Color smear correcting apparatus

• US 5,420,644 A
• Filed: 11/14/1994
• Issued: 05/30/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARVEY, MINSUN OH
• Application Number:
  US08/340,481
• Time in Patent Office: 197 Days
• Field of Search: 348/70, 348/578, 348/584, 348/558, 348/598, 348/65
• US Class Current: 348/588
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/125 Colour sequential image capture, e.g. using a colour wheel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/268 Signal distribution or switching

Abstract

In the color smear correcting apparatus of the present invention, the states of a parent picture and son picture of a video signal from a frame sequential imaging apparatus are discriminated and the color smear correction on the parent picture and the color smear correction on the son picture are independently set. Or, in the color smear correcting apparatus of the present invention, whether a moving picture or a still picture is discriminated on a parent picture and son picture of a video signal output from an endoscope apparatus including a frame sequential imaging apparatus and the color smear correction on the parent picture and the color smear correction on the son picture are independently set.

Claims

1. A color smear correcting apparatus comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal representing whether one of the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal output from a single frame sequential imaging apparatus corresponds to either a moving picture or a still picture; and

means for independently setting a color smear correction on said parent picture and the color smear correction on said son picture, when one of said states is judged to be a moving picture on the basis of said discriminating signal.

5. A color smear correcting apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 and 4 wherein said means for outputting said discriminating signal is a means for discriminating either a moving picture or a still picture from the varied amount in each field of the average of a luminance signal, and outputting a signal having a different level for representing either a moving picture or a still picture for the parent picture and the son picture.

2. A color smear correcting apparatus comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal representing whether one of the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal output from a single frame sequential imaging apparatus corresponds to either a moving picture or a still picture;

means for correcting a color smear of said video signal and outputting the video signal having had the color signal smear corrected; and

means for switching between said video signal and said video signal having had said color smear corrected at a predetermined timing, when one of said states is judged to be a moving picture on the basis of said discriminating signal.

3. A color smear correcting apparatus comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal representing whether one of the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal output from a single frame sequential imaging apparatus corresponds to either a moving picture or a still picture;

means for outputting a color smear correction executing/stopping signal for executing/stopping a color smear correction on said video signal at a predetermined timing on the basis of said discriminating signal; and

means for executing/stopping the color smear correction on said video signal by said color smear correction executing/stopping signal.

4. A color smear correcting apparatus comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal representing different levels in which one of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal output from an endoscope apparatus including a single frame sequential imaging apparatus corresponds to either a moving picture or a still picture; and

means for independently setting a color smear correction on said parent picture and the color smear correction on said son picture on the basis of said discriminating signal.

6. A color smear correcting apparatus means for outputting a discriminating signal representing whether one of the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal output from a single frame sequential imaging apparatus corresponds to either a moving picture or a still picture;

means for correcting a color smear of said video signal and outputting the video signal having had the color signal smear corrected; and

means for switching between said video signal and said video signal having had said color smear corrected at a predetermined timing, when one of said states is judged to be a moving picture on the basis of said discriminating signal, wherein said means for switching between said video signal and said video signal having had the color smear corrected is a means for producing a signal having a level different in the parent picture and the son picture from the output value of a counter starting counting with a horizontal synchronizing signal as a trigger and switching said video signal and said video signal having had the color smear corrected over to each other by a signal produced on the basis of this signal and said discriminating signal.

7. A color smear correcting apparatus comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal representing whether one of the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal output from a single frame sequential imaging apparatus corresponds to either a moving picture or a still picture;

means for outputting a color smear correction executing/stopping signal for executing/stopping a color smear correction on said video signal at a predetermined timing on the basis of said discriminating signal, wherein said means for outputting said color smear correction executing/stopping signal is a means for producing a signal having a level different in the parent picture and the son picture from the output value of a counter starting counting with a horizontal synchronizing signal as a trigger and producing and outputting said color smear correction executing/stopping signal on the basis of this signal and said discriminating signal; and

means for executing/stopping the color smear correction on said video signal by said color smear correction executing/stopping signal.

8. A color smear correcting apparatus, comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal corresponding to the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal from a single frame sequential imaging apparatus, wherein said means for outputting said discriminating signal consists of a means for discriminating either a moving picture or a still picture from the varied amount in each field of the average of a luminance signal, and outputting a signal having different levels, each level representing either a moving picture or a still picture for the parent picture and the son picture; and

means for independently setting a color smear correction on said parent picture and the color smear correction on said son picture on the basis of said discriminating signal.

9. A color smear correcting apparatus, comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal corresponding to the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal from a single frame sequential imaging apparatus, wherein said means for outputting said discriminating signal consists of a means for discriminating either a moving picture or a still picture from the varied amount in each field of the average of a luminance signal, and outputting a signal having different levels, each level representing either a moving picture or a still picture for the parent picture and the son picture;

means for correcting a color smear of said video signal and outputting the video signal having had the color signal smear corrected; and

means for switching between said video signal and said video signal having had said color smear corrected at a predetermined timing on the basis of said discriminating signal.

10. A color smear correcting apparatus, comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal corresponding to the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal from a single frame sequential imaging apparatus, wherein said means for outputting said discriminating signal consists of a means for discriminating either a moving picture or a still picture from the varied amount in each field of the average of a luminance signal, and outputting a signal having different levels, each level representing either a moving picture or a still picture for the parent picture and the son picture,

means for outputting a color smear correction executing/stopping signal for executing/stopping a color smear correction operation on said video signal at a predetermined timing on the basis of said discriminating signal; and

means for executing/stopping the color smear correction on said video signal by said color smear correction executing/stopping signal.

11. A color smear correcting apparatus, comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal corresponding to a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal output from an endoscope apparatus including a single frame sequential imaging apparatus, wherein said discriminating signal has different levels corresponding to a moving picture and a still picture, respectively, wherein said means for outputting said discriminating signal consists of a means for discriminating either a moving picture or a still picture from the varied amount in each field of the average of a luminance signal, and outputting a signal having different levels, each level representing either a moving picture or a still picture for the parent picture and the son picture; and

means for independently setting a color smear correction on said parent picture and the color smear correction on said son picture on the basis of said discriminating signal.

12. A color smear correcting apparatus, comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal corresponding to the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal from a frame sequential imaging apparatus;

means for correcting a color smear of said video signal and outputting the video signal having had the color signal smear corrected; and

means for switching said video signal and said video signal having had said color smear corrected over to each other at a predetermined timing on the basis of said discriminating signal,

wherein said means for switching between said video signal and said video signal having had the color smear corrected consists of a means for producing a signal having a level different in the parent picture and the son picture from the output value of a counter which starts counting with a horizontal synchronizing signal as a trigger and switching between said video signal and said video signal having had the color smear corrected by a signal produced on the basis of this signal and said discriminating signal.

13. A color smear correcting apparatus, comprising:

means for outputting a discriminating signal corresponding to the states of a parent picture and a son picture of a video signal from a frame sequential imaging apparatus;

means for outputting a color smear correction executing/stopping signal for executing/stopping a color smear correction on said video signal at a predetermined timing on the basis of said discriminating signal, wherein said means for outputting said color smear correction executing/stopping signal consists of a means for producing a signal having a level different in the parent picture and the son picture from the output value of a counter which starts counting with a horizontal synchronizing signal as a trigger and producing and outputting said color smear correction executing/stopping signal on the basis of this signal and said discriminating signal,

means for executing/stopping the color smear correction on said video signal by said color smear correction executing/stopping signal.