US5247360A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Contour-emphasizing apparatus in television camera
Assignee: Ikegami Tsushinki Co Ltd
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Filing: 1990-05-01
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Granted: 1993-09-21
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Expires: 2010-05-01
Abstract
Abstract A contour-emphasizing apparatus for a television camera includes a level correcting circuit for correcting an image signal non-linearly to the image signal level, so that the contour signal in a dark image region, is emphasized to a greater degree than to which the contour signal in a light image region is emphasized, to thereby produce a legible sharp image.
Inventors
- 👤 Norihiko Kawada
- 👤 Shoichi Ioka
- 👤 Katsumi Degawa
- 👤 Keiichi Fujishima
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 08:36
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N5/00; H04N5/14; H04N5/142; H04N5/20; H04N5/205; H04N5/208; H04N9/00; H04N9/64; H04N9/646
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
174 words
A contour-emphasizing apparatus in a television camera, where a contour-signal is extracted from an image signal, the image signal having an image signal level, the image signal having a dark image region and a bright image region, and the contour-signal is emphasized and corrected according to the image signal level, said apparatus comprising: means for producing the image signal; a level-correcting circuit for receiving the image signal, correcting the image signal non-linearly to the image signal level to produce a corrected image signal, and outputting the corrected image signal; a contour-emphasizing circuit for receiving the corrected image signal, extracting the contour signal from the corrected image signal and outputting an emphasized contour signal; and means for adding the emphasized contour signal to the image signal to produce a contour-emphasized image signal; wherein said level-correcting circuit is configured for correcting the image signal in the dark image region by a first gain and correcting the image signal in the bright image region by a second gain, said first gain being greater than said second gain.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
174 words
A contour-emphasizing apparatus in a television camera, where a contour-signal is extracted from an image signal, the image signal having an image signal level, the image signal having a dark image region and a bright image region, and the contour-signal is emphasized and corrected according to the image signal level, said apparatus comprising: means for producing the image signal; a level-correcting circuit for receiving the image signal, correcting the image signal non-linearly to the image signal level to produce a corrected image signal, and outputting the corrected image signal; a contour-emphasizing circuit for receiving the corrected image signal, extracting the contour signal from the corrected image signal and outputting an emphasized contour signal; and means for adding the emphasized contour signal to the image signal to produce a contour-emphasized image signal; wherein said level-correcting circuit is configured for correcting the image signal in the dark image region by a first gain and correcting the image signal in the bright image region by a second gain, said first gain being greater than said second gain.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
71 words
The contour-emphasizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: said level correcting circuit comprises means for correcting the dark image region of the image signal when the image signal has an image signal level of from 0% to about 50%; and said level correcting circuit comprises means for correcting the bright image region of the image signal when the image signal has an image signal level of from about 50% to 100%.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
71 words
The contour-emphasizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: said level correcting circuit comprises means for correcting the dark image region of the image signal when the image signal has an image signal level of from 0% to about 60%; and said level correcting circuit comprises means for correcting the bright image region of the image signal when the image signal has an image signal level of from about 60% to 100%.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the camera comprises a lens and a photoelectric conversion circuit, the lens for receiving a light signal and the photoelectric conversion circuit for processing the light signal from the lens into electrical signals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
67 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the means for producing the image signal comprises: an image processing circuit for receiving the electrical signals from the photoelectric conversion circuit and processing the electrical signals from the photoelectric conversion circuit into elementary color image signals, and an MIX amplifier for mixing the elementary color signals from the image processing circuit to form a combined image signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the combined image signal from the MIX amplifier is corrected in the level correcting circuit; and the emphasized contour signal from the contour-emphasizing circuit is added to the elementary color image signals to produce the contour-emphasized image signal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the level correction circuit comprises a non-linear amplifier.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the level correction circuit comprises means for image level compression correction for compressing image signal levels in the bright image region.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the camera comprises a lens and a photoelectric conversion zone, the lens for receiving a light signal and the photoelectric conversion zone for processing the light signal from the lens into electrical signals.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
62 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the means for producing the image signal comprises: an image processing circuit for receiving the electrical signals from the photoelectric conversion zone and processing the electrical signals into elementary color image signals, and an MIX amplifier for mixing the elementary color signals from the image processing circuit to form a combined image signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the combined image signal from the image processing circuit is corrected in the level correcting circuit and the emphasized contour signal is added to the elementary color image signals to produce the contour-emphasized image signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the level correction circuit comprises a non-linear amplifier.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
The contour emphasizing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the level correction circuit comprises means for image level compression correction for compressing image signal levels in the bright image region.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
112 words
A contour emphasizing apparatus for a television camera, where a contour-signal is extracted from an image signal, the image signal having a dark image region and a bright image region and the image signal having an image signal level, and the contour signal is emphasized and corrected according to the image signal level, said apparatus comprising: means for producing the image signal; and contour-emphasizing means for receiving the image signal, altering the image signal in the dark image region by a first gain and altering the image signal in the bright image region by a second gain, and producing an emphasized contour signal, said first gain being greater than said second gain.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
112 words
A contour emphasizing apparatus for a television camera, where a contour-signal is extracted from an image signal, the image signal having a dark image region and a bright image region and the image signal having an image signal level, and the contour signal is emphasized and corrected according to the image signal level, said apparatus comprising: means for producing the image signal; and contour-emphasizing means for receiving the image signal, altering the image signal in the dark image region by a first gain and altering the image signal in the bright image region by a second gain, and producing an emphasized contour signal, said first gain being greater than said second gain.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
67 words
The contour-emphasizing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said contour-emphasizing means comprises: a level-correcting circuit for receiving the image signal, correcting the image signal non-linearly to the image signal level to produce a corrected image signal, and outputting the corrected image signal; and a contour-emphasizing circuit for receiving the corrected image signal, extracting the contour signal from the corrected image signal and outputting an emphasized contour signal.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
97 words
The contour-emphasizing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein: the dark image region of the image signal comprises an image signal having an image signal level, the dark image signal level having a lower limit and an upper limit, the lower limit being 0% and the upper limit being in a range of from 50% to 60%; and the bright image region of the image signal comprises an image signal having an image signal level, the bright image signal level having a lower limit being in a range of 50% to 60% and an upper limit being 100%.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The contour-emphasizing apparatus according to claim 16, further including means for adding the emphasized contour signal to the image signal to produce a contour-emphasized image signal.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
143 words
The contour-emphasizing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein: the camera comprises a lens and a photoelectric conversion circuit, the lens for receiving a light signal and the photoelectric conversion circuit for processing the light signal from the lens into electrical signals; the means for producing the image signal comprises: an image processing circuit for receiving the electrical signals and processing the electrical signals into elementary color image signals, and an MIX amplifier for mixing the elementary color signals to form a combined image signal; the combined image signal is conducted to the level correcting circuit and the emphasized contour signal is added to the elementary color image signals to produce the contour- emphasized image signal; and the level correction circuit comprises one of: a non-linear amplifier, and means for image level compression correction for compressing image signal levels in the bright image region.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-09-20 | 1997-03-22 | 1997-09-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-09-20 | 2001-03-22 | 2001-09-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-09-20 | 2005-03-22 | 2005-09-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |