Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Video Engineering, Incorporated

Yoshihiro Todaka

Takuya Imaide

Toshio Murakami

Naoki Yamamoto

Toshiro Kinugasa

Masaru Noda

Takashi Azumi

Noriyuki Iura

Tomoyuki Kurashige

Hiroaki Kami

Junji Shiokawa

Hiroshi Chiba

Takesuke Maruyama

Iwao Aizawa

Hiroshi Sakurai

Kentaro Hanma

Ichiro Ohsaka

An image pickup apparatus capable of generating a motion picture and a still picture. An amount of exposure in a still imaging mode is increased as compared with the amount of exposure for mode is increased as compared with the amount of exposure for one field in the motion picture imaging mode, preferably twice as large as the latter. In the still picture mode, electric charges are swept out from a CCD by an exposure control simultaneously with closing of a diaphragm for adjusting the amount of exposure. Upon occurrence of error in the closing operation of the diaphragm, the amount of exposure in the still picture mode is set to a design value. On the basis of difference between the design value and an actually measured value of the amount of exposure, gain for video signal is corrected. In the motion picture mode, the diaphragm and the electronic shutter speed is adjusted for preventing flicker from making appearance under illumination of a fluorescent lamp in indoor photographing. The adjusted speed can be 1/100 sec.

Image pickup apparatus and method of controlling the same

A video camera has a memory for storing the position of an image lens in relation to the position of a variator lens, that is, zoom tracing curves in respect of individual subject distances, a motor for moving the image lens while vibrating it slightly during zooming operation, a variation component extractor circuit for extracting the amplitude and phase of a slight variation component of focusing voltage generated by moving the image lens while vibrating it slightly, and a controller for controlling drive means on the basis of the stored zoom tracing curves and an extracted slight variation component. During zooming operation, the controller first controls the motor in compliance with a position of the variator lens pursuant to a zoom tracing curve stored in the memory in association with a position assumed by the image lens immediately before start of the zooming operation. The controller also operates to correct a drive amount of the image lens on the basis of amplitude of an extracted slight variation component and when the amplitude of the slight variation component falls below a predetermined value, the controller controls the motor pursuant to a newly determined zoom tracing curve.

Video camera with autofocus function and method of controlling the same

In an imager including a sensor of solid state type having photo-elements arranged with a matrix configuration wherein electrical signals are read out from the photo-elements in two-row-at-a-time, the electrical signals are read out from 1st and 2nd rows for the 1st scan line of a display picture, from 3rd and 4th rows for the 2nd scan line, and so forth. In order to obtain a zoomed up picture of an area of a part of the matrix configuration of the photo-elements, there is provided a memory having storage locations whose number is equal to that of the photo-elements in the area to be zoomed up, each location being capable of storing the electrical signal from each photo-element and a circuit for reading out the memory row by row. The circuit reads locations in 1st and 2nd rows for the 1st scan line, in 2nd and 3rd rows for the 2nd scan line, and so forth. If the area comprises M rows, the numbers of the scan line obtained from the area are M/2 when a video signal is produced from the signal read out from the sensor and M when the video signal is produced from the signal read out from the sensor. Therefore, a picture display enlarged in the vertical direction is obtained.

Image sensor device capable of electronic zooming

An automatic focusing apparatus for use in a video camera and the like wherein one optical element other than a focusing lens means of an optical system is moved for focusing in the in-focus direction while being vibrated slightly by means of a motor capable of being driven by pulses.

Automatic focusing apparatus for use in video camera and the like

Reading horizontal and vertical scanning circuits and a resetting vertical scanning circuit are connected to an image sensor including a plurality of photodiodes arranged in a matrix form. The resetting vertical scanning circuit generates vertical scanning pulses prior to the scanning of the reading vertical scanning circuit by a shutter time T.sub.S. Where the reading vertical scanning circuit performs a two-line-at-a-time reading, the resetting vertical scanning circuit also performs the two-line-at-a-time reading. The reading vertical scanning circuit reads the signal of the lines reset by the resetting scanning circuit and outputs it as a video signal.

Image pickup device for television cameras having a shutter function for

In an imager, an image sensor has a pn junction at which positive and negative carriers are created in accordance with a quantity of light incident to the pn junction. One type of the positive and negative carriers is read out as an image signal and as soon as the other type is created, it is delivered out of the image sensor. A photometric circuit connected to the image sensor calculates a quantity of the incident light on the basis of the other type of carriers delivered from the image sensor and generates an incident light quantity signal. In accordance with the incident light quantity signal, an incident light quantity adjusting signal generator and an incident light quantity adjuster adjust the quantity of the light incident to the image sensor to an optimum value to thereby obtain proper exposure.

Imaging apparatus using solid state image sensor

An auto-focusing system for a video camera using the focus signal extracted by a focus signal extracting device from high-frequency components of the video signal. A gate circuit is provided in front of the focus signal extracting device and the gate circuit is made conductive or non-conductive depending on the magnitude of the focus signal thereby to control the quantity of the video signal received by the focus signal extracting device, whereby the dynamic range of the focus signal extracting device is virtually expanded.

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Yokohama, Japan

Yoshihiro Todaka