Image sensing apparatus which can detect optical characteristics of an image to control title insertion

• US 5,502,486 A
• Filed: 02/28/1994
• Issued: 03/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Koji, Ueda, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRANT, CHRISTOPHER C
• Application Number:
  US08/203,695
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 358/183, 358/209, 358/180, 358/185, 358/310, 358/335, 348/556, 348/558, 348/561, 348/563, 348/564, 348/578, 348/581, 348/239, 348/240, 348/458, 348/589, 348/704, 348/586
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/278 Subtitling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9206 the additional signal being a character code signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7925 for more than one standard

Abstract

There is provided an image sensing apparatus which comprises a detecting part for detecting an optical characteristic of a photographic optical system, an image sensing part for converting an optical image photographed by the photographic optical system into an electrical signal, a combining part for combining character information with image information outputted from the image sensing part, and a control part for controlling a combining operation of the combining part in accordance with an output of the detecting part. There is also provided an image sensing apparatus which comprises a detecting part for detecting an optical characteristic of a photographic optical system, an image sensing part for converting an optical image photographed by the photographic optical system into an electrical signal, a character information generating part for generating character information to be combined with image information outputted from the image sensing part, and a compressing part for compressing the character information in accordance with an output of the detecting part.

Claims

1. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

a) an optical system capable of varying an aspect ratio of a photographed image;

b) detecting means for detecting a conversion ratio of said optical system;

c) image sensing means for converting an optical image photographed by said optical system into an electrical signal;

d) combining means for combining character information with image information outputted from said image sensing means; and

e) controlling means for controlling a combining operation of said combining means in accordance with an output from said detecting means.

2. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said optical system includes an anamorphic lens.

3. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character information includes information indicative of a time of photography.

4. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character information includes information indicative of a date of photography.

5. An image sensing system comprising:

a) an optical system for forming an image of a subject as an optical image;

b) detecting means for detecting an optical characteristic of said optical system;

c) identification information generating means for generating identification information associated with the optical characteristic from an output of said detecting means;

d) image sensing means for converting the optical image photographed by said optical system into an electrical signal;

e) character information generating means for generating character information;

f) combining means for combining the character information with image information indicated by the electrical signal formed by said image sensing means;

g) controlling means for controlling a combining operation of said combining means in accordance with an output of said detecting means; and

h) recording means for recording the image information combined with the character information by said combining means on a recording medium together with the identification information.

6. An image sensing system comprising:

a) an optical system for forming an image of a subject as an optical image;

b) detecting means for detecting an optical characteristic of said optical system;

c) identification information generating means for generating identification information associated with the optical characteristic from an output of said detecting means;

d) image sensing means for converting the optical image photographed by said optical system into an electrical signal;

e) character information generating means for generating character information;

f) combining means for combining the character information with image information indicated by the electrical signal formed by said image sensing means;

g) controlling means for controlling a combining operation of said combining means in accordance with an output of said detecting means;

h) recording means for recording the image information combined with the character information by said combining means on a recording medium together with the identification information;

i) read-out means for reading out the image information and the identification information from the recording medium;

j) converting means for converting an aspect ratio of the read image information on the basis of the identification information; and

k) adjusting means for adjusting the image information to an aspect ratio of a screen on which the image information is to be displayed.

7. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

a) detecting means for detecting an optical characteristic of a photographic optical system;

b) image sensing means for converting an optical image photographed by the photographic optical system into an electrical signal;

c) combining means for combining character information with image information outputted from said image sensing means; and

d) controlling means for controlling a combining operation of said combining means in accordance with an output of said detecting means.

8. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said photographic optical system includes an anamorphic lens.

9. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the optical characteristic is a conversion ratio of an aspect ratio of the anamorphic lens.

10. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

a) an aspect-ratio converting optical system capable of varying an aspect ratio of a photographed image;

b) image sensing means for converting an optical image photographed by said optical system into an electrical signal;

c) detecting means for detecting whether said aspect-ratio converting optical system has been attached;

d) combining means for combining character information with image information outputted from said image sensing means; and

e) controlling means for controlling a position on a screen where the character information is to be combined, in accordance with an output of said detecting means.

11. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

a) image sensing means capable of outputting a first image signal and a second image signal indicative of an image having an angular field of view which is enlarged only in a predetermined direction with respect to an angular field of view of an image indicated by the first image signal;

b) generating means for generating a third image signal other than the first and second image signals; and

c) combining means for combining the image signal outputted from said image sensing means with the third image signal;

said generating means generating the third image signal at a timing when the third image signal is combined with a portion of the second image signal which is defined not within the enlarged angular field of view but within the angular field of view of the image indicated by the first image signal.

12. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the third image signal is an image signal having binary levels.

13. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the third image signal has image information indicative of information on a character.

14. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a timing when said generating means generates the third image signal when said image sensing means outputs the first image signal differs from a timing when said generating means generates the third image signal when said image sensing means outputs the second image signal.

15. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the angular field of view of the image indicated by the second image signal is expanded horizontally with respect to the angular field of view of the image indicated by the first image signal.

16. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

a) image sensing means capable of outputting a first image signal and a second image signal indicative of an image having an angular field of view which is enlarged only in a predetermined direction with respect to an angular field of view of an image indicated by the first image signal;

b) generating means for generating a third image signal other than the first and second image signals, a timing when said generating means generates the third image signal when said image sensing means outputs the first image signal being selected to differ from a timing when said generating means generates the third image signal when said image sensing means outputs the second image signal; and

c) combining means for combining an image signal outputted from said image sensing means with the third image signal.

17. An image sensing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said generating means generates, when said image sensing means outputs the first image signal, the third image signal over the entire period during which the first image signal is generated, while when said image sensing means outputs the second image signal, said generating means generates the third image signal for only a portion of the period during which the second image signal is generated.

18. An image signal processing apparatus, comprising:

a) input means for inputting an image signal;

b) aspect-ratio converting means for converting an aspect-ratio of said image signal;

c) combining means for combining a character signal with said converted image signal;

d) detecting means for detecting a converting characteristic of said converting means; and

e) control means for controlling a combining operation of said combining means, in response to an output of said detecting means.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said character signal is an information signal indicating a time.

20. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said character signal is an information signal indicating a date.

21. A video camera which mounts the image signal processing apparatus according to claim 18.

22. An image signal processing apparatus, comprising:

a) input means for inputting an image signal;

b) aspect-ratio converting means for converting an aspect-ratio of said image signal;

c) combining means for combining a character signal with said converted image signal;

d) generating means for generating an indicating signal relating to a converting characteristic of said converting means; and

e) control means for controlling a combining operation of said combining means in response to the indicating signal generated by said generating means.

23. A video camera which mounts the image signal processing apparatus according to claim 22.

24. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said converting means is arranged to convert the aspect-ratio by an anamorphic lens.

25. An image signal processing apparatus, comprising:

a) input means for inputting a first image signal;

b) converting means for converting an aspect-ratio of said first image signal;

c) detecting means for detecting a converting characteristic of said converting means;

d) generating means for generating a second image signal, said generating means being arranged so that a timing of generating the second image signal is controlled in response to an output of said detecting means; and

e) combining means for combining said converted first image signal and said second image signal.

26. An apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said second image signal is an image signal having binary levels.

27. A video camera which mounts the image signal processing apparatus according to claim 25.

28. An image signal processing apparatus comprising:

a) input means for inputting first image signal;

b) detecting means or detecting an aspect ratio of the first image signal input by said input means;

c) combining means for combining a second image signal with the first image signal output from said input means; and

d) controlling means for controlling a combining operation of said combining means in accordance with an output from said detecting means.

29. An apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said input means includes image pickup means for converting an optical image into an electrical signal.

30. An apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said input means includes conversion means for compressing or expanding images having various aspect ratios into an image having a predetermined aspect ratio.

31. An apparatus according to claim 28, comprising further combining means for combining aspect ratio information associated with aspect ratio detected by said detecting means with the first image signal output from said input means.

32. An apparatus according to claim 31, further comprising recording means for recording an image signal output from said combining means on a recording medium.

33. An apparatus according to claim 32, further comprising reproduction means for reproducing the image signal recorded by said recording means.

34. A video camera which mounts the image signal processing apparatus according to claim 28.

35. An apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the second image signal is a character signal.

36. An apparatus according to claim 28, further comprising recording means for recording an image signal output from said combining means on a recording medium.

37. An apparatus according to claim 36, further comprising reproduction means for reproducing the image signal recorded by said recording means.