JPS59178086A - Color image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain an immediate photographing at any desired time by providing a display device displaying a white balance control data at preceding image pickup so as to decrease the change of white balance adjustment. CONSTITUTION:When a power switch 25 is turned on, a data is applied to shift registers 33, 33' from a memory 29. In turning on a display switch 47 next, the white balance control data from the memory 29 is displayed on a display device 46. When an image pickup switch 27 is turned on in this state, power is fed from a system power supply 24 to each system required for the image pickup so as to attain the image pickup. The power is not fed to the parts such as comparators 20, 20' required for the white balance adjustment only in this case. When the image pickup condition is equal to the display content of the display device 46, the image pickup is attained immediately after the switch 25 is turned on and if the image pickup condition differs, the white balance is to be adjusted similarly as the case with conventional systems.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a color imaging device, and more particularly to a color imaging device that performs so-called white balance adjustment using at least a portion of an imaging means.

(Prior Art) Various systems have been proposed as white balance systems for conventional shicolor imaging devices. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional example of a color imaging device having the white balance system. In this example, each primary color signal of red, edge, and blue (hereinafter referred to as R, G', and B, respectively) is used for the image sensor.
This is an example in which the present invention is applied to a color imaging device configured to obtain the following.

The imaging outputs R, G, and B from the imaging device 1 are each provided by a sampling and hold circuit (hereinafter referred to as S/H) 2,
It is supplied to process amplifiers 5, 5', and 5# through amplifiers 2', 2'', amplifiers 3, 3', and 3.

The output thereof is then supplied to the matrix circuit 6. Ma)
A luminance signal (hereinafter referred to as Y) and color difference signals RY and BY are formed in the IJ circuit 6.

R-Y and B-Y are fed to DC regenerators 8, 8' each including a low pass filter and a clamp circuit.

The outputs of the DC regenerators 8, 8' are each sent to a well-known color encoder circuit 9 together with Y.

Here, for Y, a synchronization signal is added and clipped, and for the color difference signal, it is mixed after processing such as modulation, and outputted from the terminal 11 as a chromatic television signal. 10 is a synchronization signal circuit system that generates blanking signals, color illumination carrier waves, synchronization signals, etc.

4.4' is a gain control circuit as a gain control means;
In this case, since white balance is adjusted by controlling the R and B levels using G as a reference, they are provided in the R and B transmission paths. On the other hand, the outputs of the DC regenerators 8, 8' are supplied to smoothing circuits 12, 12', respectively, and to thermal comparators 14, 14'. When this signal is at a lower level than the reference voltage from the reference voltage generator 13, the up/down counter (hereinafter referred to as U/
D counter) 15 and 15' count up, and when they are at a high level, they count up.

The outputs of the U/D counters 15 and 15' are supplied to the aforementioned gain control circuits 4 and 4' via digital-to-analog converters (hereinafter referred to as D/A) 17 and 17' to determine the amplification gain.

When there is a control command for a switch (not shown) or a white lance, the image sensor 1 outputs a signal corresponding to white or gray. For example, point the image sensor toward a white object, and place a white transmissive diffuser plate or the like in the photographing light flux. Then, as mentioned above, the gain control circuits 4 and 4' select the color difference signal R.
-Y.

It is controlled so that BY becomes O level. That is, the white balance is adjusted by the outputs of the U/D counters 15 and 15'. Thereafter, during imaging, the gain is controlled (based on the white balance setting value stored in the memories 16, 16').

Color imaging devices such as those described above have conventionally been used as cameras for video tape recorders (hereinafter referred to as VTRs). However, in recent years, a system has been proposed in which a color image signal from an image sensor is extracted for one field and recorded on a circular track on a magnetic sheet, and when reproduced, a color still image is obtained by continuously reproducing the circular track. has been done.

In such a system, it is not used for a relatively long time,
Moreover, it is common to perform imaging for a short time. For example, it is likely to be used several times every few hours, just like a general camera using silver halide film. For this reason, in such a system, if you want to perfectly align the lance, you must adjust the lance by -1 month per month just before taking a photo. Since it is used in the same way as a conventional camera, if you adjust the white balance and shutter speed every time you take a picture, you will end up missing a photo opportunity. If you take images using the memorized settings of the white lance, the interval between images will be long, so there is a risk that you may not notice even if you take a picture with the white lance broken. This means that the scene can only be recorded as a defective signal.

(Purpose) In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention enables photography to be taken immediately when desired, and without having to adjust the white balance. The object of the present invention is to provide a color imaging device that can be easily read by users.

(Examples) The present invention will be explained in detail below based on Examples. It should be noted that the citation of the following examples does not limit the scope of the present invention, and the present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the 8th amendment claims.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a color imaging device as an embodiment of the present invention. Components similar to those in FIG. 1 are given the same numbers and explanations are omitted.

20. 20' is the lance (later 9), and the data node (s 41) is connected via its output cover buffer gate 21. 23
is a central processing unit such as a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as CPU)
24 is a system power supply for other systems of this imaging apparatus, 25 is a power switch, 26 is a white/clearance command switch, and 27 is an imaging command switch. Further, a portion 23a of the CPU 23 is always supported by a pull-up power supply 31 to maintain its operating state. 32 is an address decoder.

33 and 33' are connected to the CPU 2 via the buffer gate 22.
It is a shift register controlled by 3, and has an 8-bit parallel-in/parallel-out configuration. The outputs of the shift registers 33, 33' are the D/A 34,
It is supplied to the gain control circuits 4, 4' via 34'. 4
Reference numeral 6 denotes a display device for displaying data according to the data stored in the memory 29. When data is supplied to the display drive circuit 45 via the buffer gate 44, the display device 6 displays a display according to the data. do.

The operation will be explained below using a flowchart. FIG. 3 is an example of a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. When the power switch 25 is turned on, the CPU 23
Power is supplied to the shift registers 33 and 33', and C
PU23 becomes operational and shift register 33.3
3' is supplied with data stored in the memory 29. This state is also a standby state in which the camera waits for the white balance switch 26 or the imaging switch 27 to be turned on next.

When the display switch 47 is turned on in this standby state, white balance control data stored in the memory 29 and described later is supplied to the display drive circuit 45 via the buffer gate 44. Then, the display 46 shows the memory 2
Output is performed according to the control data stored in 9, and the standby state continues. When the imaging switch 27 is turned on in this state, the system power supply 24 and the stain source are supplied to each system necessary for imaging in the imaging device. At this time, power is not supplied to the comparators 20, 20' and the smoothing circuits 12, 12' shown in FIG. 2, which are required only for white balance adjustment. Imaging is performed when power is supplied to each part of the device. However, the operations of each system and the CPU 23 during imaging are not related to the present invention and will therefore be omitted. The amplification gains of the gain control circuits 4 and 4' during imaging are determined by white balance control data stored in the shift registers 33 and 33', respectively, as will be described later. When the imaging switch 27 is turned off after imaging is completed, whether automatic or manual (however, the flowchart in FIG. 3 shows the automatic case), the power supply to each part of the apparatus is cut off and the apparatus returns to the standby state. As described above, when the power switch 25 is turned on, imaging is immediately performed, and the white balance at this time is determined by using the control data stored in the memory 29 as described later in the shift register 33.33'.
It is being adjusted by incorporating Therefore, as mentioned above, there is a possibility that the white balance is off. The user then looks at the display on the display 46 to see what kind of weather the control data was obtained under. This generally consists of the premise that by looking at the control data, the weather at the time the control data was obtained can be obtained in total in relation to the color temperature. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the display 46. As shown in FIG. In the display shown in FIG. 4, the 16-bit control data stored in the memory 29 is replaced with 3-bit data by the display drive circuit 45, and eight liquid crystal display panels 51a to 51h are used to display the display indoors.

It corresponds to weather display 52 such as rain, cloudy, and clear weather.

That is, for example, if control data is obtained during clear weather, 51a
-h, all the display boards are in the front or display state, and the number of display boards in the display state changes depending on the brightness.

Therefore, by turning on the display switch 47 after photographing, the user can see under what weather the control data used for white balance adjustment at the time of photographing was obtained. If it is determined that the weather at the time the control data was obtained and the weather at the time of photographing almost match, it means that the photograph was taken with almost perfect white balance. On the other hand, when the weather does not match, for example after shooting indoors, the display 4
If the number 6 indicates clear skies, you will need to readjust the white balance and retake the shot if necessary.

If there is some free time, the user turns on the display switch 47 and looks at the display 46 before photographing. At this time, if the weather shown on the display 46 and the weather at that time almost match, there is no need to take the white balance again; if they do not match, it is necessary to readjust the white balance.

The operation when the white balance switch 26 is turned on in the standby state described above will be described below. When the white balance switch 26 is turned on, power is supplied to the parts necessary for white balance adjustment. Further, at this time, the user makes sure that a signal corresponding to white or gray is obtained from the image sensor 1 as described above. Then, standard white balance control data is written into the shift registers 33 and 33', respectively. The standard white balance control data is stored in a portion 23a of the CPU 23 that is overwritten by 7 by the back amplifier power supply. shift register 33,
The outputs 33'C' are converted into analog signals by D/A's 34 and 34', respectively, and then input to gain control circuits 4 and 4' to determine the amplification gains of R and B.

At this time, if the image signal output from the terminal 11 is only Y, it means that the white balance has been achieved, and the outputs of the comparators 20 and 20' are both O. On the contrary, B
If there is an output in the -Y or R-Y color difference signal, it means that the white balance has not been achieved, and the comparator 20
, 20' outputs an output other than O. When one or both of the comparators 20, 20' has an output other than 0, the data stored in the soft registers 33, 33' is rewritten. For example, comparator 20
If the output of shift register 33. The data of
Try to lower the 'L' and RQ amplification factors to bring R-Y to the θ level. In the example shown in Figure 2, an 8-bit shift register is used. For example, the standard setting value is 10000000.
(2), and when the output of the comparator 20 is a positive output, the data in the shift register 33 is reduced by one step to 01111111 (21).And if the output of the comparator 20 is still a positive output, further data is is reduced by one to 01111110 (2).Then, the data in the shift register 33 is sequentially reduced by 5 until the output of the comparator L/-J20 becomes O.Meanwhile, at the same time, the data in the shift register 33 is reduced by 5 in response to the output of the comparator 20'. shift register 33'
We will also change the data.

When the outputs of both comparators 20, 20' become 0, it means that the white balance adjustment has been completed, and the data stored in the shift registers 33, 33' at this time becomes white balance control data. However, since the outputs of the comparators 20 and 20' do not become completely O, they are actually considered to be 0 when they are below a predetermined absolute value.

Thereafter, the data in the soft registers 33, 33' are respectively written into the memory 29. When writing to the memory 29 is completed, power supply to systems necessary for white balance adjustment other than the soft registers 33 and 33' is stopped. Then, the white balance switch 26 is returned to the OFF state and the original standby state is returned.

If you turn off the power switch 25 in standby mode,
The power supply to the shift registers 33, 33' and the CPU 23 is also stopped, and the system enters a standby state waiting for the power switch 25 to be turned on.

With the configuration described above, you can take a picture right when you want to take a picture, so you won't miss a photo opportunity, and you can immediately check if the white balance has shifted, so you won't notice if the white balance is off. There are no mistakes in shooting like this.

In addition, by looking at the display before taking a picture, it can be immediately determined whether or not white balance adjustment should be performed, thereby reducing the number of opportunities for white balance adjustment to the necessary minimum, thereby eliminating the hassle of operations. This is particularly effective when photographing a screen that does not require high accuracy.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a color imaging device as another embodiment of the present invention. Components similar to those in FIG. 1 or 2 are given the same reference numerals and explanations are omitted.

The outputs of the comparators 20 and 20' are respectively supplied to the illustrated analog switch 49. The analog switch 49 is inversely controlled by the horizontal synchronizing signal, which is separated by the horizontal synchronizing signal separation circuit 48 from the synchronizing signal obtained from the synchronizing signal circuit system 10, and line-sequentializes the output signals of the condenser and S rake 20, 20'. do. Correspondingly, the number of bits in the buffer gate 210 shown in FIG. 2 is half that of the buffer gate 210 shown in FIG. With this configuration, the capacity of the data transmission path can be reduced to half. Further, 30 is a memory.

The operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5 will be explained below using a flowchart. 6 is an example of a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5.

When the power switch 25 is turned on, power is supplied to the CPU 23 and the shift registers 33, 33', the CPU 23 becomes operational, and the shift registers 33, 33' have memories 29. data or CPU23
Standard white balance control data provided by the user is provided. Further, when the standard white balance control data is supplied to the shift registers 33 and 33', it is also supplied to the memory 29. This state is also a standby state in which the camera waits for the white balance switch 26f and the imaging switch 27 to be turned on next.

In this state, when the imaging switch 27 is turned on, the above-mentioned 8
Imaging is performed in the same order as in the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and the apparatus returns to the standby state again. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the imaging switch is turned off manually. Also, if you turn on the white balance switch 26 in this state, the second
Similar to the device shown in the figure, shift registers 33, 33'
The data of 2 is rewritten and the data 2 is the bank up heavy source 3.
It is stored in the memory 29 followed by 1. Still at the same time, timer 30 is reset and restarted. Furthermore, the supply of power to systems necessary for white balance adjustment other than the shift registers 33 and 33' is stopped. Then, the 5 white balance switch 26 is returned to the off state, and the original standby state is restored.

Also, if you turn on the display switch 47 in standby mode,
As described above, the display 46 continues to display information according to the control data stored in the memory 29 and remains in a standby state. The display on the display 46 is used as described above, and the user determines whether or not to change the white balance switch or adjust the shooting mode depending on the display. When the power switch 25 is turned off in this standby state, the supply of power to the shift registers 33, 33' and the CPU 23 is also stopped, and the system enters a standby state waiting for the power switch 25 to be turned on next.

Next, the operation after the power switch 25 is turned on will be explained. As mentioned above ('CPU 23 and Schiff, Tresister 33
, 33', and the value counted by the timer 30 at this time is checked. This is to determine whether the control data stored in the memory 29 is old by checking the time since the last white balance adjustment. That is, if the value measured by the timer 30 is less than or equal to the predetermined value, it is determined that the control data stored in the memory 29 is valid to some extent because not much time has passed since the last white balance adjustment. On the other hand, if the value measured by the timer 30 exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that the timer 30 is invalid. If it is determined to be valid,
The control data stored in the memory 29 is written into the shift registers 33, 33', and if it is determined to be invalid, the standard white balance control data mentioned above is written into the soft registers 33, 33'. Now, in the standby state described above, the camera waits for the white balance switch 26 or the imaging switch 27 to be turned on.

For example, when the value of the timer 29 becomes large and the standard control data is written to the memory 29, the display switch 47
The display on the 1 display 46 by turning on is based on standard control data. The standard control data is, for example, the control data used when white balance is taken when it is cloudy.Using this data, the white balance will not be significantly distorted whether the photograph is taken indoors, on a rainy day, or on a sunny day. Therefore, if meaningless data is stored in the memory 29, the opportunity for white balance adjustment will be greatly reduced.

According to the configuration as described above, the implementation 91 shown in FIG.
In addition to the above effects, it is possible to further reduce the number of photos taken by correcting the white balance and reshaping the image.

(Effects) As explained in detail using the embodiments above, according to the present invention, it is possible to take a picture immediately when it is desired to take a picture, and the degree to which the white balance is adjusted at the time of shooting can be checked without performing white balance adjustment. To obtain a color imaging device that allows a user to discriminate. As a result, it is now possible to minimize the chances of reshooting with perfect white balance.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional example of a color imaging device with a white balance system, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a color imaging device as an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is the device shown in Fig. 2. An example of a flowchart showing the operation of FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display device as a display means of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a color imaging device as another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. is an example of a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is an image sensor, 4 is a gain control circuit, 8 and 8' are DC regenerators, 12 and 12' are smoothing circuits, 20 and 20' are comparators, 23 is a CPU, 29 is a memory, 33 and 33'
4 is a soft register, 45 is a display drive circuit, 46 is a display, and 47 is a display switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An imaging means for obtaining a color image signal from an optical image, an adjustment means for adjusting the hue of the color image signal obtained by the imaging means, and controlling the adjustment means using at least a part of the imaging means. 1. A color imaging device comprising a generating means for generating a control signal, a storage means for storing the control signal, and a display means for displaying according to the control signal stored in the storage means.