Image input apparatus and method

• US 20030197794A1
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakata, Tsuguhide
• Granted Patent: US 7,271,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

An image input apparatus is provided which is capable of taking a still image with high quality and with easy operations. The image input apparatus disclosed herein has a video camera and an expansion board mounted on a personal computer. The video camera has a lens, a shutter release switch, an image pickup device, a VIDS circuit, and the like. The expansion board connected via a camera cable to the video camera has a VIDS circuit, an A/D converter, a synchronous signal generator, and the like. As the shutter release switch of the video camera is depressed, the expansion board is controlled to read still image data and compress it. As the shutter release switch is released, it is controlled to resume the initial operations of reading moving image data and compressing it.

Claims

1. An image input apparatus comprising:

an image pickup unit including;

an input unit for inputting a user'"'"'s operation instruction;

converting means for converting an object into an image signal; and

transmitting means for transmitting an image signal output from said converting means; and

an image processing unit including;

receiving means for receiving a signal corresponding to said instruction input from said input unit; and

processing means for processing the image signal transmitted from said transmitting signal in accordance with the signal corresponding to said instruction.

2. An image input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing means is compression processing means for compressing the image signal.

3. An image input apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said compression processing means includes first compressing means suitable for compressing a still image and second compressing means suitable for compressing a moving image.

4. An image input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting means transmits the image signal converted by said converting means at a predetermined period.

5. An image input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image processing unit further includes:

a computer for receiving said instruction; and

a medium for storing software which controls said computer and software which controls said processing means in accordance with said instruction.

6. An image processing unit for receiving a signal corresponding to a user'"'"'s instruction entered by a user of an image pickup unit and receiving an image signal converted from an object by converting means, the image processing unit comprising:

receiving means for receiving a signal corresponding to said instruction entered by the user of the image pickup unit; and

processing means for processing the received image signal in accordance with the signal corresponding to said instruction.

7. An image input apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said processing means is compression processing means for compressing the image signal.

8. An image input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said compression processing means includes first compressing means suitable for compressing a still image and second compressing means suitable for compressing a moving image.

9. An image pickup unit used in combination with an image processing unit for processing a received image signal in accordance with an instruction, comprising:

inputting means for inputting a user'"'"'s operation instruction;

converting means for converting an object into an image signal; and

transmitting means for transmitting an image signal converted by said converting means to the image processing unit.

10. An image pickup unit according to claim 9, wherein said inputting means includes switches operated by a user.

11. An image input apparatus comprising:

image pickup means; and

processing means for compressing an image signal transmitted from said image pickup means, wherein

said image pickup means including switching means for switching an image pickup between a moving image and a still image and notification means for notifying said processing means of a state of said switching means, and

said processing means including first compression means for executing compression suitable for the moving image, second compression means for executing compression suitable for the still image and selection means for selecting said first or second compression means in accordance with the notified state.

12. An image input apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

if said switching means is in a non-operated state, said selection means selects said first compression means; and

if said switching means is in an operated state, said selection means changes a selection of said first compression means to a selection of said second compression means and resumes a selection of said first compression means after a lapse of a predetermined time.

13. An image input apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said predetermined time is a time required for said second compression means at least to compress image signals in unit of frame or field.

14. An image input apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

if said switching means continues to be operated, said second compression means continues to compress image signals in unit of frame or field; and

after the lapse of said predetermined time after said switching means is not operated, an operation by said first compression means resumes.

15. An image input apparatus according to claim 11, further comprises display means for displaying said compressed image signals, wherein:

said display means displays image signals compressed by said first and second compression means in different windows; and

the window displaying the image signals compressed by said second compression means is formed separately for each frame or field.

16. An image input apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said notification means notifies a state of said switching means during a blanking period of the image signals by multiplexing a signal representative of the state with the image signals.

17. An image input apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising means for setting a while balance of the image signals to a value shifted for the still image, if said switching means is in an on-state, wherein said second compression means compresses the video signals whose set value is shifted for the still image.

18. An image input method wherein an image signal transmitted from image pickup means is compressed by processing means, the image input method comprising the steps of:

said image pickup means notifying said processing means of an on/off state of switching means for switching an image pickup between a moving image and a still image; and

said processing means selecting first compression means suitable for compression of the moving image or second compression means suitable for compression of the still image, in accordance with the notified on/off state.