Solid-state color image pickup apparatus

• US 4,714,955 A
• Filed: 11/05/1986
• Issued: 12/22/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Noda, Masaru, Kato, Minoru, Nishimura, Ryuji, Imaide, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/927,140
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 358/48, 358/43, 358/44, 358/41, 358/29 C
• US Class Current: 348/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/84 for processing colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/133 including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

A color video camera using a solid-state image pickup device having filters of the complementary color system consisting of a filter to transmit the light of all colors, a filter to transmit the yellow light, a filter to transmit the cyan light, and a filter to transmit the green light can obtain color signals having no color aliasing by selecting the conditions of the arithmetic operating processes of the signals corresponding to the respective filters. In these conditions, assuming that the signals corresponding to the four kinds of filters are represented by W, Ye, Cy and G in correspondence to the colors of the respective filters, a red signal and a blue signal are produced by the arithmetic operations represented by the following expressions:

R=αW-βCy+γYe-δG

B=α'"'"'W+β'"'"'Cy-γ'"'"'Ye-δ'"'"'G

wherein the respective arithmetic operational ratios α, β, γ, δ, α'"'"', β'"'"', γ'"'"', and δ'"'"' are set so as to satisfy the condition of the following expression:

αW+βCy=γYe+δG or

α'"'"'W+γ'"'"'Ye=β'"'"'Cy+δ'"'"'G.

This setting is realized by setting the amplification factors of the amplifiers to amplify the respective signals which are output in correspondence to the respective filters so as to meet this condition and by adding and subtracting those outputs.

Claims

1. A signal processing apparatus for obtaining a video signal in which color aliasings were suppressed for a color video camera having an image pickup device consisting of a number of photoelectric converting elements which are two-dimensionally arranged and four kinds of color separation optical filters which are repetitively arranged on the surfaces of said photoelectric converting elements in accordance with a predetermined order, said signal processing apparatus comprising:

an image pickup device for outputting a first signal, a second signal, a third signal, and a fourth signal respectively corresponding to said four kinds of color separation optical filters; and

color signal producing means for producing a first color signal and a second color signal by processing said first to fourth signals on the basis of arithmetic operations of the following expressions;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">C.sub.1 =α

S.sub.1 -β

S.sub.2 +γ

S.sub.3 -δ

S.sub.4

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">C.sub.2 32 α

'"'"'S.sub.1 +β

'"'"'S.sub.2 -γ

'"'"'S.sub.3 -δ

'"'"'S.sub.4

wherein respective arithmetic operational ratios α

, β

, γ

, δ

, α

'"'"', β

'"'"', γ

'"'"', and δ

'"'"' of said first and second color signals are set so as to substantially satisfy the following condition

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">α

S.sub.1 +β

S.sub.2 =γ

S.sub.3 +δ

S.sub.4 or α

'"'"'S.sub.1 +γ

'"'"'S.sub.3 =β

'"'"'S.sub.2 +δ

'"'"'S.sub.4.

2. A signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said four kinds of color separation optical filters (FIGS. 3, 14A, 14B) are constituted by a first filter to transmit lights of all colors, a second filter to transmit cyan light, a third filter to transmit yellow light, and a fourth filter to transmit green light, and

said color signal producing means produces a red signal as said first color signal and produces a blue signal as said second color signal.

3. A signal processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said color signal producing means, the respective arithmetic operational ratios are set under a condition such that a color temperature when the arithmetic operational ratios to produce the red signal are set is higher than a color temperature when the arithmetic operational ratios to produce the blue signal are set.

4. A signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

color temperature detecting means for detecting a color temperature of light which is input to the image pickup device; and

means for changing the arithmetic operational ratios in said color signal producing means in accordance with an output of said color temperature detecting means.

5. A signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

diaphragm control means for controlling a diaphragm of a lens system in accordance with an amount of incident light to the image pickup device; and

means for changing said arithmetic operational ratios in said color signal producing means in response to an output of said diaphragm control means.

6. A signal processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

color signal processing means for producing a green signal G'"'"' by performing an arithmetic operation process of the following expression

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">B'"'"'=-W+Ye+Cy+3G

from a W signal corresponding to a transparent filter, a Ye signal corresponding to a yellow filter, a Cy signal corresponding to a cyan filter, and a G signal corresponding to a green filter which are output in correspondence to said four kinds of color separation optical filters.

7. A signal processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

color temperature detecting means for detecting a color temperature of light which is input to the image pickup device; and

means for changing the arithmetic operational ratios in said color signal producing means in response to an output of said color temperature detecting means.

8. A method of producing color signals to produce a color television signal with less aliasing interference in a color video camera having an image pickup device consisting of a number of photoelectric converting elements which are two-dimensionally arranged and four kinds of color separation optical filters which are repetitively arranged on the surfaces of said photoelectric converting elements in accordance with a predetermined order, said color signal producing method comprising the steps of:

taking out a first signal, a second signal, a third signal, and a fourth signal respectively corresponding to said four kinds of color separation optical filters from said image pickup device; and

producing two color signals by arithmetically operating said first to fourth signals on the basis of the following expressions

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">C.sub.1 =α

S.sub.1 -β

S.sub.2 +γ

S.sub.3 -δ

S.sub.4

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">C.sub.2 =α

'"'"'S.sub.1 +β

'"'"'S.sub.2 -γ

'"'"'S.sub.3 -δ

'"'"'S.sub.4

wherein respective arithmetic operational ratios α

, β

, γ

, δ

, α

'"'"', β

'"'"', γ

'"'"', and δ

'"'"' are set so as to substantially satisfy the following condition

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">α

S.sub.1 +β

S.sub.2 =γ

S.sub.3 +δ

S.sub.4 or α

'"'"'S.sub.1 +γ

'"'"'S.sub.3 =β

'"'"'S.sub.2 +δ

'"'"'S.sub.4.

9. A color video camera having a solid-state image pickup device consisting of a number of photoelectric converting elements which are two-dimensionally arranged and four kinds of color separation optical filters which are repetitively arranged on the surfaces of said photoelectric converting elements in accordance with a predetermined order, said color video camera comprising:

a solid-state image pickup device having four kinds of color separation optical filters consisting of a transparent filter to transmit lights of all colors, a yellow filter to transmit a yellow light, a cyan filter to transmit a cyan light, and a green filter to transmit a green light;

four amplifiers for respectively amplifying four kinds of signals consisting of a W signal, a Ye signal, a Cy signal, and a G signal corresponding to said four kinds of color separation optical filters which are output from said solid-state image pickup device;

a color signal producing circuit for producing a red signal R and a blue B signal by arithmetically operating said four kinds of signals on the basis of the relation of the following expressions

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R=α

W-β

Cy+γ

Ye-δ

G

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">B=α

'"'"'W+β

'"'"'Cy-γ

'"'"'Ye-δ

'"'"'G

wherein respective arithmetic operational ratios α

, β

, γ

, δ

, α

'"'"', β

'"'"', γ

'"'"', and δ

'"'"' are set so as to substantially satisfy the following condition

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">α

W+β

Cy=γ

Ye+δ

G or α

'"'"'W+γ

'"'"'Ye=β

'"'"'Cy+δ

'"'"'G;

a luminance signal producing circuit for producing a first luminance signal having a wide band frequency component and a second luminance signal having a narrow band frequency component which is used to obtain color difference signals on the basis of said four kinds of W, Cy, Ye, and G signals which are output from said solid-state image pickup device;

a signal processing circuit for producing a desired luminance signal and two kinds of color difference signals from the red signal, the blue signal, and the first and second luminance signals which are output from said color signal producing circuit and said luminance signal producing circuit; and

a color encoder for generating a color television signal in accordance with a desired television system from said desired luminance signal and two kinds of color difference signals which are obtained from said signal processing circuit.

10. A color video camera according to claim 9, wherein said color signal producing circuit consists of a color signal producing circuit for producing a green signal by performing an arithmetic operation of