Solid-state color imaging apparatus having color filter array which eliminates vertical color error

Abstract

Abstract A solid-state color imaging apparatus includes an array of color filters. The first and third rows of the array are constructed entirely of same-color filters. The second row of the array comprises a first set of color filters for generating a first color difference signal component modulated with a predetermined number of picture elements forming one cycle in the horizontal direction, and the fourth row comprises a second set of color filters which generates a second color difference signal component modulated with a predetermined number of picture elements forming one cycle in the horizontal direction. In one embodiment, the same-color filters of the first and third rows are transparent to red, green and blue light. In another embodiment, the same-color filters transmit green light and attenuate the intensity of blue and red light so that intensity of the transmitted blue and red light is half the intensity of the incident blue and red light, respectively, thereby to approximate the spectral characteristics of a luminance signal of an NTSC color television signal. A color difference signal component is not included in the odd-numbered horizontal rows but only in the even-numbered horizontal rows whereby vertical color error is not generated in the color difference signal in the output signal even when the horizontal picture elements in the adjacent rows have no vertical correlation. Thus, the color difference signal included in the output signal from the color imaging apparatus is formed from a single horizontal picture element row to provide a color television signal without generating vertical color error.

Inventors

• 👤 Akiyoshi Kohno

Bibliographic Details