Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of converting 2D images into 3D images by producing from a 2D image signal a main image signal and a sub-image signal delayed from the main image signal. In the present invention, a temporary field delay from the main image signal to the sub-image signal is found on the basis of data related to the movement in the current field of the main image signal (a first step). A target field delay is then found on the basis of the temporary field delay found in the first step (a second step). A true field delay used in the succeeding field is found on the basis of the target field delay found in the second step and the true field delay used in the current field (a third step).

Abstract: A method of converting two-dimensional images into three-dimensional images. When the movement of a main image is fast, a main image signal is written into field memories for each field. When the movement of the main image is slow, the main image signal is written into the field memories at intervals of a predetermined number of fields. An image to be read out as a sub-image from the field memories is determined on the basis of the speed of the movement of the main image.

Abstract: A signal processing circuit is utilized in a video camera which includes a CCD having pixels arranged in a dot-matrix fashion and color filters of R, G and B arranged in a mosaic fashion, and an output signal from the CCD is converted into a digital signal. A horizontal aperture signal (Hap) and a vertical aperture signal (Vap), which are produced on the basis of the digital signal, are multiplied by coefficients (K1, K2) which are obtained on the basis of a horizontal correlation value (Sh) and a vertical correlation value (Sv), and then, added to each other in an adding circuit, whereby an aperture signal is obtained by the adding circuit. The aperture signal is added to a luminance signal to perform an image enhancement.

Abstract: A color video camera includes a CCD, and digital signals of 4 lines produced on the basis of an outputs from the CCD are applied to a selection circuit which selectively outputs digital signals of 3 lines. A horizontal interpolation circuit and a vertical interpolation circuit perform interpolation calculation on the basis of the digital signals, and outputs a plurality of horizontal color signals and a plurality of vertical color signals, respectively. A horizontal correlation detection circuit and a vertical correlation detection circuit evaluate a horizontal correlation value and a vertical correlation value of a specific pixel with respect to pixels around the specific pixel.

Abstract: Auto focus control and/or auto exposure control is carried out by using a luminance signal before gamma correction, before addition of aperture signal but after hand shake correction. Auto white balance control is carried out by using a color signal after hand shake correction. Consequently, precise auto focus control, auto exposure control and/or auto white balance control can be done. The field memory for electronic zooming and/or hand shake correction is also used as a field memory for noise reduction. Consequently, a video signal processing circuit which is inexpensive and simple can be implemented.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic focusing apparatus which permits an automatic focusing operation to occur with a high accuracy irrespective of the luminance of an object being sensed. The automatic focusing apparatus includes a focus lens, an image sensor, a focus motor for changing the position of the focus lens, a Y/C separating circuit for separating a luminance signal Y from the output of the image sensor, a non-linear circuit for subjecting the separated luminance signal Y to a non-linear processing, a high pass filter (HPE) extracting a high frequency component from the output of the non-linear circuit, an integrating circuit for integrating the extracted high frequency component and an in-focus detecting circuit for controlling the position of the focus lens based on the result of integration.

Abstract: Auto focus control and/or auto exposure control is carried out by using a luminance signal before gamma correction, before addition of aperture signal but after hand shake correction. Auto white balance control is carried out by using a color signal after hand shake correction. Consequently, precise auto focus control, auto exposure control and/or auto white balance control can be done. The field memory for electronic zooming and/or hand shake correction is also used as a field memory for noise reduction. Consequently, a video signal processing circuit which is inexpensive and simple can be implemented.

Abstract: A digital video camera includes a pseudo-saturation calculating circuit by which a pseudo-saturation corresponding to an actual saturation is calculated on the basis of two color difference signals, and a suppression coefficient is calculated by a suppression coefficient calculating circuit on the basis of the pseudo-saturation. Each of the color difference signals are outputted by a selecting circuit in a dot sequential manner, and multiplied by the suppression coefficient in a multiplying circuit. Therefore, a signal in which a low-saturation chrominance signal is outputted from the multiplying circuit, whereby the low-saturation chrominance signal can be suppressed even though a sampling frequency is not increased.

Abstract: A video camera circuit for processing an image signal from an image pickup device having a mosaic color filter comprises a field memroy control circuit for reading out a predetermined line of signal (CCD output data) from a field memory when the position of vertical interpolation has changed, first, second and third line memories for storing the signal from the field memory, a line memory control circuit for controlling signal writing in and reading out from the line memories to concurrently retrieve three lines of signal, a vertical interpolation block for preparing a signal at the position of interpolation based on the four lines of signal, and a Y/C separation block for separating a luminance signal and color difference signals from the signal at the position of interpolation.

Abstract: An output from a solid state image sensing device spatially modulated by a color filter is A/D converted and stored in a field memory. Digital signals read from the field memory during electronic zooming are successively delayed by 1H period by means of first, second and third 1H delay elements connected in series. The output from the field memory and outputs from the first, second and third 1H delay elements are separated into luminance components and line sequential color components by first to fourth Y/C separating circuits, respectively. A first set of three primary color signals are calculated based on outputs from the first, second and third Y/C separating circuits, and a second set of three primary color signals are calculated based on outputs from the second, third and fourth Y/C separating circuits.

Abstract: A video signal processing circuit is incorporated in an IC for camcorder in which a camera signal outputted from a CCD image sensor is processed in a digital manner such that luminance and color signals can be outputted. In the IC, a vertical interpolation circuit produces two kinds of vertically interpolated data on the basis of a digital camera signal of one channel within an image area being set by an electronic zoom function. A YC separation circuit receives the two kinds of vertically interpolated data, and an output of the YC separation circuit is applied a horizontal interpolation circuit or an RGB composition circuit. If the YC separation output is applied to the horizontal interpolation circuit, the same outputs two kinds of horizontally interpolated data upon which three primary color signals are composed by the RGB composition circuit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic focusing camera in which an automatic focusing operation is performed by detecting a high frequency component of a video signal obtained from an image sensor device at every predetermined period, and has a theme that the automatic focusing operation can be performed within an extremely short time. To this end, by a search means, a focus lens is moved from a first position to a second position with relatively coarse steps to obtain a focus evaluating value for each step. In a first method, after the focus lens is moved to the vicinity of a lens position corresponding to a maximum focus evaluating value obtained by the search means, the focus lens is moved with small incremental steps to find a true maximum focus evaluating value.

Abstract: In an electric still camera with an automatic focusing function, when a user operates a releasing switch (21), a focusing operation relative to an object is initiated. During this focusing operation, a CCD (45) is driven by a timing generator (27) in accordance with a first driving method. According to this first driving method, signal charges are read out five times for one field and therefore five focus evaluating values are obtained for one field. These focus evaluating values enable the high speed driving of a focusing motor (3) at the time of focusing operation. After the focusing operation is completed, the CCD (45) is driven by the timing generator (27) in accordance with a second driving method which is a normal driving method, a regular video signal is output from an image sensing circuit 4 and recorded in a video floppy 26.