Color image pick-up apparatus

• US 4,390,895 A
• Filed: 09/11/1981
• Issued: 06/28/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Takemura, Yasuo, Ooi, Kazushige, Sato, Itsuzo, Shinohara, Toshihiro, Saito, Kikuo
• Primary Examiner(s): RICHARDSON, ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US06/301,440
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 358/41, 358/37, 358/40, 358/44
• US Class Current: 348/276
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/84 for processing colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/133 including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light

Abstract

A color image pick-up apparatus using a single planar array of solid state light-sensitive elements with a color mosaic filter. The color mosaic filter is made up of three types of elements occurring in repeating patterns which are such that luminance-type elements occur at every other element portion along both of two orthogonal direction. The signal corresponding to luminance is separated from the output signal of the solid state light-sensitive elements and delayed for one horizontal scanning period. The high frequency component of the delayed signal is extracted. The extracted high frequency component signal is added to the signal corresponding to luminance which is succeedingly produced from the solid state light-sensitive elements.

Claims

1. A color image pick-up apparatus comprising:

a substantially planar array of solid state light-sensitive elements;

a filter mosaic made up of individual filter elements which are superposed in one-to-one registry on said light-sensitive elements, said mosaic being comprised of a first type of element sensitive to a spectral region corresponding to luminance and associated with the color green, a second type of element sensitive to one spectral region corresponding to chrominance and associated with the color red, and third type of element sensitive to a different spectral region corresponding to chrominance and associated with the color blue, the three types of elements occurring in repeating patterns which are such that over at least a major portion of said array luminance-type elements occur at every other element position along both of two orthogonal directions of said array;

separating means for separating said signals associated with red, green, and blue from the output signal of said solid state image pick-up device;

extracting means for extracting a high frequency component from said signal corresponding to luminance and associated with green;

means for adding said high frequency component signal corresponding to luminance and associated with green to the signal corresponding to luminance produced from the adjacent horizontal element of said solid state light-sensitive element; and

color encoder means, connected to said separating means and adding means, for producing color video signals from the signals corresponding to said luminance and chrominance.

2. A color image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said luminance-type elements of the filter mosaic are transparent filters.

3. A color image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adding means comprises:

a delay circuit, connected between said separating means and said extracting means, for delaying the signal from said separating means for one horizontal scanning period.

4. A color image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adding means comprises:

a delay circuit, connected to said extracting means, for delaying the signal from said extracting means for one horizontal scanning period, and

adder circuit, connected to said delay circuit and said separating means, for adding the output signal of said delay circuit to the output signal of said separating means.

5. A color image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adding means comprises:

a delay circuit, connected to said separating means, for delaying the signal from said separating means one horizontal scanning period, and

adder circuit, connected to said extracting means and said delay circuit, for adding the output signal of said exacting means to the output signal of said delay circuit.

6. A color image pick-up apparatus comprising:

a substantially planar array of solid state light-sensitive elements;

a filter mosaic made of individual filter elements which are superposed in one-to-one registry on said light-sensitive elements, said mosaic being comprised of a first type of filter element sensitive to a spectral region corresponding to luminance and associated with the color green, a second type of element sensitive to one spectral region corresponding to chrominance and associated with the color red, and third type of element sensitive to a different spectral region corresponding to chrominance and associated with the color blue, the three types of elements occurring in repeating patterns which are such that over at least a major portion of said array luminance-type elements occur at every other element portion along both of two orthogonal directions of said array;

means for delaying the output signal of said solid state light-sensitive elements for one horizontal scanning period;

first separating means, connected to the output and input of said delaying means, for separating said signals corresponding to luminance alternatively from the input signal and from the output signal of said delaying means;

second separating means for separating said signals associated with red green and blue from the output signal of said solid state light-sensitive element;

extracting means for extracting a low frequency component from the signal corresponding to luminance and associated with green separated by said second separating means;

subtracting means for subtracting the output signal of said extracting means from the output signal of said first separating means; and

color encoder for producing color video signal from the signals from said subtracting means and said second separating means.

7. A color image pick-up apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said second separating means is connected to the output terminal of said delaying means.

8. A color image pick-up apparatus according to claim 6, further comprises:

means for extracting low frequency components from the signals corresponding to chrominance;

a matrix circuit, connected to said extracting means, for producing a luminance signal from said signals corresponding to luminance and chrominance; and

an adder circuit for adding said luminance signal from said matrix circuit to the signal from said subtracting means.

9. A color image pick-up apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said luminance-type elements of the filter mosaic are sensitive in the green region of the spectrum, and the two types of chrominance elements are sensitive in the red and blue regions of the spectrum, respectively.