JPS63187977A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To smooth a picture to be formed with a high resolution and in a large area by increasing a visual field viewed by an image pickup element and interpolating a non-photosensitive area between the image pickup elements by a signal processing. CONSTITUTION:A signal horizontally block scanned at a pitch of an equal dimension to the entire dimension of the solid-state image pickup element 23 and photoelectrically transferred by the solid-state image pickup element 23 is converted to a digital signal in an A/D converter 31 and alternately inputted to frame memories 32A, 32B for every one frame. When data is inputted to the one frame memory 32A, the data of a previous frame inputted to the other frame memory 32B is inputted to an interpolating circuit 34 through a multiplexer 33 to execute an interpolating processing. The interpolated data is alternately inputted for every frame to frame memories 35A, 35B for displaying and fed to a CRT monitor 25 from a D/A converter 37.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] This is an imaging device using a two-dimensional optical sensor such as a two-dimensional solid-state image sensor, which is a horizontal or a scanning means that performs block scanning consisting of vertical scanning; and averaging signals of adjacent pixels corresponding one-to-one to each horizontally and vertically adjacent element constituting the two-dimensional optical sensor, and the averaged signal The field of view of the two-dimensional optical sensor is expanded by interpolating between adjacent pixels, and the resolution is So that you get a smooth, high-quality image.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to an imaging device using a two-dimensional optical sensor, and particularly to an imaging device that can obtain a large image screen with high resolution and high image quality even when using a two-dimensional optical sensor with a small number of elements. .

The optical information (field of view) to be imaged is detected by an optical sensor such as a two-dimensional infrared detection element, and the detected information is serially read out by an integrated charge transfer element in combination with the infrared detection element. Imaging devices that amplify information and display the image on a display screen such as a CRT are well known.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 5 shows such a conventional two-dimensional optical sensor and an imaging device using the same.

Information from the field of view l is condensed by a condenser lens 2 and enters a solid-state image sensor 3, which is a type of two-dimensional optical sensor. In the solid-state image sensor 3, the incident light is converted into an electrical signal, and this signal is outputted to a monitor 6 such as a CRT via an amplifier 4 and a signal processing circuit 5. Figure 6(a)
FIG. 6(b) shows a schematic diagram of a conventional two-dimensional solid-state image sensor and an image obtained thereby.

As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the number of elements 3A, 3B, 3C, etc. of the solid-state image sensor 3 and each pixel 7A, 7B, 7B, and There is a one-to-one correspondence with 7C... Therefore, higher resolution (higher pixels)
In order to achieve this, each element 3A, 3B, 3C of the solid-state image sensor 3
It is necessary to increase the number of...

There are two ways to increase the number of elements: the first method is to miniaturize each element while keeping the same chip size, and the second method is to increase the chip size while keeping each element the same size. There is.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, when trying to realize the first method, in a storage type solid-state imaging device in which detected information is stored as electric charge in a potential well formed in the element, the storage electrode for forming the well is A certain area is required for the area of
Therefore, the area of the electrode cannot be formed to be less than a certain area.

Therefore, the area of the formed elements cannot be made smaller than a certain area, and therefore the first method of miniaturizing each element is difficult to implement.

In addition, in the second method of increasing the chip size, it is difficult to maintain uniform conditions for forming elements such as diffusion conditions within the chip, and the proportion of chips formed from one wafer decreases. , leading to a decrease in device yield.

When an imaging device is formed using such a two-dimensional optical sensor with a small number of elements, pixels 7A and 7B are formed as shown in FIG.
, 7C..., the field of view 12 of the imaging pattern 11 to be imaged by the two-dimensional optical sensor becomes small, and the resolution of the obtained image is poor, and the number of pixels is small, resulting in poor image quality. This results in the inconvenience that the image pattern 13 is not smooth and is mosaic-like.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and even when using a two-dimensional optical sensor with a small number of elements, that is, the photosensitive area is not formed in a high density, a display screen with high resolution and a large area can be realized. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an imaging device that can obtain the following.

[Means for solving problems]

The imaging device of the present invention includes a condenser lens that condenses information of a field of view to be imaged onto a two-dimensional optical sensor, and a condenser lens that scans the field of view horizontally or vertically to obtain a field of view that all elements of the two-dimensional optical sensor see. scanning means for scanning a block by 1:1, and averaging signals between adjacent pixels formed by a one-to-one correspondence of each element constituting the two-dimensional photosensor, and using the averaged signal between adjacent pixels. The present invention is characterized in that a signal processing means for interpolating between two pixels is provided.

[Effect]

According to the imaging device of the present invention, by scanning blocks using a scanning mirror at a pitch that is the same as the size of all elements of a solid-state imaging device such as a two-dimensional optical sensor, the field of view seen by the imaging device is increased, and further signal processing is performed. By using a circuit to perform signal processing to interpolate the non-light-sensitive areas between the elements of the solid-state image sensor, the formed image becomes high-resolution, smooth, and can be obtained over a large area.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imaging device according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, a scanning mirror 21 scans horizontally or vertically at a pitch equal to the size of all elements of a solid-state imaging device.
and a condensing lens 22 that condenses the light from the scanning mirror 21.
and a two-dimensional solid-state image sensor 23, such as a CCD, in which pixels are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the horizontal and vertical directions.
and an amplifier 24 that amplifies the signal accumulated by this image element 23, and for the signal amplified by this amplifier 24,
It further includes a signal processing circuit 25 that fills in the non-sensitized areas between the imaging elements, and a monitor 26 such as a CRT that displays the signals obtained by the signal processing circuit 25 as images.

The details of such signal processing circuit 25 are further shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, and the operating state of this device is further shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 3.

The operation of the apparatus of the present invention will be explained using FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, scan I! 2
1, a block is scanned horizontally in the direction of arrow A with a pi-sochi having a dimension equal to the dimension l of all elements of the solid-state image sensor 23, and the electric signal photoelectrically converted by the solid-state image sensor 23 is amplified by an amplifier 24. After that, the A/D converter 31 in the signal processing circuit 25 converts the signal into a digital signal.

This digital signal is transmitted to frame memories 328 and 32.
The signals are input to B alternately every frame period.

The term "one frame period" as used herein corresponds to a period corresponding to two frames of the solid-state image sensor which is block-scanned. When data is manually input to one frame memory 32^ (32B), in the next frame, data is input to the other frame memory 32B (32B).
32A), but at that time, the data in the frame memory 32A (32B) that was input in the previous frame is input to the interpolation circuit 34 through the multiplexer 33, and interpolation processing is performed.

This interpolation circuit consists of: ■ an arithmetic circuit for interpolation, ■ an address generation circuit for the frame memory 32^ (32B) in which the original data for interpolation is stored, and ■ the number of pixels obtained by interpolation. The address generation circuit is configured to write the increased image data into the frame memories 35^ and 35B.

The data obtained by the interpolation circuit 34 is alternately input to frame memories 35^ and 35B for display on a frame-by-frame basis, and while one frame memory is inputting data from the interpolation circuit 34, The frame memory outputs data to a D/A converter 37 through a multiplexer 36.

The CRT monitor 36 inputs the analog output (video signal) of the /^ converter 37 and displays a high-quality image. The multiplexers 38A and 38B are multiplexers for switching between manual operation and interpolation operation of the output of the solid-state image sensor in the frame memories 32A and 32B for each frame. This is the address used when inputting the element output to the frame memory.

The multiplexers 39A and 39B are multiplexers for switching addresses so that the frame memories 35^ and 35B for display alternately repeat the input operation of data from the interpolation circuit and the display operation for each frame. The display address input to multiplexers 39A and 39B is the address used when creating display I#1.

Of the arrows in the figure, the solid lines indicate the flow of data and the broken lines indicate the flow of addresses, and the addresses output from the interpolation circuit 34 are stored in the frame memories 32^, 32 during the interpolation operation.
This is an address for accessing B, 35A, and 35B.

Here, the signals converted into digital signals by the AI converter 31 are further stored in frame memories 32A and 32B connected in parallel to the A/D converter 31, and then read out alternately by the multiplexer 33 described above. Each element 23A of the solid-state image sensor 23 shown in FIG. 4 is processed by a signal processor such as an interpolation circuit 34.

Each pixel 23 corresponding to 23B, 23C, 23D...
A-1, 23B-1, 23C-1, . . . signals are output.

The signals to be interpolated are, for example, a pixel corresponding to one of the imaging elements 23^ is 23A-1, its pixel signal is A, a pixel corresponding to the element 23B is 23B-1, and its pixel signal is If B, pixel 23A-1 and pixel 23
To interpolate the horizontal gap between B-1 and
It calculates as shown in equation 1 and outputs a pixel signal of α.

α=(^+B)/2 (1) A pixel 23α that interpolates between the pixel 23A-1 and the element 23B-1 is formed based on the pixel signal of α.

Further, if the signal of pixel 23A-1 is A, and the signal of pixel 23C-1 is C, then pixel 23A-1 and pixel 23G-1
To interpolate the vertical gap between
A pixel signal of β is output as shown in the equation.

β=(A+C)/2 (2). This β
A pixel 23β that interpolates between the pixel 23A-1 and the pixel 23C-1 is formed by the pixel signal .

Also, the signal of pixel 23A-1 is A, the signal of pixel 23B-1 is B, the signal of pixel 23C-1 is C, and pixel 2
If the signal of 3D-4 is D, pixel 23A-1, pixel 2
To interpolate the gap between the area surrounded by 3B-19 pixel 23G-1 and pixel 23D-1, use T as shown in equation (3).
Outputs pixel signals.

γ=(A+B +C+D)/4・・・・・・・・・(3
) This T signal causes pixels 23A-1, 23B-1,
23C-1.

A pixel 23r that interpolates between 23 and 1 is obtained.

The signal processed by the multiplexer 33 in this way is sent to either the subsequent frame memory 35A or 35B by -1.
After being stored, the signals are read out alternately by a multiplexer 36, and the read signals are converted into video signals by a D/A converter 37, and then displayed as images on a monitor 26 such as a CRT. .

FIG. 4 shows the state of the video pattern of the image obtained by each element of the solid-state image sensor and the state of the imaging pattern of the field of view detected by the image sensor by signal processing according to the present invention, and the state of the image pattern of the image detected by each element of the solid-state image sensor. They are shown corresponding to the elements.

A curve 41 in the figure represents an imaging pattern, and a curve 42 represents an image pattern. Also, in the figure 23A-1, 238-1
... indicates a pixel corresponding to each element of the solid-state image sensor,
23α is an interpolated pixel obtained by the signal processing circuit.

As shown in the figure, according to the method of the present invention, a conventional field of view 43 is expanded into a field of view 44 by performing block scanning in an image pattern 42. Furthermore, the signals output from each element 23A, 23B, etc. of the solid-state image sensor are converted into pixel signals α, β, which are the averaged output signals of the elements.
, γ . . . to fill in the gaps between non-light-sensitive parts of the image sensor, and the conventional mosaic image pattern has been improved into a smooth and high-quality image.

As described above, according to the imaging device of the present invention, the range (field of view) to be imaged by the solid-state image sensor is widened by block scanning by the scanning mirror, and the image is captured by interpolation processing to fill gaps between elements by the signal processing circuit. The pitch of the pixels that make up the pattern becomes finer, and the formed image becomes smoother, resulting in a higher quality image. - [Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the imaging device of the present invention, the field of view captured by the imaging element becomes wider, and smooth, high-quality images can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the imaging device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the signal processing circuit of the imaging device of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the device of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the image pattern obtained with the device of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the conventional device, and FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are the conventional solid-state image sensor. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of an image pattern obtained by a conventional apparatus. In the figure, 21 is a scanning mirror, 22 is a condensing lens, 23, 238, 23
8.23C. 23D is a solid-state image sensor, 23A-1, 23B-1, 23
C-1..., 23α, 23β,... are pixels, 24 is an amplifier, 25 is a signal processing circuit, 26 is a monitor, 31 is A
/D converter, 32A, 32B. 35A, 35B are frame memories, 33, 36.3
FIA, 38B, 39A. 39B is a multiplexer, 34 is an interpolation circuit, 37 is a D/
A converter, 41 is the imaging pattern, 42 is the image pattern, 43.44 is the field of view, l is the dimension of professional scanning, A
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Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A condensing lens (22) that condenses information of a field of view to be imaged onto a two-dimensional optical sensor (23), and a condenser lens (22) that scans the visual field in a horizontal or vertical direction, A scanning means (21) that performs block scanning for the field of view seen by all the elements, and a one-to-one relationship between each element constituting the two-dimensional optical sensor (23).
An imaging device characterized by being provided with a signal processing means (25) that averages signals between adjacent pixels formed by the correspondence and interpolates between adjacent pixels using the averaged signal. .