JPH07147682A - Color image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a color image pickup device which outputs the images of high resolution when the focus is adjusted and can facilitate the foucus adjustment. CONSTITUTION:A color image pickup device is provided with the 1st optical input means 11 and 13 of a surface sequential type which sequentially change the colors of the illumination light by sequentially switching a color filter 46, the 2nd optical input means 15, 16 47 and 48 which bypass the filter 46, the focus detecting means 8 and 32 which checks whether the focus adjustment is applied to a subject image, mirror 19 which selects the 1st or 2nd optical input means based on the output of both means 8 and 32, a surface sequential image pickup means 20 and a simultaneous image pickup means 25 which photograph the subject image supplied by the 1st or 2nd optical input means selected by the mirror 19, the movement detecting means 36 and 32 which detect the movements of a subject 4, and an output selector means which selects and outputs the surface or simultaneous image pickup means based on the output of both focus and movement detecting means.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color image pickup apparatus for picking up a subject image in color by using a frame sequential type and a simultaneous type image pickup apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A so-called simultaneous image pickup device is practically used, in which a color mosaic filter is attached to the front surface of an image pickup tube or an image pickup element for color image pickup, or color separation is performed by a dichroic mirror and a plurality of image pickup tubes or image pickup elements are used for image pickup. Has been popularized.

On the other hand, the color of the illumination light is sequentially switched, and color image is picked up by a single image pickup element, or color image is picked up by rotating a color disc filter in front of the single image pickup element, and the image is stored by an image memory. A system for simultaneously displaying and observing each color image, that is, a so-called frame-sequential image pickup device is also popular.

The frame-sequential image pickup device has a drawback in that when a subject and the image pickup device are moving relative to each other, a phenomenon called so-called discoloration or color misregistration occurs and an image becomes difficult to see.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 3-219788 discloses a color image pickup device which combines a frame sequential image pickup device and a simultaneous image pickup device to change the mixing ratio of the outputs of both image pickup devices depending on the amount of movement of a subject. Is.

[0006]

The known example is a device for preventing color misregistration by combining a frame-sequential image pickup device and a simultaneous image pickup device, so that the structure is complicated and the cost is high. Therefore, in general, the resolution of the simultaneous image pickup device is lowered as compared with that of the frame sequential image pickup device. That is, color shift is prevented by using high-resolution imaging of the frame-sequential imaging device when the subject is stationary and mixing imaging of the simultaneous imaging device when the subject moves. However, there was a drawback that the resolution was lowered.

[0007] Even when a still image is picked up by using the above apparatus and the focus is adjusted, the movement of the subject occurs, so that the images of the simultaneous type image pickup apparatus are mixed in an attempt to correct the color shift. was there. At the time of focus adjustment, higher resolution is required than color information of an image. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a color image pickup device that outputs a high-resolution image during focus adjustment and can easily perform focus adjustment.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 provides a first frame-sequential light input means for sequentially switching colors of input light by sequentially switching color filters. , A second bypassing said color filter
Optical input means, focus detection means for detecting the presence or absence of focus adjustment for the subject image, and optical path selection means for selecting the first light input means or the second light input means by the output of the focus detection means. A field-sequential image pickup means and a simultaneous image pickup means for picking up a subject image inputted by the first or second light input means selected by the optical path selecting means, and a motion detection for detecting the movement of the subject. And a selection unit that selects and outputs any one of the frame sequential imaging unit and the simultaneous imaging unit based on the outputs of the focus detection unit and the movement detection unit.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 2 relates to a field-sequential optical input means for sequentially switching colors of input light by sequentially switching color filters, and presence / absence of focus adjustment for a subject image. Focus detection means for detecting, filter control means for controlling the color filters by the output of the focus detection means, field sequential imaging means and simultaneous imaging means for imaging the subject image input from the light input means. A motion detecting means for detecting the motion of the subject; and an output selecting means for selecting and outputting any one of the frame sequential imaging means and the simultaneous imaging means by the outputs of the focus detecting means and the motion detecting means. And a color image pickup device.

[0010]

According to the invention of claim 1 or 2,
Depending on the movement of the subject and the presence / absence of focus adjustment, the field sequential imaging unit and the simultaneous imaging unit are switched, and the presence / absence of focus adjustment is detected. Since the filter is bypassed or the color filter is stopped, a high-resolution color image can be output by the field-sequential imaging means when a still image is being captured.

Further, when the subject moves, the simultaneous image pickup means is switched to, so that a color image without color shift can be obtained, and at the time of focus adjustment, the color filter of the frame sequential image pickup means is bypassed, or Since the high-resolution black and white image is output by stopping the color filters, focus adjustment can be easily performed.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the color image pickup apparatus of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a more specific block diagram of the color image pickup apparatus of FIG.

In FIG. 1, a color image pickup device 1 includes a stage 2, a slide glass 3 placed on the stage 2,
It is composed of a subject 4, a cover glass 5, a lighting device 6, a television camera 7, a stage drive unit 8, a camera control unit 9, and a television monitor 10.

The subject 4 is placed on the slide glass 3 and is fixed on the slide glass 3 by covering the cover glass 5 from above. Further, the slide glass 3 is fixed on the stage 2 by a fixing member (not shown) on the stage 2. An illumination device 6 is provided below the stage 2. By illuminating the subject 4 with illumination light from the illumination device 6, the subject 4 can be captured by the television camera 7.

In FIG. 2, illumination light is emitted from the illumination device 6, and the image of the subject 4 is input to the objective lens 11 provided below the television camera 7. The objective lens 11 is fixed to the lens barrel 13 by a revolver 12. Further, the revolver 12 is provided with a plurality of objective lenses 11 having different magnifications, and by rotating the revolver 12, the image of the subject 4 can be observed while changing the magnification. An imaging lens 14 is provided at the other end of the lens barrel 13.

The subject image that has passed through the imaging lens 14 is split into two directions by the half prism 15, and one of them is input to a frame sequential filter (color filter) 46. The frame sequential filter 46 is provided with color filters of R, G, B, etc.
Each color filter is sequentially exposed by the rotation of. A motor drive circuit 18 is connected to the motor 17, and the frame sequential filter 46 is controlled by controlling the rotation speed of the motor 17.

The image split by the half prism 15 is further split in two directions by the half prism 16. One of these passes through the relay lens 47, is then reflected by the mirror 48 and the mirror 19, and is input to the image sensor 20. The optical path of the mirror 19 is switched by the optical path switching control means 21, and the subject image can be input to the image pickup device 20 from either the field sequential filter 16 side or the mirror 48 side. The other half divided by the half prism 16 into two directions is a mirror 23.
Is reflected by, passes through the relay lens 24, and is imaged on, for example, the image pickup device 25 constituting the simultaneous image pickup means. The image pickup device 25 is provided with a mosaic filter on its surface and can pick up a color image independently.

An image of the subject 4 is picked up by the image pickup devices 20 and 25 in the television camera 7, converted into electric signals, and video circuits 26 and 27 provided in the camera controller 9, respectively.
Sent to. Since the images picked up by the image pickup element 20 are color-sequential, color signals can be obtained by sequentially storing the respective color signals in the memories 28, 29, 30 and reading them out simultaneously.

The output of the video circuit 27 is a changeover switch 31.
It is connected to the. The changeover switch 31 has a memory 28,
29 and 30 are also connected, and one of them is selected and a video signal is output to the television monitor 10.

A timing controller 32 is provided in the camera controller 9 and outputs drive pulses to the image pickup devices 20 and 25 in the television camera 7. Further, the timing controller 32 is connected to the motor drive circuit 18 and can rotate the motor 17 in a predetermined cycle.

The timing controller 32 is connected to the optical path switching control means 21, and the input light input to the image pickup device 20 can be switched by the mirror 19. The outputs of the timing controller 32 are memories 28, 29,
It is connected to 30, and can store and read a subject image captured by the image sensor 20. Further, the timing controller 32 is connected to the changeover switch 31 so that the output of the changeover switch 31 can be changed over.

One end of a spring 33 is attached to the stage 2. Further, the tip end of a drive bar 35 connected to an actuator 34 composed of a linear motor or the like is attached to the side surface of the stage 2. Actuator 3
4 is connected to an actuator driver 37 which outputs a drive signal in response to a movement instruction signal from the stage movement instruction means 36. The output of the stage movement instruction means 36 is connected to the timing controller 32 so that the presence or absence of the stage movement instruction signal and the movement direction can be identified.

In the above-described embodiment, the frame sequential filter 46 is used.
The objective lens 11, the revolver 12, the lens barrel 13 and the imaging lens 14 constitute a first light input means, and the half prisms 15 and 16, the relay lens 47 and the mirror 48 constitute a second light input means. The stage drive unit 8 and the timing controller 32 constitute a focus detection unit and a motion detection unit, and the mirror 19 and the optical path switching control unit 2
1 constitutes an optical path selection means, the image pickup element 20 constitutes a field sequential image pickup means, the image pickup element 25 constitutes a simultaneous image pickup means, and the changeover switch 31 constitutes an output selection means.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described. When the user puts the subject 4 on the stage 2, the image of the subject 4 is irradiated with the illumination light from the illumination device 6, and the image is picked up by the image pickup devices 20 and 25. When the user does not input a stage movement instruction from the stage movement instruction means 36, the stage 2 is stationary. At this time, the mirror 19 is controlled by the output of the optical path switching control means 21 and the image of the subject 4 is formed on the image sensor 20 through the frame sequential filter 46. In the frame sequential filter 46, the color filters are sequentially displayed on the optical path by the rotation of the motor 17, and the R, G, and B lights are picked up by the image pickup device 20.
The input light of G and B is photoelectrically converted and subjected to signal processing as a video signal in the video circuit 26, and is sequentially stored in the memory 28 for R, the memory 29 for G, and the memory 30 for B. Here, a color image is obtained by simultaneously reading out the video signals stored in the memories 28, 29 and 30. When the stage 2 is stationary, the change-over switch 31 is arranged in the memories 28, 29,
A color image captured by the image sensor 20 and captured by the field-sequential camera is displayed on the television monitor 10.

Subsequently, in order to change the observation position of the subject 4, the user inputs a stage movement instruction from the stage movement instruction means 36 and moves the stage back and forth or left and right, and the changeover switch 31 changes the timing controller. 32
The output is switched to the video circuit 27 side. At this time, an image of the subject 4 captured by the image sensor 25 is displayed on the television monitor 10. Since the color image by the simultaneous camera is displayed on the television monitor 10, there is no color shift due to the movement of the stage, and it does not become unsightly.

When the user changes the subject 4 or rotates the revolver 12 to change the objective lens 11,
Since it shifts from the image forming position with respect to the image pickup device 20, it is necessary to adjust the relative position of the stage 2 and the television camera 7 to adjust the focus. Then, when the user inputs a stage movement instruction from the stage movement instruction means 36 and moves the stage 2 up and down, the timing controller 32
Detects focus adjustment, and switches the input optical path to the image sensor 20 to the mirror 48 side by the mirror 19. In addition, the subject images captured by the image sensor 20 are stored in the memories 28, 29, 3
By storing 0 at the same time, a black and white image is obtained. At this time, the changeover switch 31 is connected to the memories 28, 29, and 30 side under the control of the timing controller 32, and a monochrome image picked up by the image pickup element 20 is displayed on the television monitor 10. Although no information about the color can be obtained, the user can easily adjust the focus because the image can be displayed clearly.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the color image pickup apparatus of the present invention. The second embodiment is greatly different from the first embodiment in that the stage is controlled by the actuator 34 in the first embodiment, whereas it is controlled by the focusing handle 38 and the horizontal movement handle 39 provided on the side surface or the lower portion of the stage 2. It is about to be tried.
The focusing handle 38 moves the stage 2 up and down to change the subject 4 or the magnification of the objective lens 11 to adjust the focus. A sensor 40 is attached to the parfocal handle 38 to detect focus adjustment and output to the timing controller 32. At the time of focus adjustment, the black-and-white image captured by the image sensor 20 is output to the television monitor 10 by switching the optical path as in the first embodiment.

When the stage 2 is stationary, as in the first embodiment, the image of the subject that has passed through the frame-sequential filter 46 is picked up by the image pickup device 20 and is output to the television monitor 10 to produce a clear color image. The image can be obtained.

When the user changes the observation position of the subject 4, the horizontal movement handle 39 moves the stage 2 back and forth or left and right. The movement of the stage 2 is performed by the subject 4
Is detected by the motion detection circuit 49. Subject 4
When the movement of the image pickup device 2 is detected, the changeover switch 31 is changed over to the video circuit 27 as in the first embodiment.
The color image without color shift of the image of 5 is displayed on the TV monitor 1
0 is displayed above.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of the color image pickup apparatus of the present invention. The big difference between the third embodiment and the first embodiment is that the half prism 46,
The relay lens 47 and the mirror 48 are omitted, and only the field-sequential filter 46 is used as the path of the input light for capturing the image of the subject 4 to the image sensor 20. Since it is not necessary to switch the optical path, the mirror 19 and the optical path switching control means 21 are also unnecessary and can be removed.

Next, the operation of the third embodiment constructed as above will be described. When the user places the subject 4 on the stage, when the stage is stationary, the image of the subject 4 is formed on the image sensor 20 through the frame sequential filter 46 as in the first embodiment. At this time, the frame sequential filter 46 is rotating, and R,
The G and B lights are sequentially picked up by the image pickup device 20. R, G,
The input light of B is sequentially stored as a video signal in the memory 28 for R, the memory 29 for G, and the memory 30 for B as in the first embodiment. A color image is obtained by simultaneously reading out the video signals stored in the memories 28, 29 and 30. At this time, the change-over switch 31 turns on the memories 28, 29, 3
The color image by the field-sequential camera, which is connected to the 0 side and is picked up by the image pickup device 20, is displayed on the television monitor 10. Subsequently, in order to change the observation position of the subject 4, the user inputs a stage movement instruction from the stage movement instruction means 36 and moves the stage back and forth or left and right.
Similarly to the case of the embodiment, the changeover switch 31 is changed over to the video circuit 27 side. As a result, the image of the subject 4 captured by the image sensor 25 is displayed. Since the color image by the simultaneous camera is displayed on the television monitor 10, there is no color shift due to the movement of the stage, and it does not become unsightly.

When the user inputs a stage movement instruction from the stage movement instruction means 36, moves the stage 2 up and down, and performs focus adjustment, the stage movement instruction is sent to the timing controller 32 and the focus adjustment is detected. . When focus adjustment is detected, the timing controller 32 sends a control signal to the motor drive circuit 18. This control signal controls the motor 17 to stop the frame sequential filter 146. At this time, the frame sequential filter 46 is designed so that the G light is input to the image sensor 20. The images picked up by the image pickup device 20 are simultaneously written in the memories 28, 29, 30 as video signals,
It is read at the same time. The outputs of the memories 28, 29 and 30 are output to the television monitor 10 so that a black and white image with a good resolution can be observed and focus adjustment becomes easy.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a color image pickup apparatus which can output a high-resolution image at the time of focus adjustment and can easily perform focus adjustment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a color imaging device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of a color image pickup apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the color image pickup apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a third embodiment of the color image pickup apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... stage, 3 ... slide glass, 4 ... subject, 5 ...
Cover glass, 6 ... Lighting device, 7 ... TV camera, 8 ...
Stage drive unit, 9 ... Camera control unit, 10 ... Television monitor, 11 ... Objective lens, 12 ... Revolver, 13 ... Lens barrel, 14 ... Imaging lens, 15 ... Half prism, 16 ...
Half prism, 17 ... Motor, 18 ... Motor drive circuit, 19 ... Mirror, 20 ... Imaging element, 21 ... Optical path switching control means, 23 ... Mirror, 24 ... Relay lens, 25 ...
Image sensor, 26, 27 ... Video circuit, 28, 29, 30
... memory, 31 ... changeover switch, 32 ... timing controller, 33 ... spring, 34 ... actuator, 35 ...
Drive bar, 36 ... Stage movement instruction means, 46 ... Frame sequential filter, 47 ... Relay lens, 48 ... Mirror.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A field-sequential first light input means for sequentially switching colors of input light by sequentially switching color filters, second light input means for bypassing the color filters, and focus adjustment for a subject image. Focus detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the light, an optical path selection means for selecting the first light input means and the second light input means based on the output of the focus detection means, and the optical path selection means for selecting the optical path selection means. A field-sequential image pickup means and a simultaneous image pickup means for picking up a subject image input by the first or second light input means, a motion detection means for detecting the movement of the subject, the focus detection means and the movement detection means. Output selecting means for selecting and outputting any one of the frame sequential imaging means and the simultaneous imaging means by the output of Color imaging device. 2. A surface-sequential type light input means for sequentially changing colors of input light by sequentially changing color filters, a focus detecting means for detecting presence / absence of focus adjustment for a subject image, and an output of the focus detecting means. A filter control means for controlling the color filter, a frame sequential image pickup means and a simultaneous image pickup means for picking up a subject image input from the light input means, and a motion detection means for detecting the movement of the subject, A color image pickup apparatus comprising: an output selection unit that selects and outputs one of the frame sequential image pickup unit and the simultaneous image pickup unit according to the outputs of the focus detection unit and the movement detection unit.