JPH1188905A - Camera equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the image quality by allowing the camera to conduct signal processing and allowing a camera controller to conduct other signal processing than that by the camera. SOLUTION: In order to revise and correct part or all of functions of signal processing at a camera equipment 10, a PC(personal computer) 22 sends a signal processing revision correction instruction to the camera equipment 10 via an external input output I/F 18. The camera equipment 10 writes received signal processing program data to a rewritable nonvolatile signal processing program storage medium. Thus, the signal processing at the camera side is easily improved. Furthermore, most of signal processing is shared by the camera to relieve a load of the PC 22, or conversely only required minimum processing is conducted by the camera equipment and the PC 22 conducts signal processing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a digital camera device (system) having a serial interface function.
It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a camera device used in a TV (television) conference system or the like which is currently widely used, when an image captured by a camera is displayed on a PC (personal computer), an analog video signal from the camera is transmitted to the PC. The video signal is input to an interface board called a video capture board, and the video signal is processed and displayed on a display device of a PC. However, since the digitalization of the signal processing circuit inside the camera has recently been advanced, the technology of digitally transmitting the signal to a PC has been advanced.

Also, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-284093, an optimal video signal after various signal processing such as exposure control and color balance control is performed inside the camera is utilized by using an external interface such as a serial interface. And can be transmitted to a PC or the like.

[0004]

In recent years, the performance of PCs has been improved, and signal processing can be performed on PCs. Therefore, as described in the above-mentioned prior art, signal processing is performed by a signal processing circuit inside a camera. The PC does not receive the processed video signal by the serial interface, but receives the video signal which has not been processed.
There is a demand for free signal processing.

On the other hand, in the case of a low-performance PC, it is more efficient for the PC to receive the video signal after signal processing by the signal processing circuit in the camera through the serial interface, with less burden on the PC. However,
There was no function to select whether to perform signal processing inside the camera depending on the performance of the PC.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A camera device according to the present invention has solved the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 is a conversion device for performing an A / D conversion of an output signal from a photographic element such as a CCD. A signal processing unit that performs signal processing such as luminance and color from the converted output signal; a storage medium that stores the signal processing unit; a storage unit that holds the signal-processed video signal; A camera having transmission means for transmitting to the outside using a serial interface or the like,
A camera control device (for example, a personal computer) having signal processing means for receiving a video signal by connecting to a camera and further processing the received video signal, performs signal processing with the camera, and further performs camera processing with the camera control device. And a signal processing means of a different method from the signal processing performed in the above.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, further comprising a selection switching means for performing all signal processing by either the camera or the camera control device (for example, a personal computer). It is made.

[0008] Further, the invention according to claim 3 is based on claim 1.
The invention described in the above has a rewritable non-volatile storage medium in which a control program for a camera signal processing circuit is written, and a non-volatile rewritable control program for the camera signal processing circuit using a serial interface. Means for writing to a storage medium.

In the camera device according to the present invention, the signal processing is performed by either the camera or the camera control device.
Alternatively, the user can freely select whether to perform the signal processing using both, or the system can be easily upgraded by rewriting the camera control program.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a camera device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, in a camera (digital camera) 10, an image sensor 11 converts light captured by a lens into an electric signal. Thereafter, the signal generated in the storage section of the image sensor 11 is read out to the transfer section of the image sensor 11 by the pulse generated by the timing generation circuit 12, and further output to the CDS / AGC (correlated double sampling / automatic gain adjustment) circuit 13. Is done. After being amplified to a required signal amplitude by the correlated double sampling processing and the automatic gain adjustment processing by the CDS / AGC circuit 13, the signal is converted into a digital signal by an A / D (analog / digital) converter 14.

Signal processing is performed according to a signal processing program stored in the signal processing unit 15,
An actual video signal is obtained. The signal processing unit 15 writes this video signal to the storage medium 16 by the pulse generated by the synchronization signal generation circuit 17. After that, the written video signal is output to the external input / output I / F (interface) 18.

And a PC (personal computer)
An external output I / F (interface) 21 receives a video signal. On the PC 22 side, the received image can be further subjected to signal processing inside the PC 22 by the signal processing means 21. In addition, a CPU (arithmetic processing unit, microcomputer) 19 can instruct and select whether or not to perform color / luminance processing in the signal processing unit 15.
As a result, the video signal before signal processing is performed on the PC 22 side is transmitted to the PC 22 side. The PC 22 can internally perform signal processing.

Although there are various signal processing methods, the signal processing that can be processed inside the camera 10 can be performed at high speed, but only a few of them can be selected. However, recently, since the performance of the PC 22 has been improved, the signal processing method processed by the camera 10 can be sufficiently processed by the PC 22 side. Image correction can be performed by another signal processing method, and an image can be improved. Further, it is also possible to perform only the color processing with the camera 22 and perform only the luminance processing with the PC 22 side.

When all signal processing is left to the PC 22, the PC 22 first sends a signal processing selection command to the camera as shown in the signal processing condition determination flowchart of FIG. 2 (S11). Camera 1 that received it
If the signal processing selection command is a stop command (S12), the CPU 19 of 0 sets the operation selection of the signal processing circuit 15 to a command and stops the operation (S13). Further, the A / D converted signal is directly written to the video storage medium 16 by the switching means 23 without passing through the signal processing circuit of the signal processing unit 15. In this way, the video signal before the signal processing can be transmitted to the PC 22 (S14). By this, PC
The 22 side can perform arbitrary signal processing.

When part or all of the signal processing functions of the camera 10 are to be changed or modified, the external input / output I / F 18 connects the PC 22 to the PC 22 as shown in the signal processing system up flowchart of FIG. Sends a signal processing change / correction command to the camera 10 (S
21). Then, the camera 10 deletes the signal processing program storage medium of the signal processing unit 15 in which the signal processing program data is stored (S22). PC2 sends a signal processing change / correction start command indicating that the camera is ready.
It is transmitted to the second side (S23).

Then, the PC 22 transmits the signal processing program data to the camera 10 (S24), and
The side writes the received data to a rewritable nonvolatile signal processing program storage medium such as a flash memory in which the signal processing program data is stored (S2).
5).

As a result, the system for signal processing of the camera 10 can be easily upgraded. In addition, the load on the PC 22 can be reduced by burdening most of the signal processing on the camera 10, and if the PC 22 has high performance, the camera 10 performs only the minimum necessary processing,
By performing signal processing on the PC 22 side, the load on the camera 10 can be reduced, and processing for transmitting video signals can be performed intensively, thereby increasing the transmission rate.

[0019]

Since the camera apparatus according to the present invention has the above-described structure, the invention according to claim 1 performs image correction by another signal processing method on the PC side after signal processing by the camera. Can be performed, and image quality can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the PC can perform any signal processing, and the third aspect of the invention can easily upgrade the camera signal processing. The signal processing function suitable for the system to be used can be flexibly changed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of signal processing condition determination in the embodiment of the camera device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a signal processing system upgrade according to the embodiment of the camera device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Camera 11 Image sensor 14 A / D converter 15 Signal processing part 16 Storage medium 21 Signal processing means 22 Personal computer

Claims (3)

[Claims] An output signal from an image pickup device such as a CCD is A
Conversion means for performing D conversion, signal processing means for performing signal processing such as luminance and color from the output signal converted by the conversion means,
A storage medium for storing the video signal processed by the signal processing means, a storage means for holding the processed video signal, and a transmission means for transmitting the stored video signal to the outside using a serial interface or the like A camera having a camera control device such as a personal computer having a camera connected to the camera, receiving a video signal, and further performing signal processing on the received video signal. A camera device, wherein the camera device performs signal processing, and further includes signal processing means of a different method from the signal processing performed by the camera by the camera control device. 2. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising a selection switching unit for performing all signal processing in either the camera or the camera control device. 3. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising a rewritable nonvolatile storage medium in which a control program for a signal processing circuit of the camera is written, and wherein the signal processing of the camera is performed using a serial interface. A camera device wherein a control program for a circuit is written in a rewritable nonvolatile storage medium.