Solid-state color television camera

• US 4,513,312 A
• Filed: 09/30/1982
• Issued: 04/23/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Takemura, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Richard
• Application Number:
  US06/429,011
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 358/44
• US Class Current: 348/275
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

An incident light image is projected onto a CCD device through a color filter array. The color filter array is provided with a color filter row (n'"'"') with the same construction as that of a color filter row (n) corresponding to an nth horizontal scanning for interlacing purposes, which is disposed between the color filter row (n) and a (n+1)th color filter row corresponding to a (n+1)th horizontal scanning. The color filter blocks forming the color filter rows (n) and (n+1) are disposed and shifted by the half of a length (L) of each block extending in the horizontal scanning direction. All of the color filter rows forming the color filter array each have an arrangement of color filter blocks with two different color transmission characteristics alternately arranged.

Claims

1. A solid-state color television camera comprising:

an image pickup device;

a color filter array placed in front of said solid-state image pickup device;

a color separation circuit for extracting three primary colors, red, green and blue, from a multiplex signal derived from said image pickup device;

said filter array including a plurality of color filter rows arranged extending in the horizontal scanning direction, each of said color filter rows having color filter blocks with different color transmission characteristics alternately arranged, in which a first color filter row selected from said plurality of color filter rows is made up of first and second color filter blocks with first and second color transmission characteristics, said first color filter row is disposed adjacent to a second color filter row made up of and alternately arranged third and fourth filter blocks respectively having a third color transmission characteristic and a given transmission characteristic, and said first and second color filter blocks of said first color filter row are disposed and shifted a given length in the horizontal scanning direction, with respect to said third and fourth color filter blocks of said second color filter row; and

said solid-state image pickup device having a plurality of photosensors disposed corresponding to said color filter blocks of said color filter array.

2. A solid-state color television camera according to claim 1, in which first and second color components as specified color components in the transmitted color light rays obtained from said first color filter row have the same phases and periods;

and said second color filter row produces first and second color components with the same periods but different phases.

3. A solid-state color television camera according to claim 1, in which said first color filter row includes a transparent filter block and a green filter block, and said second color filter row includes a yellow filter block, a cyan filter block, said first color component is red, and said second color component is blue.

4. A solid-state color television camera according to claim 1, in which said first color filter row includes a transparent filter block and a red filter block, said second color filter row includes a magenta filter block and a yellow filter block, said first color component is blue, and said second color component is green.

5. A solid-state color television camera according to claim 1, in which said first color filter row includes a transparent filter block and a blue filter block, and said second color filter row includes a magenta filter block and a cyan filter block, said first color component is red, and said second color component is green.

6. A solid-state color television camera according to claim 1, in which said multiplex color signal separating means includes means for obtaining a color signal at high frequency from said multiplex color signal, means for delaying said high frequency color signal by one horizontal scanning period and a phase of π

, and means for obtaining two specific color signals of red, blue and green color signals from said high frequency color signal and the color signal obtained by delaying said high frequency color signal.

7. A solid-state color television camera according to claim 1, in which said multiplex color signal separating means includes means for forming a color signal at high frequency from said multiplex color signal, means for delaying said high frequency color signal by one horizontal scanning period, means for delaying said high frequency color signal by π

, and means for obtaining two specific color signals of red, blue and green color signals from said high frequency color signal and the color signal obtained by delaying said high frequency color signal.

8. A solid-state color television camera according to claim 1, in which, in said color filter array, first to fourth color filter rows continuously arranged make up a functional unit, said first and second color filter rows are provided corresponding to the nth horizontal read out, said third and fourth color filter rows are provided corresponding to the (n+1)th horizontal read out, said color blocks forming said first to fourth color filter rows are disposed by phase π

one filter block to another, said first color filter row having an arrangement of color filters permitting transmission of a first color light and color filters permitting transmission of a second color light alternately arranged, said second and fourth color filter rows having arrangement of color filters permitting transmission of a third color light and color filters permitting transmission of a fourth color light alternately arranged, said third color filter row having an arrangement of color filters permitting transmission of a fifth color light and color filters permitting transmission of a sixth color light alternately arranged;

said image pickup device includes means for mixing and reading out the charges stored in said first and second color filter rows at the time of the nth horizontal scanning for mixing and reading out the charges stored in said third and fourth color filter rows at the time of the (n+1)th horizontal scanning, and for producing multiplex signals as horizontal scanning signals.

9. A solid-state color television camera according to claim 8, in which said first and third color filter rows are each comprised of transparent filter blocks and yellow filter blocks, and said second and fourth filter rows are each comprised of filter blocks and yellow filter blocks, and said second and fourth filter rows are each comprised of transparent filter blocks and cyan filter blocks.

10. A solid-state color television camera according to claim 8, in which said first color filter row is comprised of yellow and cyan filter blocks, said second and fourth color filter rows are each comprised of yellow and transparent filter blocks, and said third color filter row is comprised of green and transparent filter blocks.