The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 03, 2006
Filed:
Feb. 27, 2003
Hiroyasu Kunimi, Kamakura, JP;
Hiroshi Nishiyama, Kanagawa-Ken, JP;
Tetsuya Oura, Yokohama, JP;
Hiroyuki Miyahara, Yokohama, JP;
Takeshi Ibaraki, Kawasaki, JP;
Hiroyasu Kunimi, Kamakura, JP;
Hiroshi Nishiyama, Kanagawa-Ken, JP;
Tetsuya Oura, Yokohama, JP;
Hiroyuki Miyahara, Yokohama, JP;
Takeshi Ibaraki, Kawasaki, JP;
Victor Company of Japan, Ltd., Yokohama, JP;
Abstract
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.