Abstract: An image pickup apparatus including an image extracting unit and performing an image extraction process and automatic feedback control of white balance for executing image extraction with high accuracy by performing the image extraction process and automatic white balance control with reference to each other.

Abstract: A picture communication apparatus includes an extracting circuit for extracting video data of at least one portion from video data inputted thereto, an encoder for respectively encoding the extracted video data and the remaining video data, and a multiplexer for multiplexing the encoded video data. When encoding the video data, predetermined amount of codes are allocated to the respective video data. This suppresses deterioration in the picture quality when conducting an image communication via a transmission path having a low transmission rate. The transmitted video is displayed on a contoured display.

Abstract: An image signal provided by an image pickup device, such as a CCD, is converted into a video signal by a signal processor. An extraction means extracts a candidate object region from the current video signal and an object region determined a certain time before by a decision means is read from a memory. For example, the decision means compares an overlapping region in which the candidate object region and the object region read from the memory overlap each other and provides a new object region a size larger than the overlapping region and replace the object region with the new object region to update the contents of the memory. On the other hand, a calculating means calculates the features of the object region including the position of the centroid of the object region on a screen.

Abstract: An image pickup device including an image pickup unit for converting an optical image of a subject to an image signal, a signal processor for producing a video signal from the image signal, an ambience determining unit for determining image pickup ambience of the subject, and a control unit for controlling image quality of the video signal output from said signal processor in accordance with a result of the determination of the ambience determining unit. The image quality control unit includes at least one of a white balance control unit, an exposure control unit, and a configuration correction/chroma signal gain control unit. The control characteristic of the image quality control unit is changed depending on the result of the determination of the ambience determining unit.

Abstract: Output signals of a solid state image sensor 1 are processed in a signal processing circuit 3 and then supplied as brightness signals to a variable gain circuit 4, and gain of the circuit is varied for each color separation filter provided in the solid state image sensor 1, and in the case of achromatic objects, signal amounts for each color separation filter are made equal and moire is suppressed. In such a video camera, a noise reducer circuit 5 is provided and output signals of the variable gain circuit 4 are supplied to the noise reducer circuit 5 and adding processing is carried out during a plurality of horizontal scanning periods neighboring vertically thereby level variation (line pair) of the brightness signals for each horizontal scanning period is suppressed. A vertical resolution correction circuit 6 generates a vertical resolution correction signal from output signals of the signal processing circuit 3 there by degradation of the vertical resolution of the brightness signals is corrected.

Abstract: In a method of driving a solid-state image sensor having an effective pixel area formed of a plurality of pixels in an array having M pixels in the vertical direction and N pixels in the horizontal direction, a scanning pixel area formed of m pixels in the vertical direction and n pixels in the horizontal direction (where M>m, N.gtoreq.n) is established within the effective pixel area, and charges stored in the pixels in the scanning pixel area are transferred by vertical CCDs driven by a first scanning pulse to a horizontal CCD and the charges transferred to the horizontal CCD are transferred by the horizontal CCD driven by a second scanning pulse to an output portion of the horizontal CCD.

Abstract: A video camera and apparatus for extracting an object from a video signal. The video camera and the extracting apparatus include units for setting a plurality of different parameters for distinguishing a plurality of areas in an input video signal according to the plurality of different set parameters, a unit for determining an extracting area in accordance with the plurality of areas distinguished by the setting units, and an extracting unit for generating extracting information for the extracting area for the video signal. The video camera includes a unit for controlling an operation of the video camera in accordance with the extracted information.

Abstract: In a method of driving a solid-state image sensor having an effective pixel area formed of a plurality of pixels in an array having M pixels in the vertical direction and N pixels in the horizontal direction, a scanning pixel area formed of m pixels in the vertical direction and n pixels in the horizontal direction (where M>m, N.gtoreq.n) is established within the effective pixel area, and charges stored in the pixels in the scanning pixel area are transferred by vertical CCDs driven by a first scanning pulse to a horizontal CCD and the charges transferred to the horizontal CCD are transferred by the horizontal CCD driven by a second scanning pulse to an output portion of the horizontal CCD.

Abstract: A video camera for enabling improvement in automatic functions such as automatic white balancing and automatic focusing while controlling picture quality of a video image including a specific object of the video image and/or background thereof. The video camera includes an image pickup device and a signal processing circuit responsive thereto for processing the image picked up by the image pickup device and providing a video signal as an output. An extraction unit is provided for extracting a signal representative of a specific portion of the video signal of the signal processing circuit, and a control unit responsive to the signal extracted by the extraction unit effects control of at least one of the signal processing circuit and at least one input control parameter of the video camera in accordance therewith, thereby providing improvement in the picture quality.

Abstract: A signal processor for a video camera, comprising a solid-state image sensor having a light sensitive part with a two-dimensional array of a plurality of pixels corresponding to first, second, third and fourth color signals, and outputting line sequential signals where first point sequential signals composed of the first and second color signals and second point sequential signals composed of the third and fourth color signals are alternately repeated during horizontal scan periods in a television system; means for individually separating the first, second, third and fourth signals included in the line sequential output signals of the solid-state image sensor, and then outputting the separated signals per horizontal scan period; and means for producing three primary color signals R, G, B by calculating the first, second, third and fourth color signals.

Abstract: In an apparatus reading out picture data from an imaging device to store the data once in a memory and reading out the data again from the memory so that the video signal may be processed for reproduction, the period during which the picture data is read out from the imaging device is regulated to be varied according to luminance of an object, and to be longer than a field period, whereby a good reproduced picture with reduced noise is obtained.

Abstract: A color video camera using a solid-state image pickup device having filters of the complementary color system consisting of a filter to transmit the light of all colors, a filter to transmit the yellow light, a filter to transmit the cyan light, and a filter to transmit the green light can obtain color signals having no color aliasing by selecting the conditions of the arithmetic operating processes of the signals corresponding to the respective filters. In these conditions, assuming that the signals corresponding to the four kinds of filters are represented by W, Ye, Cy and G in correspondence to the colors of the respective filters, a red signal and a blue signal are produced by the arithmetic operations represented by the following expressions:R=.alpha.W-.beta.Cy+.gamma.Ye-.delta.GB=.alpha.'W+.beta.'Cy-.gamma.'Ye-.delta.'Gwherein the respective arithmetic operational ratios .alpha., .beta., .gamma., .delta., .alpha.', .beta.', .gamma.', and .delta.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for increasing the sensitivity of a charge priming type solid state camera having means for sweeping out undesired excess charges generated by a vertical smear from vertical signal lines. When the scene illumination is higher than an appropriate value, the sweep out of the undesired excess charges is executed within each horizontal blanking period in order to reduce the vertical smear. When the scene illumination becomes lower than the appropriate value, the sweep out thereof is stopped in order to increase the sensitivity. Alternatively, when the scene illumination is lower than the appropriate value but the quantity of the vertical smear is larger than a fixed value, the sweep out thereof is executed within each horizontal blanking period in order to suppress vertical smear which is at an unacceptably high level even though the illumination level is relatively low.