Electric still camera having a plurality of image pickup elements with color filters

Claim 2

An electronic still camera comprising: a plurality of image pickup elements having color filters of a plurality of colors, said color filters including filter portions whose positions in the horizontal direction are different from each other for every horizontal line; color separation means for separating outputs from said image pickup elements into each color signal; interpolation means for correcting the difference between the positions of the filter portions by interpolating an output signal of said separation means using a predetermined interpolation method, said interpolation means comprising interpolation changing means for changing the predetermined interpolation method; and orthogonal transformation means for dividing respective color image data interpolated by said interpolation means into a plurality of blocks and performing orthogonal transformation.

Claim 3

An electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein said interpolation means interpolates missing part of the image data for only one color of said plurality of colors.

Claim 4

An electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein said orthogonal transformation means comprises discrete cosine transformation.

Claim 5

An electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing a coded output of said orthogonal transformation means.

Claim 6

An electronic still camera according to claim 4, wherein said storage means comprises a memory card as a storage medium.

Claim 7

An image pickup device comprising: (a) image pickup means for converting light incident to pixels via a color filter into an electrical signal, said color filter including filter portions for passing different colors for every pixel, whose positions in the horizontal line are different from each other for every horizontal line; (b) interpolation means for correcting the difference between the positions of said filter portions by interpolating the electrical signal converted from the light incident through said filter portions by said image pickup means using a predetermined interpolation method, said interpolation means comprising interpolation changing means for changing the predetermined interpolation method; and (c) orthogonal transformation means for performing orthogonal transformation of the interpolated electrical signal by dividing said signal into a plurality of blocks.

Claim 8

An image pickup device comprising: (a) image pickup means for converting light incident to pixels via a color filter into an electrical signal, said color filter including filter portions for passing different colors for every pixel, whose positions in the horizontal line are different from each other for every horizontal line; (b) interpolation means for correcting the difference between the positions of said filter portions by interpolating the electrical signal converted from the light incident through said filter portions by said image pickup means using a predetermined interpolation method, said interpolation means comprising interpolation changing means for changing the predetermined interpolation method; and (c) orthogonal transformation means for performing orthogonal transformation of the interpolated electrical signal by dividing said signal into a plurality of blocks.

Claim 9

An image pickup device according to claim 6, wherein said different colors of said color filter are disposed in a Bayer matrix.

Claim 10

An image pickup device according to claim 6, wherein said orthogonal transformation means comprises discrete cosine transformation.

Claim 11

An image pickup device according to claim 6, wherein said interpolation changing means comprises interpolation switching means for switching the predetermined interpolation method to be used by said interpolation means.

Claim 12

An image pickup device according to claim 6, further comprising storage means for storing coded output of said orthogonal transformation means.

Claim 13

An image pickup device according to claim 10, wherein said storage means comprises a memory card as a storage medium.

Claim 16

An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said orthogonal transform means comprises a discrete cosine transform circuit.

Claim 17

An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said input means comprises a CCD and a color filter provided in front of said CCD, and an arrangement of the color filter corresponds to the predetermined order.

Claim 18

An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said designating means automatically designates the predetermined interpolation method according to the image signal.