Resolution conversion unit and apparatus having resolution conversion unit

• US 6,509,931 B1
• Filed: 03/09/2000
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Video & Information System Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Komatsu, Hiroyuki, Mizosoe, Hiroki, Ohtsubo, Hiroyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael H.
• Application Number:
  US09/522,366
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.701, H04/N 1.120, H04/N.974, 348/458, 348/445, 348/441, 348/581, 348/582, 348/561, 348/562, 345/660, 345/667, 345/668, 345/669, 345/670, 345/671, 382/298
• US Class Current: 348/458
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0135 involving interpolation processes interpolation-based image scaling G06T3/4007; interpolation for video coding H04N19/587, H04N19/59

Abstract

The large circuit scale problem is avoided by applying a systematic algorithm for both enlargement and reduction. A resolution conversion unit for converting the resolution of an input video signal with a magnification of M/N is provided with a storage part for storing the arithmetic result, an arithmetic part having an adding part for adding a positive integer M to an output of the storage part and a subtracting part for subtracting a positive integer N from the output of the storage part, a memory part for temporarily storing a video signal, a memory control part for generating a reading and/or writing control signal based on an output supplied from the arithmetic part, and a pixel value arithmetic part for calculating an output pixel value corresponding to a pixel value included in an input video signal based on an output supplied from the arithmetic part.

Claims

1. A resolution conversion unit for converting resolution of a video signal from the number of input pixels N to the number of output pixels M, comprising:

an input part for receiving the video signal;

a first arithmetic part for adding a positive integer M to or for subtracting a positive integer N from a variable depending on the variable, and generating a result; and

a second arithmetic part for operating the output pixel values based on the input pixel values of the video signal supplied to said input part and the result supplied from said first arithmetic part, and generating the video signal of the output pixel values.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 3, wherein arithmetic of said output pixel values is performed by means of linear interpolation by use of said input pixel values.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 3, wherein arithmetic of said output pixel values is performed based on timing information associated with said input pixels and the distance information associated with said input pixels.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 3, wherein;

said positive integer M is an integer that is expressed in the form of M=2^k wherein k is an integer that is not negative,

said second arithmetic part has a dividing arithmetic part for dividing by M, and

said dividing arithmetic part performs dividing by shifting an input value by k bits.

2. A resolution conversion unit for converting resolution of a video signal from the number of input pixels N to the number of output pixels M, comprising:

a selection part for selecting one video signal from a plurality of video signals;

a first arithmetic part for adding a positive integer M to or for subtracting a positive integer N from a variable depending on the variable, and generating a result; and

a second arithmetic part for operating output pixel values based on the input pixel values of the video signal supplied from said selection part and the result supplied from said first arithmetic part, and generating the video signal of the output pixel values.

3. A television receiver for displaying an image with converting resolution of a video signal from the number of input pixels N to the number of output pixels M, comprising:

a selection part for selecting one video signal from a plurality of video signals;

a first arithmetic part for adding a positive integer M to or for subtracting a positive integer N from a variable depending on the variable, and generating a result;

a second arithmetic part for operating the output pixel values based on the input pixel values of the video signal supplied from said selection part and the result supplied from said first arithmetic part, and generating the video signal of the output pixel values; and

a display part for displaying the image based on the video signal supplied from said second arithmetic part.

4. An image taking apparatus for generating an image with converting resolution of a video signal from the number of input pixels N to the number of output pixels M, comprising:

an image taking part for taking the image and converting it to the video signal;

a first arithmetic part for adding a positive integer M to or for subtracting a positive integer N from a variable depending on the variable, and generating a result;

a second arithmetic part for operating the output pixel values based on the input pixel values of the video signal converted by said image taking part and the result supplied from said first arithmetic part, and generating the video signal of the output pixel values; and

an output part for generating the image based on the video signal supplied from said second arithmetic part.

5. A copying machine for generating a copied image with converting resolution of a video signal from the number of input pixels N to the number of output pixels M, comprising:

an input part for taking in an image of a subject to be copied and generating an video signal;

a first arithmetic part for adding a positive integer M to or for subtracting a positive integer N from a variable depending on the variable, and generating a result;

a second arithmetic part for operating the output pixel values based on the input pixel values of the video signal supplied from said input part and the result supplied from said first arithmetic part, and generating the video signal of the output pixel values; and

an output part for forming the copied image based on the video signal supplied from said second arithmetic part.

6. A recording/reproducing apparatus for generating an output image with converting resolution of a video signal from the number of input pixels N to the number of output pixels M, comprising:

a recording part for recording a video signal;

a first arithmetic part for adding a positive integer M to or for subtracting a positive integer N from a variable depending on the variable, and generating a result;

a second arithmetic part for operating the output pixel values based on the input pixel values of the video signal recorded by said recording part and the result supplied from said first arithmetic part, and generating the video signal of the output pixel values; and

an output part for generating the output image based on the video signal supplied from said second arithmetic part.

7. A display apparatus for displaying an image with converting resolution of a video signal from the number of input pixels N to the number of output pixels M, comprising:

an input part for receiving an video signal;

a first arithmetic part for adding a positive integer M to or for subtracting a positive integer N from a variable depending on the variable, and generating a result;

a second arithmetic part for operating the output pixel values based on the input pixel values of the video signal received by said input part and the result supplied from said first arithmetic part, and generating the video signal of the output pixel values; and

a display part for displaying the image based on the video signal supplied from said second arithmetic part.

11. A resolution conversion unit for converting resolution of an input video signal with a magnification of M/N, comprising:

a storage part for storing an arithmetic result;

an arithmetic part including an adding unit for adding a positive integer M to an output of the storage part and a subtracting unit for subtracting a positive integer N from the output of the storage part;

a memory part for temporarily storing a video signal;

a memory control part for generating a reading and/or writing control signal based on an output supplied from the arithmetic part; and

a pixel value arithmetic part for calculating an output pixel value corresponding to the pixel value included in the input video signal based on the output supplied from the arithmetic part.

12. A resolution conversion unit according to claim 11, wherein:

the integer M is equal to or smaller than the integer N;

the input video signal is supplied to the pixel value arithmetic part;

a video signal that is an output from the pixel value arithmetic part and includes an output pixel value is supplied to the memory part; and

an output supplied from the pixel value arithmetic part is served as an output of the resolution conversion unit.

13. A resolution conversion unit according to claim 11, wherein:

the integer M is equal to or larger than the integer N;

the input video signal is supplied to the memory part;

the video signal that is the output from the memory part and includes the pixel value included in the input video signal is supplied to the pixel value arithmetic part; and

an output supplied from the pixel value arithmetic part is served as an output of the resolution conversion unit.

14. A resolution conversion unit according to claim 11, wherein:

a storage part for storing a value that is changeable from an outside of the unit is provided and the positive integers M and N are stored in the storage part,

the resolution conversion unit comprises;

a first selection part for selecting either the input video signal or the output supplied from the pixel value arithmetic part and supplying it to the memory part;

a second selection part for selecting either the input video signal or the output supplied from the memory part and supplying it to the pixel value arithmetic part; and

a third selection part for selecting either the output supplied from the pixel value arithmetic part or the output supplied from the memory part and then sending it out from the resolution conversion unit,

in a case that the positive integer M is equal to or smaller than the positive integer N, the first selection part selectively supplies the output from the pixel value arithmetic part to the memory part, the second selection part selectively supplies the input video signal to the pixel value arithmetic part, and the third selection part selects the output supplied from the memory part and sends it out from the resolution conversion unit, and on the other hand

in a case that the positive integer M is equal to or larger than the positive integer N, the first selection part selectively supplies the input video signal to the memory part, the second selection part selectively supplies the output from the memory part to the pixel value arithmetic part, and the third selection part selects the output supplied from the pixel value arithmetic part and sends it out from the resolution conversion unit.

15. A resolution conversion unit according to claim 11, wherein:

the positive integer M is an integer that is expressed in the form of M=2^k wherein k is an integer that is not negative;

the pixel value arithmetic part is a pixel value arithmetic part having a dividing arithmetic part for dividing by M; and

the dividing arithmetic part is a dividing arithmetic part for performing dividing by shifting an input value by k bits.