Automatic white balance control device, video camera with an automatic white balance control device and method for producing a video camera with an automatic white balance control device

Claim 2

An automatic white balance control device comprising: integrating means for integrating signals of a picture image; control means for detecting a ratio of red integrated value/green integrated value and a ratio of blue integrated value/green integrated value and computing white balance control signals for red signal and blue signal in accordance with said ratios; and white balance control means for controlling gains of elementary red, green and blue signals in accordance with said white balance control signals, wherein said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a first computation rate for a predetermined number of fields, before the iris has reached a stable position, between pushing a photograph button to signal image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, and said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a second computation rate lower than said first computation rate for fields after said predetermined number of fields is exceeded and image recording has commenced.

Claim 3

An automatic white balance control device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said white balance control are computed in a condition of pushing a photograph button and increasing a brightness level higher than a predetermined level.

Claim 4

An automatic white balance control device comprising: integrating means for integrating signals of picture image; control means for detecting a ratio of red integrated value/green integrated value and a ratio of blue integrated value/green integrated value and computing white balance control signals for red signal and blue signal in accordance with said ratios; and white balance control means for controlling gains of elementary red, green and blue signals in accordance with said white balance control signals, wherein said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a first computation rate during a first time period, before the iris has reached a stable position, between pushing a photograph button to signal image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, and said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a second computation rate lower than said first computation rate in a second time period after exceeding said first time period.

Claim 5

An automatic white balance control device comprising: integrating means for integrating signals of picture image; control means for detecting a ratio of red integrated value/green integrated value and a ratio of blue integrated value/green integrated value and computing white balance control signals for red signal and blue signal in accordance with said ratios; and white balance control means for controlling gains of elementary red, green and blue signals in accordance with said white balance control signals, wherein said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a first computation rate during a first time period, before the iris has reached a stable position, between pushing a photograph button to signal image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, and said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a second computation rate lower than said first computation rate in a second time period after exceeding said first time period.

Claim 6

An automatic white balance control device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said white balance control are computed in a condition of pushing a photograph button and increasing a brightness level higher than a predetermined level.

Claim 7

An automatic white balance control device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein recording is actually started in a condition that an open degree of an iris becomes stable.

Claim 8

An automatic white balance control device comprising: a controller for computing and outputting white balance control signals for red and blue colors during a predetermined delay period between signaling of image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, wherein the white balance control signals are computed and output at a first computation rate during the predetermined delay period, before the iris has reached a stable position, and at a second computation rate after the predetermined delay period is exceeded and image recording has commenced, the white balance control signals being calculated based on ratios IR/IG and IB/IG, where ratio IR/IG is a ratio of integrated red value with respect to integrated green value and ratio IB/IG is a ratio of integrated blue value with respect to integrated green value.

Claim 9

An automatic white balance control device comprising: a controller for computing and outputting white balance control signals for red and blue colors during a predetermined delay period between signaling of image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, wherein the white balance control signals are computed and output at a first computation rate during the predetermined delay period, before the iris has reached a stable position, and at a second computation rate after the predetermined delay period is exceeded and image recording has commenced, the white balance control signals being calculated based on ratios IR/IG and IB/IG, where ratio IR/IG is a ratio of integrated red value with respect to integrated green value and ratio IB/IG is a ratio of integrated blue value with respect to integrated green value.

Claim 10

The automatic white balance control device according to claim 6 , wherein the predetermined delay period is a predetermined time period.

Claim 11

The automatic white balance control device according to claim 6 , wherein the predetermined delay period is a predetermined number of fields.

Claim 12

The automatic white balance control device according to claim 6 , wherein the first computation rate is higher than the second computation rate.

Claim 13

The automatic white balance control device according to claim 6 , wherein the white balance control signals are computed and output in response to an open degree of an iris exceeding a threshold degree.

Claim 14

The automatic white balance control device according to claim 6 , wherein the white balance control signals are computed and output in response to a brightness level exceeding a threshold level.

Claim 15

An automatic white balance control device comprising: integrating means for integrating signals of a picture image; control means for detecting a ratio of red integrated value/green integrated value and a ratio of blue integrated value/green integrated value and computing white balance control signals for red signal and blue signal in accordance with said ratios; and white balance control means for controlling gains of elementary red, green and blue signals in accordance with said white balance control signals, wherein said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a first computation rate for a predetermined number of fields between pushing a photograph button to signal image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, wherein said first computation rate is used when an iris is moving between a first position and a second position, and said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a second computation rate lower than said first computation rate for fields after said predetermined number of fields is exceeded and image recording has commenced.

Claim 16

An automatic white balance control device comprising: integrating means for integrating signals of a picture image; control means for detecting a ratio of red integrated value/green integrated value and a ratio of blue integrated value/green integrated value and computing white balance control signals for red signal and blue signal in accordance with said ratios; and white balance control means for controlling gains of elementary red, green and blue signals in accordance with said white balance control signals, wherein said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a first computation rate for a predetermined number of fields between pushing a photograph button to signal image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, wherein said first computation rate is used when an iris is moving between a first position and a second position, and said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a second computation rate lower than said first computation rate for fields after said predetermined number of fields is exceeded and image recording has commenced.

Claim 17

The device of claim 12 , wherein said second computation rate is used after the iris is in the second position.

Claim 18

An automatic white balance control device comprising: integrating means for integrating signals of picture image; control means for detecting a ratio of red integrated value/green integrated value and a ratio of blue integrated value/green integrated value and computing white balance control signals for red signal and blue signal in accordance with said ratios; and white balance control means for controlling gains of elementary red, green and blue signals in accordance with said white balance control signals, wherein said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a first computation rate during a first time period between pushing a photograph button to signal image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, wherein said first computation rate is used when an iris is moving between a first position and a second position, and said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a second computation rate lower than said first computation rate in a second time period after exceeding said first time period.

Claim 19

An automatic white balance control device comprising: integrating means for integrating signals of picture image; control means for detecting a ratio of red integrated value/green integrated value and a ratio of blue integrated value/green integrated value and computing white balance control signals for red signal and blue signal in accordance with said ratios; and white balance control means for controlling gains of elementary red, green and blue signals in accordance with said white balance control signals, wherein said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a first computation rate during a first time period between pushing a photograph button to signal image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, wherein said first computation rate is used when an iris is moving between a first position and a second position, and said control means computes and outputs white balance control signals for red and blue colors at a second computation rate lower than said first computation rate in a second time period after exceeding said first time period.

Claim 20

The device of claim 14 , wherein said second computation rate is used after the iris is in the second position.

Claim 21

An automatic white balance control device comprising: a controller for computing and outputting white balance control signals for red and blue colors during a predetermined delay period between signaling of image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, wherein the white balance control signals are computed and output at a first computation rate during the predetermined delay period and at a second computation rate after the predetermined delay period is exceeded and image recording has commenced, wherein an iris is moving between a first position and a second position during the predetermined delay period, the white balance control signals being calculated based on ratios IR/IG and IB/IG, where ratio IR/IG is a ratio of integrated red value with respect to integrated green value and ratio IB/IG is a ratio of integrated blue value with respect to integrated green value.

Claim 22

An automatic white balance control device comprising: a controller for computing and outputting white balance control signals for red and blue colors during a predetermined delay period between signaling of image recording and actual commencement of the image recording, wherein the white balance control signals are computed and output at a first computation rate during the predetermined delay period and at a second computation rate after the predetermined delay period is exceeded and image recording has commenced, wherein an iris is moving between a first position and a second position during the predetermined delay period, the white balance control signals being calculated based on ratios IR/IG and IB/IG, where ratio IR/IG is a ratio of integrated red value with respect to integrated green value and ratio IB/IG is a ratio of integrated blue value with respect to integrated green value.

Claim 23

The device of claim 16 , wherein said iris is in the second position after the predetermined delay period.