Patent US5283632A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5283632A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Image pickup apparatus
Assignee: Canon Inc
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Filing: 1992-10-20
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Granted: 1994-02-01
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Expires: 2012-10-20
Abstract
Abstract An image pickup apparatus includes a first white balance adjusting circuit for generating a control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from an image pickup element, a second white balance adjusting circuit for generating a control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from a color measure sensor arranged independently of the image pickup element, and a synthesizing circuit for setting and outputting a variable synthesis ratio of the control signals from the two white balance adjusting circuits in accordance with information from an optical system.
Inventors
- 👤 Masao Suzuki
- 👤 Yasuyuki Yamazaki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 13:36
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/80; H04N23/84; H04N23/88
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
101 words
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: first white balance adjusting means for generating a control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from an image pickup element; second white balance adjusting means for generating a control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from a color measure sensor arranged independently of said image pickup element; detecting means for detecting distance information of an optical system; and synthesizing means for synthesizing the control signals from said first and second white balance adjusting means in accordance with distance information of said optical system detected by said detecting means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
101 words
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: first white balance adjusting means for generating a control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from an image pickup element; second white balance adjusting means for generating a control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from a color measure sensor arranged independently of said image pickup element; detecting means for detecting distance information of an optical system; and synthesizing means for synthesizing the control signals from said first and second white balance adjusting means in accordance with distance information of said optical system detected by said detecting means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detected distance information is a distance between said image pickup apparatus and an object.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detected distance information is information of a focal distance from an image pickup optical system.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detected distance information is a distance between said image pickup apparatus and an object, and information of a focal distance from an image pickup optical system.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
131 words
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: first white balance adjusting means for generating a first control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from an image pickup element; second white balance adjusting means for generating a second control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from a color measure sensor arranged independently of said image pickup element; comparing means for comparing said signals output from said image pickup element and color measure sensor; synthesizing means for producing a synthesized signal from said first and second control signals in a synthesizing ratio from 1:0 to 0:1 in accordance with an output of said comparing means; and control means for controlling white balance condition of the signal output from said image pickup element based on said synthesized signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
131 words
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: first white balance adjusting means for generating a first control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from an image pickup element; second white balance adjusting means for generating a second control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from a color measure sensor arranged independently of said image pickup element; comparing means for comparing said signals output from said image pickup element and color measure sensor; synthesizing means for producing a synthesized signal from said first and second control signals in a synthesizing ratio from 1:0 to 0:1 in accordance with an output of said comparing means; and control means for controlling white balance condition of the signal output from said image pickup element based on said synthesized signal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a warning device for generating a warning signal based on the output of said comparing means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising memory means for storing said first and second control signals.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
73 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing white balance adjustment using image pickup outputs from an image pickup element, comprising: comparing means for comparing the image pickup outputs at a plurality of predetermined different areas on a frame upon extracting of the outputs from said image pickup element; and means for performing white balance adjustment of an image output from said image pickup element in accordance with a comparison result of said comparing means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
73 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing white balance adjustment using image pickup outputs from an image pickup element, comprising: comparing means for comparing the image pickup outputs at a plurality of predetermined different areas on a frame upon extracting of the outputs from said image pickup element; and means for performing white balance adjustment of an image output from said image pickup element in accordance with a comparison result of said comparing means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
117 words
An image pickup apparatus comprising: first white balance adjusting means for generating a white balance control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from an image pickup element; second white balance adjusting means for generating a white balance control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from a color measure sensor arranged independently of said image pickup element; and synthesizing means for comparing signals of two predetermined different positions on a frame upon sampling of signals output from at least said image pickup element to generate a comparison result and synthesizing the white balance control signals from said first and second white balance adjusting means in accordance with the comparison result.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
117 words
An image pickup apparatus comprising: first white balance adjusting means for generating a white balance control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from an image pickup element; second white balance adjusting means for generating a white balance control signal for white balance adjustment by using a signal output from a color measure sensor arranged independently of said image pickup element; and synthesizing means for comparing signals of two predetermined different positions on a frame upon sampling of signals output from at least said image pickup element to generate a comparison result and synthesizing the white balance control signals from said first and second white balance adjusting means in accordance with the comparison result.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a warning device for generating a warning signal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising memory means for storing the signals from said first and second white balance adjusting means, thereby performing white balance adjustment by using the stored signals.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
88 words
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: (a) image pickup means for producing a video signal from an object light; (b) extracting means for extracting the video signal at a plurality of predetermined different areas in a frame to produce a plurality of extracted information; (c) comparison means for comparing the plurality of extracted information to output a plurality of comparison outputs; and (d) white balance adjusting means for adjusting a white balance of a full frame of the video signal by using plural of the plurality of comparison outputs.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
88 words
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: (a) image pickup means for producing a video signal from an object light; (b) extracting means for extracting the video signal at a plurality of predetermined different areas in a frame to produce a plurality of extracted information; (c) comparison means for comparing the plurality of extracted information to output a plurality of comparison outputs; and (d) white balance adjusting means for adjusting a white balance of a full frame of the video signal by using plural of the plurality of comparison outputs.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the video signal includes color differential signals, and said extracting means extracts the color differential signals.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined different areas includes a center area of the frame.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined different areas includes four corner areas of the frame.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
97 words
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: (a) image pickup means for producing a video signal from an object light, said video signal including a plurality of color signals; (b) extracting means for extracting one of the plurality of color signals at a plurality of predetermined different areas in a frame to produce a plurality of extracted color information; (c) comparison means for comparing the plurality of extracted color information to output a comparison result; and (d) white balance adjusting means for adjusting a white balance of a full frame of the video signal by using a comparison output.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
97 words
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: (a) image pickup means for producing a video signal from an object light, said video signal including a plurality of color signals; (b) extracting means for extracting one of the plurality of color signals at a plurality of predetermined different areas in a frame to produce a plurality of extracted color information; (c) comparison means for comparing the plurality of extracted color information to output a comparison result; and (d) white balance adjusting means for adjusting a white balance of a full frame of the video signal by using a comparison output.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
88 words
An apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising further extracting means for extracting another one of the plurality of color signals at a plurality of predetermined different areas in a frame to produce a plurality of extracted further color information, and further comparison means for comparing the plurality of extracted further color information to output a further comparison output, wherein said white balance adjusting means adjusts the white balance of the full frame of the video signal by using both the comparison output and the further comparison output.
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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) | 1997-01-31 | 1997-08-02 | 1998-02-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-01-31 | 2001-08-02 | 2002-02-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-01-31 | 2005-08-02 | 2006-02-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |