Image-signal processing apparatus and method

• US 6,961,094 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2001
• Issued: 11/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kagawa, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Natnael, Paulos M.
• Application Number:
  US09/931,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20020025071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 348/441, 348445-459
• US Class Current: 348/441
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 for frame-grabbing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/012 Conversion between an interlaced and a progressive signal for graphics images G09G2310/0229

Abstract

An image signal output from a first delay circuit is taken out from an image interpolation filter and from a second delay circuit corresponding to an image-quality adjustment filter, and an image signal selected by a first selector is output through a second selector from an output terminal. In this case, a bypass unit (the second delay circuit and the first selector) for bypassing the image interpolation filter and the image-quality adjustment filter to take out a first set and a second set of images written into first and second image memories is provided. Selections at the first and second selectors are made according to an identification signal for identifying an interlaced image signal or a progressive image signal, extracted by a decoder circuit, a still-image/motion-image mode signal input to a first control terminal, and a first/second field selection signal input to a second control terminal.

Claims

1. An image-signal processing apparatus for generating a still-image signal in any one frame from a video signal including either an interlaced image signal having first and second fields of an image in which adjacent fields have different time axes or a progressive image signal having first and second fields obtained by alternately extracting every other horizontal scanning line from images having different time axes in alternate frames, said apparatus comprising:

identification means for identifying the interlaced image signal or the progressive image signal included in the video signal;

first and second image memories for storing two consecutive fields of images included in the video signal;

a motion detection filter for detecting motion by comparing the images stored in the first and second image memories;

an image interpolation filter for, when motion is detected by the motion detection filter in a first set of images stored in the first and second image memories, modifying the first set of images with a second set of images stored in the first and second image memories;

bypass means for bypassing the image interpolation filter to extract the first set and the second set of images stored in the first and second image memories; and

signal output means for alternately extracting, in fields, the first set and the second set of images sent from the image interpolation filter when the identification means either identifies the interlaced image signal or cannot identify the interlaced image signal, and for alternately extracting, in fields, the first set and the second set of images sent from the bypass means when the identification means identifies the progressive image signal.

2. The image-signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reproduction apparatus for reproducing the video signal from any recording medium and for generating a reproduction output signal which form the still-image signal.

3. The image-signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display apparatus for receiving the video signal through wire or without wire and for displaying the still-image signal.

4. An image-signal processing method for generating a still-image signal in any one frame from a video signal including either an interlaced image signal having first and second fields of an image in which adjacent fields have different time axes or a progressive image signal having first and second fields obtained by alternately extracting every other horizontal scanning line from images having different time axes in alternate frames, said method comprising:

an identification step of identifying the interlaced image signal or the progressive image signal included in the video signal;

a step of storing two consecutive fields of images included in the video signal in first and second image memories;

a motion detecting step of detecting motion by comparing the images stored in the first and second image memories;

a step of, when motion is detected in the motion detecting step in a first set of images stored in the first and second image memories, modifying the first set of images with a second set of images stored in the first and second image memories by using an image interpolation filter;

a bypass step of bypassing the image interpolation filter to extract the first set and the second set of images stored in the first and second image memories; and

a signal output step of alternately extracting, in fields, the first set and the second set of images sent from the image interpolation filter when the interlaced image signal is identified or cannot be identified in the identification step, and of alternately extracting, in fields, the first set and the second set of images extracted in the bypass step when the progressive image signal is identified in the identification step.

5. The image-signal processing method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of reproducing the video signal from any recording medium and of generating a reproduction output signal which form the still-image signal.

6. The image-signal processing method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of receiving the video signal through wire or without wire and of displaying the still-image signal.