with a predetermined color signal when the detection level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value; and a display unit configured to display an image based on an output image signal from the color signal replacement unit.

An image pickup device includes a display that displays one of image data including an operation menu or operation key image data representing operation keys; an external output section that outputs the image data including the operation menu to the outside; an output state detector that detects that the external output section is in a state capable of outputting the image data to the outside; a display data instruction section that instructs to display the operation key image data on the display and to display the image data including the operation menu on an external display device, which is an output destination of the image data in the external output section, when the external output section is detected to be in the capable state, and instructs to display the image data including the operation menu on the display when the external output section is not detected to be in the capable state; a display data supply that supplies one of the display or the external output section with one of the image data including the operation menu or the operation key image data in accordance with the instruction from the display data instruction section; and a panel input that accepts input of an operation from one of the operation key image data or the image data including the operation menu displayed on the display.

Image pickup device having a display for displaying operation key image data representing operation keys and supplying image data including an operation menu to an external display device when connected to the external display device

A circuit for converting the format of image data, the motion of the image data being smooth, includes a memory () to which moving image data in the NTSC format is written; a memory controller () retrieving respective signals, from the memory (), required for producing image data of an odd field and an even field in the PAL format; line-interpolating circuits () and () converting retrieved image data into first image data and second image, respectively, both image data having the line frequency of the PAL format; a frame-interpolating circuit () outputting the image data of the odd field in the PAL format by mixing image data of the odd field of the first image data and image data of the odd field of the second image data at a predetermined mixing ratio, and outputting the image data of the even field in the PAL format by mixing image data of the even field of the first image data and image data of the even field of the second image data at a predetermined mixing ratio; and a coefficient-generating circuit () changing the mixing ratios every field period in the PAL format.

Method for converting image data, converting circuit for image, and electronic camera

In image-data recording processing performed when a video output conforms to the PAL system, a display-signal processing section receives image data having a frame rate of 30 Hz recorded in a memory, through a bus, converts the image data to image data having an NTSC frame rate of 29.97 Hz by a frame-rate conversion method in which thinning out is performed according to the ratio of frame rates, and outputs it to a display section and a codec-IC interface. The display-signal processing section also converts to image data having a PAL frame rate of 25 Hz, and outputs it to a video-output interface. In other words, image data is processed at a frame rate not related to the output, and then converted to image data having a frame rate suited for the output, and output. This invention can be used in digital cameras.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, recording medium, and program

A ghost cancelling receiver using ghost cancel reference signal is constructed so that a ghost wave component is adaptively separated from a received video signal on the basis of the level of a noise component thereby to properly cancel the ghost.

Ghost cancelling receiver using ghost cancel reference signal

A circuit for detecting a wave distortion in a circuit for eliminating a ghost wave component, wherein a received video signal is applied to a transversal filter, a reference signal for cancelling a ghost signal (GCR signal) is taken out from an output signal from the transversal filter, a ghost wave component is picked up from the GCR signal, a signal for controlling a transmission characteristic of the transversal filter is formed on the basis of the picked-up ghost wave component, and the control signal is applied to the transversal filter to thereby extract from the filter a video signal from which the ghost wave component is cancelled. This circuit includes a variable limiter provided on a signal line for transmitting the control signal to the transversal filter and an unit for controlling a limiter level of the variable limiter to be decreased with time.

Ghost cancelling circuit having filter controlled by variable limiter

A double integration type filter circuit, consisting of a pair of integrators connected in series with each other, has a changeover switch for commutating the filter characteristics to a filter configuration which emphasizes portions proper to the characteristics of the filter circuit to facilitate filter adjustment to reduce filter adjustment time and to realize improved accuracy while providing for automatic adjustment of the filter characteristics.

Filter circuit

A filter adjustment apparatus adjusts the properties of a filter by changing, for example, the circuit constants of a filter connected in series with a signal processing circuit to correspond with desired optimum properties of the filter. The state of the signal processing circuit is changed to a state not affecting the filter adjustment, to thereby eliminate the influence of the signal processing circuit on the filter characteristics, to facilitate and increase precision of the filter adjustment.

Filter adjustment apparatus and method

Filter adjustment apparatus for adjusting cut-off frequencies or dip frequencies, for example, may be adjusted to desired optimum properties, during application of an input signal of a constant frequency. The optimum filter adjustment data are found, based on data manifested when the level detected output of the filter output crosses a prescribed reference level whereby the filter adjustment operation is simplified and accuracy is improved with a simplified structure, and it is possible to achieve automatic adjustment of the filter characteristics.

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Ibaraki, Japan

Tsutomu Kume