US5644358A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic white balance adjusting device
Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC
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Filing: 1995-11-21
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Granted: 1997-07-01
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Expires: 2015-11-21
Abstract
Abstract An automatic white balance adjusting device adjusts the white balance of a white object which is indoors under the influence of bright sunlight, or a white object which is indoors under the influence of dull sunlight light and a fluorescent lamp. The device includes a weighting circuit for a fluorescent lamp block, and a weighting circuit for a sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block. The former weights an average of the fluorescent lamp block, while the latter weights an average of the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block. The weighted averages are used to generate a white balancing signal, which will be used for white balancing a white object.
Inventors
- 👤 Toshiki Miyano
- 👤 Eiichi Shimizu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 12:51
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/80; H04N23/84; H04N23/88
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
269 words
An automatic white balance adjusting device comprising: (a) a block representative value calculating circuit for dividing a video signal into a plurality of blocks and for calculating representative values of the divided blocks; (b) a fluorescent lamp block average calculating circuit for calculating a fluorescent lamp block average of the representative values of the blocks where the video signal represents a substantially white object under a fluorescent lamp; (c) a sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average calculating circuit for calculating a sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average of the representative values of the blocks where the video signal represents the substantially white object under bright sunlight and a tungsten lamp; (d) a fluorescent lamp block weighting circuit for receiving the fluorescent lamp block average and object brightness, and multiplying one of a number of fluorescent weighting coefficients, predetermined on the basis of the object brightness, by the fluorescent lamp block average to generate a weighted fluorescent lamp block average; (e) a sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block weighting circuit for receiving the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average, and multiplying one of a number of daylight weighting coefficients, predetermined on the basis of the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average, by the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average to generate a weighted sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average; (f) a white balance adjusting signal calculating circuit for mixing the weighted fluorescent lamp block average and the weighted sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average in accordance with a ratio of fluorescent lamp blocks and sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp blocks which are weighted by the fluorescent and daylight weighting coefficients, so as to generate a white balance adjusting signal; and (g) a white balance adjusting circuit for performing white balance adjustment in response to the white balance adjusting signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
269 words
An automatic white balance adjusting device comprising: (a) a block representative value calculating circuit for dividing a video signal into a plurality of blocks and for calculating representative values of the divided blocks; (b) a fluorescent lamp block average calculating circuit for calculating a fluorescent lamp block average of the representative values of the blocks where the video signal represents a substantially white object under a fluorescent lamp; (c) a sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average calculating circuit for calculating a sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average of the representative values of the blocks where the video signal represents the substantially white object under bright sunlight and a tungsten lamp; (d) a fluorescent lamp block weighting circuit for receiving the fluorescent lamp block average and object brightness, and multiplying one of a number of fluorescent weighting coefficients, predetermined on the basis of the object brightness, by the fluorescent lamp block average to generate a weighted fluorescent lamp block average; (e) a sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block weighting circuit for receiving the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average, and multiplying one of a number of daylight weighting coefficients, predetermined on the basis of the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average, by the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average to generate a weighted sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average; (f) a white balance adjusting signal calculating circuit for mixing the weighted fluorescent lamp block average and the weighted sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average in accordance with a ratio of fluorescent lamp blocks and sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp blocks which are weighted by the fluorescent and daylight weighting coefficients, so as to generate a white balance adjusting signal; and (g) a white balance adjusting circuit for performing white balance adjustment in response to the white balance adjusting signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
227 words
An automatic white balance adjustment method comprising the steps of: (a) generating a block representative value by dividing a video signal into a plurality of blocks and calculating representative values of the divided blocks; (b) calculating a fluorescent lamp block average of the representative values of the blocks where the video signal represents a substantially white object under a fluorescent lamp; (c) calculating a sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average of the representative values of the blocks where the video signal represents the substantially white object under bright sunlight and a tungsten lamp; (d) generating a weighted fluorescent lamp block average by receiving the fluorescent lamp block average and object brightness, and multiplying one of a number of fluorescent weighting coefficients, predetermined on the basis of the object brightness, by the fluorescent lamp block average; (e) generating a weighted sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average by receiving the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average, and multiplying one of a number of daylight weighting coefficients, predetermined on the basis of the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average, by the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average; (f) generating a white balance adjusting signal by mixing the weighted fluorescent lamp block average and the weighted sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average in accordance with a ratio of fluorescent lamp blocks and sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp blocks which are weighted by the fluorescent and daylight weighting coefficients and (g) performing the white balance adjustment in response to the white balance adjusting signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
227 words
An automatic white balance adjustment method comprising the steps of: (a) generating a block representative value by dividing a video signal into a plurality of blocks and calculating representative values of the divided blocks; (b) calculating a fluorescent lamp block average of the representative values of the blocks where the video signal represents a substantially white object under a fluorescent lamp; (c) calculating a sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average of the representative values of the blocks where the video signal represents the substantially white object under bright sunlight and a tungsten lamp; (d) generating a weighted fluorescent lamp block average by receiving the fluorescent lamp block average and object brightness, and multiplying one of a number of fluorescent weighting coefficients, predetermined on the basis of the object brightness, by the fluorescent lamp block average; (e) generating a weighted sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average by receiving the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average, and multiplying one of a number of daylight weighting coefficients, predetermined on the basis of the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average, by the sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average; (f) generating a white balance adjusting signal by mixing the weighted fluorescent lamp block average and the weighted sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp block average in accordance with a ratio of fluorescent lamp blocks and sunlight-and-tungsten-lamp blocks which are weighted by the fluorescent and daylight weighting coefficients and (g) performing the white balance adjustment in response to the white balance adjusting signal.
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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) | 2000-06-30 | 2000-12-30 | 2001-07-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-06-30 | 2004-12-30 | 2005-07-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-06-30 | 2008-12-30 | 2009-07-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |