Image pickup apparatus

• US 6,374,039 B1
• Filed: 07/23/1998
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Wada, Hidetoshi, Hori, Taizo, Matsui, Izumi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/121,058
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.576, H04/N.577, 386/46, 386/95, 386/96, 386/98, 386/111, 386/112, 386/109, 386/107, 386/117, 386/124, 358/906, 358/909.1, 348/14.1, 348/220
• US Class Current: 386/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/78266 using more than one track for the recording of one television field or frame, i.e. segmented recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7973 by dividing the luminance or colour component signal samples or frequency bands among a plurality of recording channels H04N9/804, H04N9/825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

There is disclosed an image pickup apparatus which outputs moving image information, obtained with an image pickup device of progressive scanning type, as video signals of two channels, compresses the amount of information of the video signals of the two channels with compressing units of two channels, and transmits the compressed video signals of two channels to a peripheral device in the compressed state.

Claims

1. An image apparatus comprising:

image pickup means for obtaining image information with an image pickup device of progressive scan type, and outputting a corresponding video signal consisting of two field images in a mutually interlacing relationship within a same frame, as video signals of two channels, each of the video signals of two channels consisting of a plurality of fields;

compression means of two systems for respectively compressing the amount of information of the video signals of two channels outputted from said image pickup means; and

transmission means for transmitting the video signals of two channels compressed by said compression means of two system to a peripheral device in the compressed state, said transmission means transmitting the video signals of two channels without omitting the plurality of fields of each of the video signals of two channels.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said image pickup means is adapted to output the video signal consisting of two field images in a mutually interlacing relationship within a same frame, as said video signals of two channels.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

display means for displaying the image of the video signal of a channel, among said video signals of two channels.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said image pickup means is adapted to determine the difference of said two field images and output the video signal of one of said two field images and said difference signal as said video signals of two channels.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

audio generation means for generating an audio signal with a microphone, wherein said transmission means is adapted to multiplex said audio signal respectively with said video signals of two channels for transmission.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said transmission means has a first transmission mode for transmitting said video signals of both of two channels, and a second transmission mode for transmitting the video signal of either channel only of said video signals of two channels.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said transmission means is adapted to transmit said video signals in a format according to the IEEE1394 serial bus standard.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said peripheral device includes a personal computer.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said peripheral device includes a display device of progressive scan type.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

recording means for recording the video signals of two channels, compressed by said compression means, on a recording medium.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

said recording means has a first recording mode for recording said video signals of both of two channels, and a second recording mode for recording the video signal of either channel only of said video signals of two channels.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

said recording means is adapted, in said first recording mode, to transport said recording medium at a first speed, and, in said second recording mode, to transport said recording medium at a speed lower than said first speed in said first recording mode.

13. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

said transmission means is capable of entering the video signals, transmitted in compressed state from said peripheral device; and

said recording means is capable of recording the video signals, entered by said transmission means, on said recording medium.

14. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

said recording medium includes a magnetic tape.

15. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

said recording medium includes a disk-shaped recording medium.

16. An imaging apparatus comprising:

image pickup means for generating, utilizing moving image information of non-interlaced images of n frames per second (n being an integer at least equal to

     2) obtained by an image pickup device of progressive scan type, a first video signal consisting of mutually interlaced n fields per second and a second video signal representing the non-interlaced images of n frames per second;

compression means for compressing an amount of information of the video signals obtained from said image pickup means; and

transmission means for transmitting the video signals, compressed by said compression means, to a peripheral device in the compressed state;

wherein said transmission means has a first transmission mode for transmitting said first video signal consisting of mutually interlaced n fields per second in said compressed state and a second transmission mode for transmitting said second video signal representing the non-interlaced images of n frames per second in said compressed state.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

said image pickup means is adapted to generate, utilizing said moving image information, video signals of two channels consisting of two field images in a mutually interlaced relationship in a same frame, to obtain said first video signal utilizing only one of said video signals of two channels and to obtain said second video signal utilizing both of said video signals of two channels.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

said image pickup device is adapted to sequentially output the image information of a frame as the signal of a channel, and said image pickup means includes conversion means of a channel for converting said image information of a channel into a digital signal.

19. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

said image pickup device is adapted to output the image information of a frame as signals of two channels, namely a first signal consisting of image information of odd-numbered lines and a second signal of image information of even-numbered lines, and said image pickup means includes first conversion means for converting said first signal into a digital signal and second conversion means for converting said second signal into a digital signal.

20. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

said compression means includes a memory, a high efficiency encoding circuit for applying the video signals outputted from said image pickup means for writing into said memory, and an error correction encoding circuit for applying an error correction encoding process on the high efficiency encoded video signals stored in said memory, and said transmission means is adapted to transmit the video signals, written into said memory by said high efficiency encoding circuit, to said peripheral device.

21. An apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

recording means for recording, in a recording medium, said second video signal representing the non-interlaced images of n frames per second compressed by said compression means;

reproducing means for reproducing said second video signal representing the non-interlaced images of n frames per second from said recording medium,

wherein said transmission means further transmits said second video signal representing the non-interlaced images of n frames per second, reproduced by said reproducing means, to said peripheral device in said compressed state.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said peripheral device includes a television monitor of progressive scan type.