IMAGE PICK-UP DEVICE AND SYNCHRONIZATION-SIGNAL-GENERATING DEVICE

• US 20090303337A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Katsumi Kaneko, Takashi Tsuchiya
• Original Assignee: Katsumi Kaneko, Takashi Tsuchiya
• Inventors: KANEKO, Katsumi, Tsuchiya, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,264,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/013 the incoming video signal comprising different parts having originally different frame rate, e.g. video and graphics

Abstract

An image signal generation portion 11 generates an image signal of a variable frame-rate picked-up image. A signal generation control portion 24 drives the image signal generation portion 11 and generates image pick-up setting information IF to generate an image signal that is frame-synchronized with a generated image signal DVd. The generated image signal DVd is output in condition where the image pick-up setting information IF is inserted in it. When supplied with image pick-up setting information IFex, the signal generation control portion 24 controls the driving operations of the image signal generation portion 11 based on the image pick-up setting information IFex, to frame-synchronize the generated image signal with an image signal of a reference variable frame-rate picked-up image of a source that has supplied the image pick-up setting information IFex. If a plurality of image pick-up devices capable of varying a frame rate is used, the image signals can be frame-synchronized with each other.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. Image pick-up apparatus for generating an output image signal of variable frame rate to which a variable frame rate output image signal of another image pick-up device can be synchronized, said image pick-up apparatus comprising:

an image pick-up signal generator for generating an image signal of a settable frame-rate;

drive-and-control means for driving and controlling the image pick-up signal generator and to set the frame rate of the generated image signal;

frame rate information generation means for generating frame rate information associated with said set frame rate of the image signal generated by the image pick-up signal generator to vary the frame rate of said image signal as a function of said frame rate information; and

output means for outputting the image signal whose frame rate has been varied as a function of said frame rate information and for outputting said frame rate information.

19. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the output means outputs the image signal with the frame rate information inserted into a blanking interval of said image signal.

20. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein the drive-and-control means drives and controls the image pick-up signal generator, starting from a frame of the image signal that is generated after the frame rate information is output, by selecting the frame rate indicated by the frame rate information.

21. Image pick-up apparatus for generating an output image signal of variable frame rate that is synchronized with another image signal having a variable reference frame rate, said image pick-up apparatus comprising:

an image pick-up signal generator for generating an image signal of a variable frame-rate; and

drive-and-control means for receiving frame rate information indicating said reference frame rate, and driving the image pick-up signal generator based on said received frame rate information to generate said output image signal whose frame rate is controlled by said received frame rate information to frame-synchronize the image signal generated by the image pick-up signal generator with the image signal having the reference frame-rate.

22. The image pick-up device according to claim 21, comprising output means for outputting both the frame-synchronized, variable frame rate image signal generated by the image pick-up signal generator and the received frame rate information.

23. Image pick-up apparatus for generating an output image signal of variable frame rate to which a variable frame rate output image signal of another image pick-up device can be synchronized, said image pick-up apparatus comprising:

an image pick-up signal generator that generates an image signal of a settable frame-rate;

a controller driving and controlling the image pick-up signal generator and to set the frame rate of the generated image signal;

a frame rate information generation unit that generates frame rate information associated with said set frame rate of the image signal generated by the image pick-up signal generator to vary the frame rate of said image signal as a function of said frame rate information; and

an output unit that outputs the image signal whose frame rate has been varied as a function of said frame rate information and for outputting said frame rate information.