Digital image recording and reproducing apparatus having formats corresponding to pixel configurations

• US 7,295,765 B1
• Filed: 05/13/1996
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Kijima, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, Y YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/645,487
• Time in Patent Office: 4,201 Days
• Field of Search: 358/335,310,906,342 348/441,445,913,207,448,314,294 360/33.1,35.1 386/117,124
• US Class Current: 386/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0135 involving interpolation processes interpolation-based image scaling G06T3/4007; interpolation for video coding H04N19/587, H04N19/59

Abstract

In a digital image recording/reproducing apparatus of the invention, image data obtained via a charge-coupled-device (CCD) is processed by a processing circuit so as to produce a luminance signal and color-difference signals, which are supplied to corresponding first frame memories via selectors and temporarily stored therein. Then the data are read from the first frame memory and subjected to data conversion in terms of vertical pixels via line memories and further via vertical pixel conversion circuits. The data is then subjected to data conversion in terms of horizontal pixels via a first horizontal pixel conversion circuit. The resultant data is selectively supplied to a monitor and an electronic viewfinder via a selector or stored in a second frame memory. The data stored in the second frame memory is read via a selector and subjected to data compression. The resultant data is then recorded on a recording medium.

Claims

1. A digital image recording apparatus comprising:

a solid state imaging device;

a selecting element for selecting one of a predetermined image data in a format corresponding to a first pixel configuration of said solid state imaging device and another image data in a format corresponding to a pixel configuration different from said first pixel configuration;

an electronic calculation element responsive to said selecting element for obtaining said another image data by performing inter-pixel calculation on pixels of said one predetermined image data to obtain the different pixel configuration, thereby eliminating need for a shifting mechanism to move the imaging device relative to a given optical path;

and a recording element for recording image data selected via said selecting element.

2. A digital image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said calculation element performs said inter-pixel calculation in such a manner that n pixels are taken as a unit of said inter-pixels calculation wherein calculation coefficients are varied in said inter-pixel calculation for said n pixels within unit (where n is a positive integer).

3. A digital image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein n is equal to 2^m wherein m is a positive integer.

4. A digital image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said solid state imaging device is of an interline type which outputs data equal to a sum of values of different pixels; and

said electronic calculation element obtains said another image data by means for selecting an optimum value from said sum of values thereby performing conversion in terms of a number of vertical pixels.

5. A digital image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in an operation mode in which said recording element records said one predetermined image data, said calculation element performs inter-pixel calculation on said another image data along its vertical direction and said calculation element also interpolates color-difference signals to obtain noninterlaced data.

6. A digital image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a monitor element for checking a framing condition of image data to be recorded on said recording element, wherein in an operation mode in which image data to be displayed on said monitor element has a format in terms of a pixel configuration which is the same as that of said other image data, and said calculation element includes means which performs calculation in one of a plurality of different manners in selection of pixel data along a vertical direction depending on whether image data is recorded via said recording element or image data is monitored by said monitor element.

7. A digital image reproducing apparatus comprising:

a recording element for recording image data;

an identification element for identifying a pixel configuration of the image data recorded on said recording element;

an electronic conversion element for converting image data to be reproduced into image data having a particular pixel configuration according to an identification result given by said identification element; and

said electronic conversion element producing image data having said particular pixel configuration by performing an inter-pixel calculation on pixels of the recorded image data.

8. A digital image reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said image data comprise a plurality of horizontal and vertical pixels and said electronic conversion element converts only horizontal pixels.

9. A digital image reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said conversion element converts both horizontal pixels and vertical pixels.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said calculation element enables use of an inexpensive imaging device typically employed in a conventional video camera.

11. A digital image reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said conversion element converts one of only horizontal pixels and both horizontal pixels and vertical pixels.

12. A digital image reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image data having said particular pixel configuration produced by said conversion element has a same angle of view as original image data recorded on said recording element.

13. A digital image reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image data having said particular pixel configuration produced by said conversion element is subjected to digital processing in response to a clock signal which is the same as a clock signal for processing image data recorded on said recording element.

14. A digital image recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

a solid state imaging device;

a selecting element for selecting one of a predetermined image data in a format corresponding to a pixel configuration of said solid state imaging device and another image data in a format corresponding to a pixel configuration different from said pixel configuration of said solid state imaging device to accomadate a display format;

a recording element for recording image data selected via said selecting element;

an electronic calculation element responsive to said selecting element for producing said another image data by performing inter-pixel calculation on pixels of said predetermined image data thereby eliminating a need for a shifting mechanism to move the imaging device relative to a given optical path;

an identification element for identifying a pixel configuration of the image data recorded on said recording element; and

a conversion element for converting image data to be reproduced into image data having a particular pixel configuration according to an identification result given by said identification element,

wherein said calculation element and said conversion element are constructed with commonly-used constant multipliers, summing circuits and delay circuits.

15. Digital image recording apparatus according to claim 14 further comprising second frame memory mean and means for coupling said recording means to said second frame memory means and for coupling said second frame memory means to said vertical and horizontal pixel conversion means for conversion of the pixel format stored in said recording means to a pixel format different from that stored in said recording means and for recording the converted pixel format to said recording medium responsive to a selection request.

16. Digital image recording apparatus, comprising:

an image sensing element having a predetermined pixel arrangement comprised of m rows and n columns where m and n are real integers greater than one;

means for converting image information at each pixel into digital form;

a first frame memory for storing one frame of an image, said frame being comprised of digitized pixels;

electronic horizontal pixel conversion means for converting pixels in each row sequentially row by row to a number of pixels different from a number of pixels in said image sensing element;

electronic vertical pixel conversion means for converting pixels in each column to a number of pixels different from a number of pixels in each column of the image sensing element;

a recording medium;

selector means for selecting a predetermined pixel arrangement different from the pixel arrangement of said image sensing element;

means for selectively coupling said vertical and horizontal pixel conversion means to said first frame memory for selectively converting the pixel arrangement in said first frame memory to another pixel arrangement responsive to the selection means;

means for selectively coupling the vertical and horizontal pixel conversion means to said recording means for recording said different arrangement; and

wherein said vertical pixel conversion means includes means for electronically performing an inter-pixel calculation.

17. Digital image recording apparatus, comprising:

an image sensing element having a predetermined pixel arrangement comprised of m rows and n columns where m and n are real integers greater than one;

means for converting image information at each pixel into digital form;

a first frame memory for storing one frame of an image,

said frame being comprised of digitized pixels;

electronic horizontal pixel conversion means for converting pixels in each row sequentially row by row to a number of pixels different from a number of pixels in said image sensing element;

electronic vertical pixel conversion means for converting pixels in each column to a number of pixels different from a number of pixels in each column of the image sensing element;

a recording medium;

selector means for selecting a predetermined pixel arrangement different from the pixel arrangement of said image sensing element;

means for selectively coupling said vertical and horizontal pixel conversion means to said first frame memory for selectively converting the pixel arrangement in said first frame memory to another pixel arrangement responsive to the selection means;

means for selectively coupling the vertical and horizontal pixel conversion means to said recording means for recording said different arrangement; and

wherein said horizontal pixel conversion means includes means for electronically performing an inter-pixel calculation.

18. Digital image recording apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said means for performing inter-pixel calculation includes means for summing different pixels.

19. Digital image recording apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said means for performing inter-pixel calculation includes means for multiplying pixels by a constant value and means for summing different pixels.

20. Digital image recording means according to claim 17 further comprising electronic means for delaying a pixel prior to an inter-pixel calculation.

21. A digital image recording apparatus, comprising:

a solid state imaging device;

a selecting element for selecting one of a predetermined first image data in a format corresponding to a first pixel configuration of the solid state imaging device and a second image data in a format corresponding to a second pixel configuration different from the pixel configuration;

a determining element for determining a first number of pixels by which to divide the first pixel configuration and a second number of pixels by which to divide the second pixel configuration based on a ratio between a sampling period for one pixel in the first image data and a sampling period for one pixel in the second image data;

a grouping element for respectively dividing each of the first image data and the second image data into groups based on the first and second numbers of pixels determined by the determining element;

an electronic calculation element responsive to the selecting element to perform an electronic pixel shift and an inter-pixel calculation on pixels of the imaging device to obtain the different pixel configuration, thereby eliminating need for a shifting mechanism to move the imaging device relative to a given optical path; and

a recording element for recording image data selected via the selecting element;

wherein the electronic calculation element calculates the second image data having the second pixel configuration by replacing a pixel in each group of the second image data having the second pixel configuration with a pixel having a sampling period substantially the same as a sampling period of a corresponding pixel of the first image data, and by replacing each of the remaining pixels in each group of the second image data with a pixel obtained by processing of two adjacent pixels in the first image data having the first pixel configuration based on a ratio between the first and second numbers of pixels.

22. A digital image recording apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the second image data obtained by the electronic calculation element has a pixel configuration with a resolution higher than a resolution of the first image data.

23. A digital image recording apparatus according to claim 22, wherein conversion from first image data having the first pixel configuration to the second image data having the second pixel configuration comprises conversion of only pixels arranged in a horizontal direction.

24. A digital image recording apparatus according to claim 21, wherein identification data is stored in the recording element to identify the pixel configuration of the second image data when the second image data is stored in the recorded element.

25. A digital image reproducing apparatus for converting a first image data having a first pixel configuration to a second image data having a second pixel configuration different from the first image data for displaying the converted image data on a monitor, the digital image reproducing apparatus comprising:

a recording element for recording image data;

a determining element for determining a first number of pixels by which to divide the first pixel configuration and a second number of pixels by which to divide the second pixel configuration based on a ratio between a sampling period for one pixel in the first image data and a sampling period for one pixel in the second image data;

a grouping element for dividing each of the first image data and the second image data based on the first and second numbers of pixels determined by the determining element; and

an electronic conversion element for converting the first image data to the second image data by inter-pixel calculation

wherein the electronic conversion element produces the second image data having the second pixel configuration by replacing a pixel in each group of the second image dat having the second pixel configuration, with a pixel having a sampling period substantially the same as a sampling period of one corresponding pixel in the first image data having the first pixel configuration based on a ratio between the first and second numbers of pixels.

26. A digital image reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the second image data obtained by the electronic conversion element has a pixel configuration with a resolution higher than a resolution of the first image data.

27. A digital image reproducing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein conversion from the first image data having the first pixel configuration to the second image data having the second pixel configuration comprises conversion of only pixels arranged in a in horizontal direction.

28. A digital image reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein identification data is stored in the recording element to identify the pixel configuration of the second image data when the second image data is stored in the recording element.

29. A digital image recording apparatus, comprising:

a solid state imaging device;

a selecting element for selecting one of a predetermined image data in a format corresponding to a first pixel configuration of the solid state imaging device and another image data in a format corresponding to a pixel configuration different from the first pixel configuration

an electronic calculation element responsive to the selecting element to perform inter-pixel calculation on pixels of the imaging device to obtain the different pixel configuration, thereby eliminating need for a shifting device to move the imaging device relative to a given optical path;

a recording element for producing a pseudo moving image data based on the said another image data, the pseudo moving image data conforming to a TV standard system that is adaptable to an electronic viewfinder applied as a monitor element, regardless of the first pixel configuration of the solid state imaging device.