Color television camera apparatus and method for producing an analog video signal for use with a plurality of video standard system

• US 5,255,081 A
• Filed: 02/21/1992
• Issued: 10/19/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Kazuyoshi, Asaida, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HSIA, SHERRIE Y
• Application Number:
  US07/839,164
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 358/41, 358/23, 358/24, 358/30, 358/31, 358/39, 358/40, 358/50, 358/51, 358/44, 358/11
• US Class Current: 348/234
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/046 Colour interpolation to calculate the missing colour values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/447 by preserving the colour pattern with or without loss of information

Abstract

In a color television camera apparatus, a 2fs-rate luminance signal and fs-rate chrominance signals are selectively generated by a matrix circuit 8, in conformity with a plurality of standard systems, from 2fs-rate three-color image pick-up signals generated by an image signal pick-up unit. The fs-rate chrominance signals are modulated by a modulating circuit 12 into fs-rate modulated chrominance signals which are converted by a rate converter 13 into 2fs-rate modulated chrominance signals. The 2fs-rate luminance signals and the 2fs-rate modulated chrominance signals are combined by an adder 14 into 2fs-rate digital composite video signals which are converted by a D/A converter 15 into analog composite video signals. In this manner, analog composite video signals, in which the bandwidth of the luminance signals has been enhanced up to the sampling frequency fs, may be selectively outputted in conformity with a plurality of standard systems.

Claims

1. A color television camera apparatus comprising:

image signal generating means for generating digital three-color image signals as a 2fs-rate, in which fs≃

4f_sc and f_sc is a sampling clock rate;

luminance signal generating means for selectively generating a digital luminance signal at a 2fs-rate so as to form a 2fs-rate digital luminance signal corresponding to a selected video standard system selected from among a plurality of video standard systems from the digital three-color image signals;

chrominance signal generating means for selectively generating digital chrominance signals at a fs-rate so as to form fs-rate digital chrominance signals corresponding to the selected video standard system from the digital three-color image signals;

modulating means for modulating said fs-rate digital chrominance signals corresponding to the selected video standard system;

rate converting means having filter means for performing filtering represented by a selected transfer function selected from among a plurality of transfer functions for converting modulated chrominance signals from said modulating means into 2fs-rate modulated chrominance signals, in which the selected transfer function is selected according to the selected video standard system;

composite video signal generating means for generating a digital composite video signal at a 2fs-rate according to the 2fs-rate digital luminance signal and the 2fs-rate modulated chrominance signals from the rate converting means; and

digital-to-analog converting means for converting said 2fs-rate digital composite video signal into an analog composite video signal.

2. A color television camera apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said image signal generating means comprises three CCD image sensors, analog-to-digital converting means for converting output signals from said three CCD image sensors into digital image signals, and interpolating means for generating the digital three-color image signal at 2fs-rate by interpolating the digital image signals from said analog-to-digital converting means.

3. A color television camera apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of video standard systems include a NTSC system and a PAL system.

4. A color television camera apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an output terminal for outputting the 2fs-rate digital luminance signal.

5. A color television camera apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said PAL system includes a first PAL system having a 908f_H clock rate and a second PAL system having a 944f_H clock rate, in which f_H represents a horizontal scanning frequency.

6. A color television camera apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said chrominance signal generating means includes down-sampling means having a filter having a zero point at least at a frequency fs for generating the fs rate digital chrominance signals.

7. A method for generating a color television signal, said method comprising the steps of:

generating digital three-color image signals at a 2fs-rate, in which fs≃

4f_sc and f_sc is a sampling clock rate;

selectively generating a digital luminance signal at the 2fs-rate so as to form a 2fs-rate digital luminance signal corresponding to a selected video standard system selected from among a plurality of video standard systems from the digital three-color image signals;

selectively generating digital chrominance signals at a fs-rate so as to form fs-rate digital chrominance signals corresponding to the selected video standard system from the digital three color image signals;

modulating said fs-rate digital chrominance signals corresponding to the selected video standard system so as to form a modulated chrominance signals;

converting the modulated chrominance signals into 2fs-rate modulated chrominance signals by filtering the modulated chrominance signals using selected transfer functions according to the selected video standard system;

generating a digital composite video signal at the 2fs-rate from the 2fs-rate digital luminance signal and the 2fs-rate modulated chrominance signals; and

converting said 2fs-rate digital composite video signal into an analog composite video signal.

8. A color television signal generating method according to claim 7 wherein said plurality of video standard systems include a NTSC system and a PAL system.

9. A color television camera apparatus comprising:

image signal generating means for generating digital three-color image signals at a 2fs-rate, in which fs≃

4f_sc and f_sc is a sampling clock rate;

luminance signal generating means for selectively generating a digital luminance signal at the 2fs-rate so as to form a 2fs-rate digital luminance signal corresponding to a selected video standard system selected from among a NTSC and a PAL video standard systems from the digital three-color image signals;

chrominance signal generating means for selectively generating digital chrominance signals at a fs-rate corresponding to the selected video standard system from the digital three-color image signals;

first low-pass filter means connected to a first chrominance output terminal of said chrominance signal generating means for filtering an output signal from said first chrominance output terminal, said first low-pass filter means performing filtering represented by a transfer function given by;

##EQU19## second low-pass filter means connected to a second chrominance output terminal of the chrominance signal generating means for filtering an output signal from said second chrominance output terminal, said second low-pass filter means performing filtering represented by transfer functions given by;

##EQU20## transfer function H_11Q (z) being selected when the NTSC video system is selected and transfer function H_11U (z) being selected when the PAL video system is selected;

modulating means for modulating output signals from said first and second low-pass filter means;

rate converting means having means for performing filtering represented by a transfer function selected from among a plurality of transfer functions for converting modulated filtered chrominance signals from said modulating means into a 2fs-rate modulated filtered chrominance signal, in which the transfer function of the rate converting means is selected according to the selected video standard system;

composite video signal generating means for generating a digital composite video signal at a 2fs-rate from the 2fs-rate digital luminance signal and the 2fs-rate modulated filtered chrominance signal from the rate converting means; and

digital-to-analog converting means for converting said 2fs-rate digital composite video signal into an analog signal.

10. A color television camera apparatus comprising:

image signal generating means for generating digital three-color image signals at a 2fs-rate, in which fs≃

4f_sc and f_sc is a sampling clock rate;

luminance signal generating means for selectively generating from the digital three-color image signals a digital luminance signal at the 2fs-rate so as to form a 2fs-rate digital luminance signal corresponding to a selected one of a NTSC video standard system, a first PAL video standard system having a 908 f_H clock rate and a second PAL video standard system having a 944 f_H clock rate, in which f_H is a horizontal scanning frequency;

chrominance signal generating means for selectively generating from the digital three-color image signals digital chrominance signals at a fs-rate so as to form fs-rate digital chrominance signals corresponding to the selected video standard system;

modulating means for modulating said fs-rate digital chrominance signals;

rate converting means having filter means for performing filtering represented by a transfer function selected from among a plurality of transfer functions for converting modulated chrominance signals from said modulating means into 2fs-rate modulated chrominance signals, in which said plurality of transfer functions include;

##EQU21## and in which, transfer function H_13A (z) being selected when the NTSC system is selected, transfer function H_13B (z) being selected when the first PAL system is selected, and transfer function H_13c (z) being selected when the second PAL video system is selected;

composite video signal generating means for generating a digital composite video signal at the 2fs-rate according to the 2fs-rate digital luminance signal and the 2fs-rate modulated chrominance signal from the rate converting means; and

digital-to-analog converting means for converting said 2fs-rate digital composite video signals into an analog signal.