CA1147848A - Vertical aperture correction circuit - Google Patents
Vertical aperture correction circuitInfo
- Publication number
- CA1147848A CA1147848A CA000367207A CA367207A CA1147848A CA 1147848 A CA1147848 A CA 1147848A CA 000367207 A CA000367207 A CA 000367207A CA 367207 A CA367207 A CA 367207A CA 1147848 A CA1147848 A CA 1147848A
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- Prior art keywords
- video signal
- circuit
- signal
- clipping
- delay
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N5/00—Details of television systems
- H04N5/14—Picture signal circuitry for video frequency region
- H04N5/20—Circuitry for controlling amplitude response
- H04N5/205—Circuitry for controlling amplitude response for correcting amplitude versus frequency characteristic
- H04N5/208—Circuitry for controlling amplitude response for correcting amplitude versus frequency characteristic for compensating for attenuation of high frequency components, e.g. crispening, aperture distortion correction
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Picture Signal Circuits (AREA)
- Color Television Image Signal Generators (AREA)
- Processing Of Color Television Signals (AREA)
- Studio Circuits (AREA)
Abstract
VERTICAL APERTURE CORRECTION CIRCUIT
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A video signal, such as may be generated by a television camera, is subjected to a delay, and then com-bined with a relatively undelayed version thereof, the combined signal being supplied to a clipping circuit, which passes at least that portion thereof that exceeds a predetermined clipping level, and also to a slicing circuit, which passes at least that portion thereof that is less than the predetermined clipping level. A mixing circuit mixes the video signal with the outputs of the clipping and slicing circuits, thereby to provide a vertical aperture-corrected output video signal which is substantially free of periodic fluctuations that might be present in the amplitude of the original video signal.
A preferred use of this vertical aperture correction circuit is with a color image pickup device of the type which generates a video signal having a superimposed periodic, fluctuating index signal thereon that produces a line-crawling effect in the ultimately produced video picture.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A video signal, such as may be generated by a television camera, is subjected to a delay, and then com-bined with a relatively undelayed version thereof, the combined signal being supplied to a clipping circuit, which passes at least that portion thereof that exceeds a predetermined clipping level, and also to a slicing circuit, which passes at least that portion thereof that is less than the predetermined clipping level. A mixing circuit mixes the video signal with the outputs of the clipping and slicing circuits, thereby to provide a vertical aperture-corrected output video signal which is substantially free of periodic fluctuations that might be present in the amplitude of the original video signal.
A preferred use of this vertical aperture correction circuit is with a color image pickup device of the type which generates a video signal having a superimposed periodic, fluctuating index signal thereon that produces a line-crawling effect in the ultimately produced video picture.
Description
~,u 1 i o l) 114~8~8 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a vertical aperture correction circuit and, more particularly, to such a circuit which can be used in a color image pickup device to emphasize changes in the brightness level of the video picture from one line interval to the next while minimizing any line-crawling effect which might be inherent in the video signal.
In the color television picture which is derived from many color television cameras, the so-called edge sharpness, or sensitivity, of that picture is not as well-defined as in the picture derived from black-and-white television cameras.
That is, a transition in brightness, or contrast, from one horizontal line interval to the next may not exhibit a desirable level of sharpness. Consequently, a viewer may not perceive accurate detail in the vertical direction.
This loss of ~harpness in the vertical direction, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the direction of line scanning, is analogous to aperture aberrations in an optical system.
Various proposals have been suggested for improving this sharpness. Such compensation or correction systems have been referred to generally as vertical aperture compensation system~. In one type of vertical aperture compensation system, the luminan¢e signal, which may be the television signal generated by a black-and-white television camera or the luminance component of a composite color television signal generated by a color television camera, is delayed by one horizontal scanning, or line, interval, and the difference ~1~7848 between the delayed and undelayed luminance si~nals then is deriued. If the luminance level in successive line intervals i5 approximately the same, the aforementioned difference siqnal exhibits a relatively low amplitude. However, when the brightness level changes from one line interval to the next, this difference signal will be more pronounced.
Consequently, the difference siqnal can be used as a rela-tively accurate indication of brightness changes in the vertical direction.
To emphasize such brightness level changes in the vertical direction, that is, to obtain vertical aPerture compensatî~on, a predetermined proportion of the difference siqnal is added to the original/ i. e. undelayed, luminance signal. The summed siqnal thus is a vertical aperture-corrected luminance siqnal The aorementioned vertical aperture-correction technique is accompanied by undesired interference when used in a Trinico ~ color television camera. In the Trinicon~
camera, the target end of the pickup tube is- provided with a set of index electrodes. These index electrodes are su~plied with an index si`gnal whose polarity is reversed at each horizontal scannlnq interval, thereb~ superimposinq an alternatîng index signal onto the photoelectroconductive target. Th~s index si~nal ap~ears as a periodic fluctuating voltage level superimposed onto the luminance siqnal derived from the Trinicon camera. When the aforementioned vertical aperture-co~pensation technique is used with this luminance signal, the superimposed periodic, ~luctuating level is emphasized.
~147848 Therefore, in addition to providïnq an indication of brightness level changes from one line interval to the next, the vertical aperture-compensated luminance signal is provided with an emphasized, su~erimposed periodic fluctuating level which results in a line-crawling effect in the video picture ultimately reproduced thererom.
In addition to this Periodic fluctuatïnq leuel der~ved from the index signal, another AC component may be introduced into the luminance signal due to the operation of the tyPical DC-DC converter that is used with the television camera. This DC-DC converter is provided in the television camera for the ~urPose of aeneratina various DC control voltages from a sinqle sup~lied DC voltaqe. Generally, durinq normal operation thereof, the DC-DC converter is suPplied with relatively large amounts of power, and this has been known to introduce an AC component into the relatively low-level luminance signal. Such an AC component may appear a~ noise, typlcally a striped pattern, on the reproduced television picture. To minimize this noise, the driving frequency of the DC-DC converter mav be synchronized to one-half thé horizontal scanning frequency. However, this is the very same frequency o the index signal that results in a ~uPerimposed periodic, fluctuating level on the luminance siqnal. Thus, when the vertical aperture-compensation technique discussed above is used, the AC component derived from the DC-DC converter is manifested in the aforementioned line-crawlinq effect.
11~7848 One technique which has been proposed for eliminating the line-crawlinq effect due to the superimposed index signal and, Presumably, also will eliminate the line-crawling effect due to the AC component derived from the DC-DC converter, is disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 4,160,265. Accordinq to this patent, the difference between the delayed and undelayed luminance signal, which is indicative o line-to-line brightness-level chan~es and which also em~hasizes the periodic fluctuations superimposed onto the luminance signal, is squared, or multiplied by itself, and the squared difference signal then is mixed with the sum of the delayed and undelayed video siqnals. The output of the mixinq circuit is a vertical aperture-corrected luminance siqnal that is substantially free of undesired periodic level fluctuations which maY be due to the superimposed index signal o the Trinicon~camera or may be due to the AC com~onent Produced from the DC-DC converter.
In accordance with the present invention, vertical a~erture-correction is attained in the absence o any line-crawlinq é~fect, and the complexity of the correction circuit due to the aforementioned squaring circuit is reduced.
O~JEaTS OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vertical aperture-correction circuit for u~e with a color television camera which i9 gubstantially fre~ of the aforementioned line-crawling effect.
Another object of this invention is to provide a video signal processing circuit whi~h operates upon a video signal to provide vertical aperture-correction therefor while substantially eliminating or minimizing periodic fluctu~tions that might be present in the amplitude of that video signal.
A further object of this invention is to provide a vertical aperture-correction circuit for use with a color image pickup device of the ty~e which generates a video signal having a sup~rimposed periodi`c, fluctuating ind~x sign~l thereon, which vertical aperture-correction circuit cancels or eliminates "line crawling" which may be caused by such superimposed fluctuating signal.
An additional object of this invention is to provide an improved, relatively simple and inexpensive vertical aperture-correction circuit which is particularly useful with a color image pickup device of the type which gene~ates a video signal having a superimposed periodic, fluctuating index signal thereon.
Various other objects, advantayes and features of the present invention will become readilY apparent from the ensuing detailed description, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the append~d claims, SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with this invention, a video signal processing circuit is comprised of a ~elay circuit for imparting a relative delay to a video signal supplied thereto, and a combining circuit for combining the relativ~ly delaye~ video s;gn~l with a relatively undelayed version thereof to produce 1147~48 a combined signal. A clipping circuit passes at least that portion of the combined signal WhiCh exceeds a predetermined clip-ping lev~l, and a slicing circllit pas~es at le~st ~hat po~tion o~ the combined s~gnal which is less than the predetermined clipping level. A mixing circuit mixes the video signal with the respective portions passed by the clipping and slicing circuits, thereby to provide ~ corrected output video signal substantially fEee of periodic fluctllations that might be present in the amplitude of the supplied video signal. In a preferred application, the video signal is supplied by a color image picku~ device of the type which superimpose~
a periodic, fluctuating index signal on the video signal, this superimposed, fluctuating signal having a line-crawling efect on the video picture ultimately reproduced from the video sianal. The resultant, corrected video signal has its line-to-line brightness level changes emphasized.
BRIEF DESC~IPTION ~F THE DRAWINGS
The following detailed description, given by way of exam~le, will best be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGS. lA-lD are waveform diagrams which are useful in understanding the operat;on of tvpical vertical aperture-correction circuits;
FIGS. 2A-2n are waveform diaarams which are useful in understanding the operation of a typical vertical ~perture-correction circuit with a color image pickup device of the type which superimposes a periodic, fluctuatina index signal on the video sign~l;
~147~348 FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 4A-4G are waveform diagrams which are useful in understanding the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the present invention; and FIGS. 6A 6H are waveform diagrams which are useful in understanding the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5~
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PRE ERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, the waveform diagrams illustrated in FIGS. lA-lD are typical of the waveforms which are generated in a vertical aperture-correction circuit by which vertical sharpness in the video picture is improved.
FIG. lA represent~ the luminance signal Ea whose amplitude is a function of the brightness of the video scene. For the purpose of simpliication, luminance signal Ea is illustrated as having two transitions in a constant brightness level.
FIG, lB represents a delayed version Eb of the luminance signal.
That is, delayed luminance signal Eb is delayed by one hori-zontal scanning, or line, interval from luminance signal Ea.
The difference between the undelayed luminance signal Ea and the delayed luminance signal Eb is illustrated as difference signal Ec in FIG. lC. It is appreciated that the waveform shown in FIG. lC emphasizes brightness-level changes in the luminance signal from one line interval to the next. A
predetermined proportion of difference signal Ec (FIG. lC) ~4784~
is added to the original, undelayed video signal Ea, the summed signals being illustrated in FIG. lD as aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey. It may be appreciated that difference signal Ec may be supplied to a suitable adding circuit by a voltage-divider circuit which divides the difference signal by a predetermined dividing ratio ~. ~ence, luminance signal Ey may be represented as Ey = Ea + aEc.
The waveforms illustrated ;n FIGS. 2A-2D represent the manner in which a typical vertical aperture-correction circuit operates with a Trinico ~color television camera.
The Trinico ~ camera is described in U. S. Patent No. 3,784,737 and includes, at its target end, a set of alternating electrodes which are supplied with different DC levels that are reversed in synchronism with the horizontal scanning rate. Because of this, a fluctuating signal is induced on the photoconductive target which, in turn, superimposes onto the luminance signal a fluctuating index signal having a frequency equal to one-half the horizontal ecanning rate. This luminance signal with the ~uperimpo~ed periodic fluctuating level is illustrated as luminance ~ignal Ea in FIG. 2A. As beore, this luminance signal is delayed in the typical vertical aperture-correction circuit by one horizontal scanning period, the delayed luminance signal being shown as delayed signal Eb in FIG. 2B. The delayed signal Eb is subtracted from the original, undelayed luminance signal Ea~ reffulting in the difference signal Ec shown in FIG. 2C.
It may be appreciated that difference signal Ec is provided with emphasized fluctuating levels. When this difference signal Ec is added to the original luminance signal Ea, the resultant 1~47~4~3 corrected luminance signal Ey appears as shown in FIG. 2D.
This corrected luminance signal has superimposed thereon a periodic fluctuating signal which is derived from the index signal that had been superimposed onto the photoconductive target of the color camera. Thi~s superimposed fluctuating signal has its level changed over at each successive horizontal scanning interval, thereby resulting in the "line crawl" effect in the video picture whi`ch ultimately is reproduced therefrom.
That is, the periodic change in the brightness level of the luminance signal Ey (FIG. 2D) is readily perceived as a line crawl.
The foregoing disadvantages, particularly the super-impo~ed fluctuating level on the vertical aperture-corrected luminance signal, are avoided b~ the present invention, one embodiment of which is illustrated in FIG. 3. In this Figure, a video signal processing circuit is coupled to a TriniconoDtype color video camera 1, the video signal processing circuit serving to provide a corrected output video signal substantially free of periodic fluctuations that are present in the amplitude of the video signal derived from camera 1. It may be appre-ciated that camera 1 may be constructed as a color image pickup device in accordance with the disclosure of aorementioned U. S. Patent No. 3,784,737. As is apparent from that dis-closure, and as is also described in U. S. Patent No. 4,160,265, a luminance ~ignal Ea may be derived from the composite color vi.deo signal produced by color camera 1. This luminance signal Ea is amplified by a suitable video amplifier 2 and then supplied to the video signal processing circuit which is the subject of the present invention.
The video signal processing circuit functions as ~ a vertical aperture-correction circuit and is comprlsed of - 5 a delay circuit 11, a subtracting circuit 12, a slicing circuit 21, a clipping circuit 24 and a mixing circuit 3.
Delay circuit 11 may comprise a conventional delay circuit adapted to impart a delay equal to one horizontal scanning interval to the video signal supplied thereto. Delay circuit 11 is coupled to the output of amplifier 2 and receives luminance signal Ea. The output of this delay circuit is coupled to subtracting circuit 12 wherein the delayed video signal Eb is subtracted from the original, undelayed luminance signal Ea.
The output of subtracting circuit 12 is coupled in common to slicing circuit 21 and to clipping circuit 24. The slicing ¢ircuit is 8upplied with predetermined threshold levels by ~uitable means ~not shown), and is adapted to pass only those portions of the video signal supplied thereto which lie between the thre~hold levels. Preferably, and as will be described in greater detail below, these threshold levels are equal and opposite levels +L and -L, respectively, disposed on opposite sides o the mean level of the difference signal produced by subtracting circuit 12. As an alternative, if the output of subtracting circuit 12 is a positive (or negative) signal, slicing circuit 21 may be supplied with a positive (or negative) threshold level and may be adapted to pass only the positive (or negatiVe) portions of the output of subtractin~ circuit 12 which are less than the threshold level. The output of slicing ~1~7848 circuit 21, that is, that portion of the difference signal supplied thereto by subtracting circuit 12, which is less than the respective threshold levels supplied thereto, is inverted by an inverter circuit 22 and supplied to mixing circuit 3 via an amplitude adjustment circuit 23. Thi`s amplitude adjustment circuit is illustrated as an adjustable resistor, such as a potentiometer, and is settable to supply to mixing circuit 3 a predetermined proportion of the inverted output of slicing circuit 21. ~y suitably adjusting amplitude adjustment circuit 23, this proportion ~ may be varied, as desired.
Clipping circuit 24 is adapted to pass that portion of difference signal Ec which exceeds a threshold level.
If threshold levels +L and -L are supplied to slicing circuit 21, these same threshold levels may be supplied to clipping circUi~ 24, whereupon the clipping circuit passes those portions of difference signal Ec which exceed threshold level ~L and which exceed threshold level -L. ~n amplitude adjustment circuit 25, which may be similar to amplitude adjustment circuit 23, supplies the output of clipping circuit 24 to mixing circuit 3. It is appreciated that amplitude adjustment circuit 25 serves to adjust the proportion of the output of the clipping circuit that is supplied to the mixing circuit.
Mixing circuit 3 ïs supplied with luminance signal Ea, the desired proportion of the inverted output of slicing circuit 21, and the desired proportion of the output of clipping circuit 24 114L784~3 Mixing circuit 3 may function as a summing clrcuit so as to sum the respective signals s.upplied thereto. The output of mixing circuit 3 is supplied to an output terminal as a vertical aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey.
It is appreciated that the function of inverting circuit 22 is to subtract the output of slicing circuit 21 from the summation.of video signal Ea and the output of clipping circuit 24. If desired, inverting circuit 22 may be omitted, and mixing aircuit 3 may be comprlsed of respec-tive ci.rcuit devices whi~ch carry out the aforementioned summing and subtracting operations. For example, luminance signal Ea may be summed with the output of clipping circutt 24 in an adding circuit, and the output of slicing circuit 21 then may be subtracted from the summed signals in an additional 8ubtracting circuit.
The manner of operation of the vertical aperture-correction circuit shown in FIG. 3 now will be described with refersnce to the waveforms shown in FIGS. 4A-4G. Luminance signal Ea~ derived from video camera 1, is illustrated in FIG. 4A. The periodic flùctuating index signal is shown to be superimposed onto the brightness level of the luminance signal. FIG. 4B illustrates the luminance signal delayed by one horizontal scanning interval. This delayed luminance ~ignal Eb is derived at the output of delay circuit 11.
Subtracting circuit 12 subtracts the delayed luminance signal Eb from the undelayed version of the luminance ~ignal Ea to produce difference signal Ec shown in FIG. 4C.
~1~78~3 It is seen that this difference signal Ec emphasizes the changes in brightness of the luminance signal from one horizontal line interval to the next, and also emphasizes the periodic fluctuating levels in the luminance signal.
This difference signal Ec, having the emphasized brightness changes and periodic fluctuating levels, is supplied to slicing circuit 21 and also to clipping circuit 24.
FIG. 4C also illustrates threshold levels +L and -L, these threshold levels being represented b~ the broken lines, and being supplied as threshold reference voltage levels to the slicing and clipping circuits. Threshold levels +L and -L
are, for example, equal and opposite threshold levels disposed on opposite sides of the mean level of difference signal Ec.
Slicing circuit 21 serves to pass that portion of difference signal Ec which lies between threshold levels +L and -L.
This portion of the difference signal that is passed by slicing circuit 21 is illustrated as signal Ed in FIG. 4D.
This passed portion Ed is inverted by inverting circuit 22, level-ad~usted by amplitude adjustment circuit 23, and then ~ummed in mixing circuit 3 with luminance signal Ea. This has the equivalent effect of subtracting the output Ed f slicing circuit 21 (suitably amplitude-adjusted) from the luminance signal. FIG. 4E represents this operation, and illustrates a signal Ee which would be produced if the output Ed from slicing circuit 21 i5 subtracted from luminance signal Ea.
That is, FIG. 4E illustrates a waveform which is ormed by the operation Ee = Ea ~ Ed It may be appreciated that the proportion -li47848 of the output Ed from slicing circuit 21 that is supplied to mixing circuit 3 is determined by amplitude adjustment cir-cuit 23 such that the periodic fluctuatlons shown in FIG. 4D
are attenuated so as to be substantially equal to the periodic fluctuations that are superimposed onto luminance signal Ea (FIG. 4A). Hence, and as shown in FIG. 4E, the signal Ee which would be produced by subtracting the amplitude-adjusted output Ed f slicing circuit 21 from luminance signal Ea exhj.bits substantially no perlodi~c amplitude fluctuations.
Clipping circuit 24 also may be supplied with threshold levels +L and -L. The cl~pping circuit functions to pass the positive portion of difference signal Ec which exceeds threshold level ~L, and also passes the negative portion of difference signal Ec which exceeds threshold level -L. The output Ef of clipping circuit 24 is illustrated in FIG. 4F. This output Ef, after being suitably amplitude ad~usted by amplitude adjustment circuit 25 is added to the signal Ee (FIG. 4E). The summed signal Ey = Ee + Ef is shown in FIG. 4G and i9 supplied to output terminal 4 by mixing circuit 3. Stated otherwise, this corrected luminance signal Ey produced by mixing circuit 3 may be mathematically represented as Ey = Ea ~ Ed ~ E~. It is seen that this cor-rected luminance signal is provided with emphasized brightness level changes, that is, changes in the brightness level from one line interval to the neXt are emphasized, but is substantially free of the periodic amplitude fluctuations inherent in iuminance signal Ea. A comparison between the waveforms shown in FIGS. 4G
~1~784~3 and 2D illustrates the improvement obtai~ned by the present invention. Thus, aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey (FIG. 4G) does not give rise to the undesired line crawling effect in the video picture ultimately reproduced therefrom.
In the present invention, it is seen that difference signal Ec (FIG. 4C) is further processed before being mixed with luminance signal Ea, But for this further processing, the corrected.luminance si`gnal would appear as shown in FIG. 2D. That is, if difference signal E is used directly as a vertical aperture-correction signal, the "corrected"
luminance signal would have brightness level changes emphasized, and also would contain enforced fluctuating levels, as shown in FIG. 2D. However, in accordance with the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the vertical aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey ~FIG. 4G) more closely resembles the corrected luminance signal shown in FIG. lD, this latter signal being derived from a color television camera which does not superimpose a periodic, fluctuating level onto the video signal.
Slicing circuit 21 may be supplied with a single threghold level +~ and may be operative to pass the absolute value of difference signal Ec which is less than this threshold level. Likewise, clipping circuit 24 ma~ be supplied with a single threshold level +L and may be operative to pass the absolute value of di~ference signal Ec which exceeds this threshold level.
The respective settings of amplitude adjustment circuits 23 and 25 are assumed to differ from each other.
-11~7848 Amplitude adjustment circuit 23 serves to atten~late the level of the signal supplied thereto by a factor ~ and amplitude adjustment circuit 25 serves to attenuate the signal supplied thereto by the factor y. The attenuating ratio.~ serves to eliminate the fluct~ating level of luminance level Ea; and the attenuating ratio y serves to provide desired emphasis of brightness-level changes.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is a relatively simplified version of the present invention. A more practical version is illustrated in FIG. 5, wherein lïke reference numerals are used to identify like component parts. The embodiment of FIG. 5 differs from that of FIG. 3 in that an additional delay circuit 13 is connected in cascade with delay circuit 11, the output of delay circuit 13 being summed in a summing circuit 14 with luminance, signal Ea. The summed signal Eh produced by summing circuit 14 is subtracted in a subtracting circuit 15 from the'delayed luminance signal Eb produced at the output of delay circuit 11. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, delay ci.rcui,t~ 11 and 13 each impart a delay equal to one horizontal line interval. If desired, luminance signal Ea may be supplied to ~ubtracting circuit 15 by delay circuit 11, and this l,uminance si.gnal may be supplied directly to summing circuit 14, as i,lIustrated, and also to this summing circuit via another delay circuit ~not shown) wHich serves to impart a delay equal to two horizontal line intervals. In this alternative arran~ement, delav circuit 13 is omitted, and the output of , ~47848 delay circuit 11 is connected only to subtracting circuit 15 (and also to mixing circuit 3).
In operation, luminance signal Ea appears as shown in FIG. 6A. This luminance signal is subjected to a first delay, equal to one norizontal line interval, by delay circuit 11, resulting in the delayed ~uminance signal Eb shown in FIG. 6B. This delayed video signal Eb is further delayed by another horizontal line interval in delay circuit 13, resulting in a 2H delayed luminance signal Eg, shown in FIG. 6C.
As mentioned above, this 2H delay may, alternatively, be produced by a single delay circuit which imparts a time delay equal to two horizontal line intervals to luminance signal Ee.
2H delayed luminance signal Eg is summed with undelayed luminance si.gnal Ea in summing circuit 14, resulting in the gummed signal Eh shown in FIG. 6B. Preferably, delayed signal Eg is attenuated by a factor of 1/2, and undelayed luminance signal Ea likewise is attenuated by the factor o 1/2.
Hence, summed signal Eh shown in FIG. 6D may be represented as Eh = 1/2 (Ea ~ Eg).
Summed signal Eh (FIG. 6D) is subtracted from lH delayed luminance signal Eb in subtracting circuit 15, resulting in the diference signal Ec, shown in FIG. 6E. This difference signal Ec may be represented as Ec = Eb ~ Eh It i~ appre-ciated that this difference signal Ec emphasizes the brightness-level changes in the lumina~ce signal from one line interval to the next and, moreover, emphasizes the periodic fluctuating level which has been superimposed onto luminance signal Ea.
1~4784~
AS before, this difference signal E is supplied to slicing circuit 21, which slicing circuit passes that portion of difference signal Ec which lies between threshold levels +L and -L. The signal Ed passed by sliciny circuit 21 is shown in FIG. 6F. This passed signal Ed is inverted by inverting circuit 21, amplitude adjusted by amplitude adjustment circuit 23, and then summed with delayed luminance signal Eb in mixing circuit 3.
Difference signal Ec is supplied to clipping circuit 24 which passes that portion of the difference signal that exceeds the threshold levels +L and -L. The output Ef of clipping circuit 24 is illustrated in FIG. 6G. This passed signal Ef is amplitude adjusted by amplitude adjustment circuit 25, and then summed in mixing circuit 3 with delayed lS lùminance signal Eb and amplitude-adjusted, inverted signal Ed.
The output o mixing circuit 3 appears as a vertical aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey, as shown in FIG. 6H. This corrected luminance signal has the brightness-level changes . emphasized therein and, moreover, the fluctuating level that had been superimposed onto the original luminance signal Ea (FIG. 6Al is eliminated. Thus, vertical aperture correction is attained in the absence of a line crawling component.
It is appreciated that, in FIG. 3, delay circuit 11 and subtracting circuit 12 function as a combining circuit for combining the relatively delayed luminance signal Eb and un-delayed luminance signal Ea. Likewise, in FIG. 5, delay circuits 11 and 13, together with summing circuit 14 and il~784~3 subtracting circuit 15 function as a combining circuit for combining undelayed luminance signal Ea with delayed luminance signal Eg, these combined signals being further combined with delayed luminance signal Eb. In both S embodiments, the combining circuits serve to emphasize changes in the brightness of the luminance signal from one horizontal line interval to the next, and also serve to emphasize the periodic fluctuating levels which had been superimposed onto the luminance signal by *he inherent operation of camera 1.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to certain preferred em~odiments, it should be readily apparent to those of ordinary ski11 in the art that various changes and modifica-tions in form and details may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including such changes and modifications.
_]9-.
This invention relates to a vertical aperture correction circuit and, more particularly, to such a circuit which can be used in a color image pickup device to emphasize changes in the brightness level of the video picture from one line interval to the next while minimizing any line-crawling effect which might be inherent in the video signal.
In the color television picture which is derived from many color television cameras, the so-called edge sharpness, or sensitivity, of that picture is not as well-defined as in the picture derived from black-and-white television cameras.
That is, a transition in brightness, or contrast, from one horizontal line interval to the next may not exhibit a desirable level of sharpness. Consequently, a viewer may not perceive accurate detail in the vertical direction.
This loss of ~harpness in the vertical direction, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the direction of line scanning, is analogous to aperture aberrations in an optical system.
Various proposals have been suggested for improving this sharpness. Such compensation or correction systems have been referred to generally as vertical aperture compensation system~. In one type of vertical aperture compensation system, the luminan¢e signal, which may be the television signal generated by a black-and-white television camera or the luminance component of a composite color television signal generated by a color television camera, is delayed by one horizontal scanning, or line, interval, and the difference ~1~7848 between the delayed and undelayed luminance si~nals then is deriued. If the luminance level in successive line intervals i5 approximately the same, the aforementioned difference siqnal exhibits a relatively low amplitude. However, when the brightness level changes from one line interval to the next, this difference signal will be more pronounced.
Consequently, the difference siqnal can be used as a rela-tively accurate indication of brightness changes in the vertical direction.
To emphasize such brightness level changes in the vertical direction, that is, to obtain vertical aPerture compensatî~on, a predetermined proportion of the difference siqnal is added to the original/ i. e. undelayed, luminance signal. The summed siqnal thus is a vertical aperture-corrected luminance siqnal The aorementioned vertical aperture-correction technique is accompanied by undesired interference when used in a Trinico ~ color television camera. In the Trinicon~
camera, the target end of the pickup tube is- provided with a set of index electrodes. These index electrodes are su~plied with an index si`gnal whose polarity is reversed at each horizontal scannlnq interval, thereb~ superimposinq an alternatîng index signal onto the photoelectroconductive target. Th~s index si~nal ap~ears as a periodic fluctuating voltage level superimposed onto the luminance siqnal derived from the Trinicon camera. When the aforementioned vertical aperture-co~pensation technique is used with this luminance signal, the superimposed periodic, ~luctuating level is emphasized.
~147848 Therefore, in addition to providïnq an indication of brightness level changes from one line interval to the next, the vertical aperture-compensated luminance signal is provided with an emphasized, su~erimposed periodic fluctuating level which results in a line-crawling effect in the video picture ultimately reproduced thererom.
In addition to this Periodic fluctuatïnq leuel der~ved from the index signal, another AC component may be introduced into the luminance signal due to the operation of the tyPical DC-DC converter that is used with the television camera. This DC-DC converter is provided in the television camera for the ~urPose of aeneratina various DC control voltages from a sinqle sup~lied DC voltaqe. Generally, durinq normal operation thereof, the DC-DC converter is suPplied with relatively large amounts of power, and this has been known to introduce an AC component into the relatively low-level luminance signal. Such an AC component may appear a~ noise, typlcally a striped pattern, on the reproduced television picture. To minimize this noise, the driving frequency of the DC-DC converter mav be synchronized to one-half thé horizontal scanning frequency. However, this is the very same frequency o the index signal that results in a ~uPerimposed periodic, fluctuating level on the luminance siqnal. Thus, when the vertical aperture-compensation technique discussed above is used, the AC component derived from the DC-DC converter is manifested in the aforementioned line-crawlinq effect.
11~7848 One technique which has been proposed for eliminating the line-crawlinq effect due to the superimposed index signal and, Presumably, also will eliminate the line-crawling effect due to the AC component derived from the DC-DC converter, is disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 4,160,265. Accordinq to this patent, the difference between the delayed and undelayed luminance signal, which is indicative o line-to-line brightness-level chan~es and which also em~hasizes the periodic fluctuations superimposed onto the luminance signal, is squared, or multiplied by itself, and the squared difference signal then is mixed with the sum of the delayed and undelayed video siqnals. The output of the mixinq circuit is a vertical aperture-corrected luminance siqnal that is substantially free of undesired periodic level fluctuations which maY be due to the superimposed index signal o the Trinicon~camera or may be due to the AC com~onent Produced from the DC-DC converter.
In accordance with the present invention, vertical a~erture-correction is attained in the absence o any line-crawlinq é~fect, and the complexity of the correction circuit due to the aforementioned squaring circuit is reduced.
O~JEaTS OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vertical aperture-correction circuit for u~e with a color television camera which i9 gubstantially fre~ of the aforementioned line-crawling effect.
Another object of this invention is to provide a video signal processing circuit whi~h operates upon a video signal to provide vertical aperture-correction therefor while substantially eliminating or minimizing periodic fluctu~tions that might be present in the amplitude of that video signal.
A further object of this invention is to provide a vertical aperture-correction circuit for use with a color image pickup device of the ty~e which generates a video signal having a sup~rimposed periodi`c, fluctuating ind~x sign~l thereon, which vertical aperture-correction circuit cancels or eliminates "line crawling" which may be caused by such superimposed fluctuating signal.
An additional object of this invention is to provide an improved, relatively simple and inexpensive vertical aperture-correction circuit which is particularly useful with a color image pickup device of the type which gene~ates a video signal having a superimposed periodic, fluctuating index signal thereon.
Various other objects, advantayes and features of the present invention will become readilY apparent from the ensuing detailed description, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the append~d claims, SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with this invention, a video signal processing circuit is comprised of a ~elay circuit for imparting a relative delay to a video signal supplied thereto, and a combining circuit for combining the relativ~ly delaye~ video s;gn~l with a relatively undelayed version thereof to produce 1147~48 a combined signal. A clipping circuit passes at least that portion of the combined signal WhiCh exceeds a predetermined clip-ping lev~l, and a slicing circllit pas~es at le~st ~hat po~tion o~ the combined s~gnal which is less than the predetermined clipping level. A mixing circuit mixes the video signal with the respective portions passed by the clipping and slicing circuits, thereby to provide ~ corrected output video signal substantially fEee of periodic fluctllations that might be present in the amplitude of the supplied video signal. In a preferred application, the video signal is supplied by a color image picku~ device of the type which superimpose~
a periodic, fluctuating index signal on the video signal, this superimposed, fluctuating signal having a line-crawling efect on the video picture ultimately reproduced from the video sianal. The resultant, corrected video signal has its line-to-line brightness level changes emphasized.
BRIEF DESC~IPTION ~F THE DRAWINGS
The following detailed description, given by way of exam~le, will best be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGS. lA-lD are waveform diagrams which are useful in understanding the operat;on of tvpical vertical aperture-correction circuits;
FIGS. 2A-2n are waveform diaarams which are useful in understanding the operation of a typical vertical ~perture-correction circuit with a color image pickup device of the type which superimposes a periodic, fluctuatina index signal on the video sign~l;
~147~348 FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 4A-4G are waveform diagrams which are useful in understanding the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the present invention; and FIGS. 6A 6H are waveform diagrams which are useful in understanding the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5~
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PRE ERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, the waveform diagrams illustrated in FIGS. lA-lD are typical of the waveforms which are generated in a vertical aperture-correction circuit by which vertical sharpness in the video picture is improved.
FIG. lA represent~ the luminance signal Ea whose amplitude is a function of the brightness of the video scene. For the purpose of simpliication, luminance signal Ea is illustrated as having two transitions in a constant brightness level.
FIG, lB represents a delayed version Eb of the luminance signal.
That is, delayed luminance signal Eb is delayed by one hori-zontal scanning, or line, interval from luminance signal Ea.
The difference between the undelayed luminance signal Ea and the delayed luminance signal Eb is illustrated as difference signal Ec in FIG. lC. It is appreciated that the waveform shown in FIG. lC emphasizes brightness-level changes in the luminance signal from one line interval to the next. A
predetermined proportion of difference signal Ec (FIG. lC) ~4784~
is added to the original, undelayed video signal Ea, the summed signals being illustrated in FIG. lD as aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey. It may be appreciated that difference signal Ec may be supplied to a suitable adding circuit by a voltage-divider circuit which divides the difference signal by a predetermined dividing ratio ~. ~ence, luminance signal Ey may be represented as Ey = Ea + aEc.
The waveforms illustrated ;n FIGS. 2A-2D represent the manner in which a typical vertical aperture-correction circuit operates with a Trinico ~color television camera.
The Trinico ~ camera is described in U. S. Patent No. 3,784,737 and includes, at its target end, a set of alternating electrodes which are supplied with different DC levels that are reversed in synchronism with the horizontal scanning rate. Because of this, a fluctuating signal is induced on the photoconductive target which, in turn, superimposes onto the luminance signal a fluctuating index signal having a frequency equal to one-half the horizontal ecanning rate. This luminance signal with the ~uperimpo~ed periodic fluctuating level is illustrated as luminance ~ignal Ea in FIG. 2A. As beore, this luminance signal is delayed in the typical vertical aperture-correction circuit by one horizontal scanning period, the delayed luminance signal being shown as delayed signal Eb in FIG. 2B. The delayed signal Eb is subtracted from the original, undelayed luminance signal Ea~ reffulting in the difference signal Ec shown in FIG. 2C.
It may be appreciated that difference signal Ec is provided with emphasized fluctuating levels. When this difference signal Ec is added to the original luminance signal Ea, the resultant 1~47~4~3 corrected luminance signal Ey appears as shown in FIG. 2D.
This corrected luminance signal has superimposed thereon a periodic fluctuating signal which is derived from the index signal that had been superimposed onto the photoconductive target of the color camera. Thi~s superimposed fluctuating signal has its level changed over at each successive horizontal scanning interval, thereby resulting in the "line crawl" effect in the video picture whi`ch ultimately is reproduced therefrom.
That is, the periodic change in the brightness level of the luminance signal Ey (FIG. 2D) is readily perceived as a line crawl.
The foregoing disadvantages, particularly the super-impo~ed fluctuating level on the vertical aperture-corrected luminance signal, are avoided b~ the present invention, one embodiment of which is illustrated in FIG. 3. In this Figure, a video signal processing circuit is coupled to a TriniconoDtype color video camera 1, the video signal processing circuit serving to provide a corrected output video signal substantially free of periodic fluctuations that are present in the amplitude of the video signal derived from camera 1. It may be appre-ciated that camera 1 may be constructed as a color image pickup device in accordance with the disclosure of aorementioned U. S. Patent No. 3,784,737. As is apparent from that dis-closure, and as is also described in U. S. Patent No. 4,160,265, a luminance ~ignal Ea may be derived from the composite color vi.deo signal produced by color camera 1. This luminance signal Ea is amplified by a suitable video amplifier 2 and then supplied to the video signal processing circuit which is the subject of the present invention.
The video signal processing circuit functions as ~ a vertical aperture-correction circuit and is comprlsed of - 5 a delay circuit 11, a subtracting circuit 12, a slicing circuit 21, a clipping circuit 24 and a mixing circuit 3.
Delay circuit 11 may comprise a conventional delay circuit adapted to impart a delay equal to one horizontal scanning interval to the video signal supplied thereto. Delay circuit 11 is coupled to the output of amplifier 2 and receives luminance signal Ea. The output of this delay circuit is coupled to subtracting circuit 12 wherein the delayed video signal Eb is subtracted from the original, undelayed luminance signal Ea.
The output of subtracting circuit 12 is coupled in common to slicing circuit 21 and to clipping circuit 24. The slicing ¢ircuit is 8upplied with predetermined threshold levels by ~uitable means ~not shown), and is adapted to pass only those portions of the video signal supplied thereto which lie between the thre~hold levels. Preferably, and as will be described in greater detail below, these threshold levels are equal and opposite levels +L and -L, respectively, disposed on opposite sides o the mean level of the difference signal produced by subtracting circuit 12. As an alternative, if the output of subtracting circuit 12 is a positive (or negative) signal, slicing circuit 21 may be supplied with a positive (or negative) threshold level and may be adapted to pass only the positive (or negatiVe) portions of the output of subtractin~ circuit 12 which are less than the threshold level. The output of slicing ~1~7848 circuit 21, that is, that portion of the difference signal supplied thereto by subtracting circuit 12, which is less than the respective threshold levels supplied thereto, is inverted by an inverter circuit 22 and supplied to mixing circuit 3 via an amplitude adjustment circuit 23. Thi`s amplitude adjustment circuit is illustrated as an adjustable resistor, such as a potentiometer, and is settable to supply to mixing circuit 3 a predetermined proportion of the inverted output of slicing circuit 21. ~y suitably adjusting amplitude adjustment circuit 23, this proportion ~ may be varied, as desired.
Clipping circuit 24 is adapted to pass that portion of difference signal Ec which exceeds a threshold level.
If threshold levels +L and -L are supplied to slicing circuit 21, these same threshold levels may be supplied to clipping circUi~ 24, whereupon the clipping circuit passes those portions of difference signal Ec which exceed threshold level ~L and which exceed threshold level -L. ~n amplitude adjustment circuit 25, which may be similar to amplitude adjustment circuit 23, supplies the output of clipping circuit 24 to mixing circuit 3. It is appreciated that amplitude adjustment circuit 25 serves to adjust the proportion of the output of the clipping circuit that is supplied to the mixing circuit.
Mixing circuit 3 ïs supplied with luminance signal Ea, the desired proportion of the inverted output of slicing circuit 21, and the desired proportion of the output of clipping circuit 24 114L784~3 Mixing circuit 3 may function as a summing clrcuit so as to sum the respective signals s.upplied thereto. The output of mixing circuit 3 is supplied to an output terminal as a vertical aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey.
It is appreciated that the function of inverting circuit 22 is to subtract the output of slicing circuit 21 from the summation.of video signal Ea and the output of clipping circuit 24. If desired, inverting circuit 22 may be omitted, and mixing aircuit 3 may be comprlsed of respec-tive ci.rcuit devices whi~ch carry out the aforementioned summing and subtracting operations. For example, luminance signal Ea may be summed with the output of clipping circutt 24 in an adding circuit, and the output of slicing circuit 21 then may be subtracted from the summed signals in an additional 8ubtracting circuit.
The manner of operation of the vertical aperture-correction circuit shown in FIG. 3 now will be described with refersnce to the waveforms shown in FIGS. 4A-4G. Luminance signal Ea~ derived from video camera 1, is illustrated in FIG. 4A. The periodic flùctuating index signal is shown to be superimposed onto the brightness level of the luminance signal. FIG. 4B illustrates the luminance signal delayed by one horizontal scanning interval. This delayed luminance ~ignal Eb is derived at the output of delay circuit 11.
Subtracting circuit 12 subtracts the delayed luminance signal Eb from the undelayed version of the luminance ~ignal Ea to produce difference signal Ec shown in FIG. 4C.
~1~78~3 It is seen that this difference signal Ec emphasizes the changes in brightness of the luminance signal from one horizontal line interval to the next, and also emphasizes the periodic fluctuating levels in the luminance signal.
This difference signal Ec, having the emphasized brightness changes and periodic fluctuating levels, is supplied to slicing circuit 21 and also to clipping circuit 24.
FIG. 4C also illustrates threshold levels +L and -L, these threshold levels being represented b~ the broken lines, and being supplied as threshold reference voltage levels to the slicing and clipping circuits. Threshold levels +L and -L
are, for example, equal and opposite threshold levels disposed on opposite sides of the mean level of difference signal Ec.
Slicing circuit 21 serves to pass that portion of difference signal Ec which lies between threshold levels +L and -L.
This portion of the difference signal that is passed by slicing circuit 21 is illustrated as signal Ed in FIG. 4D.
This passed portion Ed is inverted by inverting circuit 22, level-ad~usted by amplitude adjustment circuit 23, and then ~ummed in mixing circuit 3 with luminance signal Ea. This has the equivalent effect of subtracting the output Ed f slicing circuit 21 (suitably amplitude-adjusted) from the luminance signal. FIG. 4E represents this operation, and illustrates a signal Ee which would be produced if the output Ed from slicing circuit 21 i5 subtracted from luminance signal Ea.
That is, FIG. 4E illustrates a waveform which is ormed by the operation Ee = Ea ~ Ed It may be appreciated that the proportion -li47848 of the output Ed from slicing circuit 21 that is supplied to mixing circuit 3 is determined by amplitude adjustment cir-cuit 23 such that the periodic fluctuatlons shown in FIG. 4D
are attenuated so as to be substantially equal to the periodic fluctuations that are superimposed onto luminance signal Ea (FIG. 4A). Hence, and as shown in FIG. 4E, the signal Ee which would be produced by subtracting the amplitude-adjusted output Ed f slicing circuit 21 from luminance signal Ea exhj.bits substantially no perlodi~c amplitude fluctuations.
Clipping circuit 24 also may be supplied with threshold levels +L and -L. The cl~pping circuit functions to pass the positive portion of difference signal Ec which exceeds threshold level ~L, and also passes the negative portion of difference signal Ec which exceeds threshold level -L. The output Ef of clipping circuit 24 is illustrated in FIG. 4F. This output Ef, after being suitably amplitude ad~usted by amplitude adjustment circuit 25 is added to the signal Ee (FIG. 4E). The summed signal Ey = Ee + Ef is shown in FIG. 4G and i9 supplied to output terminal 4 by mixing circuit 3. Stated otherwise, this corrected luminance signal Ey produced by mixing circuit 3 may be mathematically represented as Ey = Ea ~ Ed ~ E~. It is seen that this cor-rected luminance signal is provided with emphasized brightness level changes, that is, changes in the brightness level from one line interval to the neXt are emphasized, but is substantially free of the periodic amplitude fluctuations inherent in iuminance signal Ea. A comparison between the waveforms shown in FIGS. 4G
~1~784~3 and 2D illustrates the improvement obtai~ned by the present invention. Thus, aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey (FIG. 4G) does not give rise to the undesired line crawling effect in the video picture ultimately reproduced therefrom.
In the present invention, it is seen that difference signal Ec (FIG. 4C) is further processed before being mixed with luminance signal Ea, But for this further processing, the corrected.luminance si`gnal would appear as shown in FIG. 2D. That is, if difference signal E is used directly as a vertical aperture-correction signal, the "corrected"
luminance signal would have brightness level changes emphasized, and also would contain enforced fluctuating levels, as shown in FIG. 2D. However, in accordance with the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the vertical aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey ~FIG. 4G) more closely resembles the corrected luminance signal shown in FIG. lD, this latter signal being derived from a color television camera which does not superimpose a periodic, fluctuating level onto the video signal.
Slicing circuit 21 may be supplied with a single threghold level +~ and may be operative to pass the absolute value of difference signal Ec which is less than this threshold level. Likewise, clipping circuit 24 ma~ be supplied with a single threshold level +L and may be operative to pass the absolute value of di~ference signal Ec which exceeds this threshold level.
The respective settings of amplitude adjustment circuits 23 and 25 are assumed to differ from each other.
-11~7848 Amplitude adjustment circuit 23 serves to atten~late the level of the signal supplied thereto by a factor ~ and amplitude adjustment circuit 25 serves to attenuate the signal supplied thereto by the factor y. The attenuating ratio.~ serves to eliminate the fluct~ating level of luminance level Ea; and the attenuating ratio y serves to provide desired emphasis of brightness-level changes.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is a relatively simplified version of the present invention. A more practical version is illustrated in FIG. 5, wherein lïke reference numerals are used to identify like component parts. The embodiment of FIG. 5 differs from that of FIG. 3 in that an additional delay circuit 13 is connected in cascade with delay circuit 11, the output of delay circuit 13 being summed in a summing circuit 14 with luminance, signal Ea. The summed signal Eh produced by summing circuit 14 is subtracted in a subtracting circuit 15 from the'delayed luminance signal Eb produced at the output of delay circuit 11. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, delay ci.rcui,t~ 11 and 13 each impart a delay equal to one horizontal line interval. If desired, luminance signal Ea may be supplied to ~ubtracting circuit 15 by delay circuit 11, and this l,uminance si.gnal may be supplied directly to summing circuit 14, as i,lIustrated, and also to this summing circuit via another delay circuit ~not shown) wHich serves to impart a delay equal to two horizontal line intervals. In this alternative arran~ement, delav circuit 13 is omitted, and the output of , ~47848 delay circuit 11 is connected only to subtracting circuit 15 (and also to mixing circuit 3).
In operation, luminance signal Ea appears as shown in FIG. 6A. This luminance signal is subjected to a first delay, equal to one norizontal line interval, by delay circuit 11, resulting in the delayed ~uminance signal Eb shown in FIG. 6B. This delayed video signal Eb is further delayed by another horizontal line interval in delay circuit 13, resulting in a 2H delayed luminance signal Eg, shown in FIG. 6C.
As mentioned above, this 2H delay may, alternatively, be produced by a single delay circuit which imparts a time delay equal to two horizontal line intervals to luminance signal Ee.
2H delayed luminance signal Eg is summed with undelayed luminance si.gnal Ea in summing circuit 14, resulting in the gummed signal Eh shown in FIG. 6B. Preferably, delayed signal Eg is attenuated by a factor of 1/2, and undelayed luminance signal Ea likewise is attenuated by the factor o 1/2.
Hence, summed signal Eh shown in FIG. 6D may be represented as Eh = 1/2 (Ea ~ Eg).
Summed signal Eh (FIG. 6D) is subtracted from lH delayed luminance signal Eb in subtracting circuit 15, resulting in the diference signal Ec, shown in FIG. 6E. This difference signal Ec may be represented as Ec = Eb ~ Eh It i~ appre-ciated that this difference signal Ec emphasizes the brightness-level changes in the lumina~ce signal from one line interval to the next and, moreover, emphasizes the periodic fluctuating level which has been superimposed onto luminance signal Ea.
1~4784~
AS before, this difference signal E is supplied to slicing circuit 21, which slicing circuit passes that portion of difference signal Ec which lies between threshold levels +L and -L. The signal Ed passed by sliciny circuit 21 is shown in FIG. 6F. This passed signal Ed is inverted by inverting circuit 21, amplitude adjusted by amplitude adjustment circuit 23, and then summed with delayed luminance signal Eb in mixing circuit 3.
Difference signal Ec is supplied to clipping circuit 24 which passes that portion of the difference signal that exceeds the threshold levels +L and -L. The output Ef of clipping circuit 24 is illustrated in FIG. 6G. This passed signal Ef is amplitude adjusted by amplitude adjustment circuit 25, and then summed in mixing circuit 3 with delayed lS lùminance signal Eb and amplitude-adjusted, inverted signal Ed.
The output o mixing circuit 3 appears as a vertical aperture-corrected luminance signal Ey, as shown in FIG. 6H. This corrected luminance signal has the brightness-level changes . emphasized therein and, moreover, the fluctuating level that had been superimposed onto the original luminance signal Ea (FIG. 6Al is eliminated. Thus, vertical aperture correction is attained in the absence of a line crawling component.
It is appreciated that, in FIG. 3, delay circuit 11 and subtracting circuit 12 function as a combining circuit for combining the relatively delayed luminance signal Eb and un-delayed luminance signal Ea. Likewise, in FIG. 5, delay circuits 11 and 13, together with summing circuit 14 and il~784~3 subtracting circuit 15 function as a combining circuit for combining undelayed luminance signal Ea with delayed luminance signal Eg, these combined signals being further combined with delayed luminance signal Eb. In both S embodiments, the combining circuits serve to emphasize changes in the brightness of the luminance signal from one horizontal line interval to the next, and also serve to emphasize the periodic fluctuating levels which had been superimposed onto the luminance signal by *he inherent operation of camera 1.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to certain preferred em~odiments, it should be readily apparent to those of ordinary ski11 in the art that various changes and modifica-tions in form and details may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including such changes and modifications.
_]9-.
Claims (17)
1. A video signal processing circuit comprising means for supplying a video signal; delay means for imparting a relative delay to the supplied video signal; combining means for combining the relatively delayed video signal with a relatively undelayed version of the video signal to produce a combined signal; clipping means coupled to said combining means for passing at least that portion of said combined signal which exceeds a predetermined clipping level; slicing means coupled to said combining means for passing at least that portion of said combined signal which is less than said predetermined clipping level; and mixing means for mixing the video signal with the respective portions passed by said clipping means and said slicing means, thereby to provide a corrected output video signal substan-tially free of periodic fluctuations that might be present in the amplitude of said supplied video signal.
2, The circuit of Claim 1 wherein said delay means imparts a delay of at least one horizontal scanning interval.
3, The circuit of Claim 1 wherein said mixing means comprises summing means for summing the respective signals supplied thereto; and further comprising means for inverting the portion supplied from said slicing means to said summing means; whereby the video signal, the portion of said combined signal passed by said clipping means, and the inverted portion of said combined signal passed by said slicing means are summed.
4. The circuit of Claim 1 wherein said mixing means comprises means for adding the portion passed by said clipping means to the video signal and for subtracting therefrom the portion passed by said slicing means.
5. The circuit of Claim 1 wherein said combining means comprises subtracting means for producing said combined signal as a function of the difference between said supplied and relatively delayed video signals.
6. The circuit of Claim 5 wherein said delay means imparts a delay equal to one horizontal scanning interval.
7. The circuit of Claim 1 wherein said combining means comprises further delay means for producing a further delayed video signal; summing means for summing said further delayed and supplied video signals to produce a sum signal;
and subtracting means for producing said combined signal as a function of the difference between said delayed video and sum signals.
and subtracting means for producing said combined signal as a function of the difference between said delayed video and sum signals.
8. The circuit of Claim 7 wherein said further delay means is connected in cascade with said delay means, and each imparts a delay equal to one horizontal scanning interval.
9. The circuit of Claim 1, further comprising means for adjusting the amplitude of the portion of said combined signal that is passed by at least said clipping means.
10. The circuit of Claim 1 wherein said means for supplying a video signal comprises a color image pickup device for generating said video signal and having means for superimposing a periodic, fluctuating index signal on said generated video signal.
11. In a color image pickup device of the type which generates a video signal having a superimposed periodic, fluctuating index signal thereon resulting in periodic fluctuating levels of said video signal having a line-crawling effect on the video picture ultimately reproduced from said video signal, a vertical aperture correction circuit comprising delay means for imparting a relative delay to said video signal; means responsive to relatively delayed and undelayed video signals for emphasizing changes in brightness of the video signal from one horizontal scanning interval to the next and for emphasizing said periodic fluctuating levels; clipping means for passing those portions of the output of said means for emphasizing which exceed predetermined clipping levels;
slicing means for passing that portion of said output of said means for emphasizing which lies between said predeter-mined clipping levels; and mixing means for mixing the video signal and the portions passed by said clipping and slicing means, whereby the portions passed by said slicing means are subtracted from the sum of the video signal and the portions passed by said clipping means.
slicing means for passing that portion of said output of said means for emphasizing which lies between said predeter-mined clipping levels; and mixing means for mixing the video signal and the portions passed by said clipping and slicing means, whereby the portions passed by said slicing means are subtracted from the sum of the video signal and the portions passed by said clipping means.
12. The circuit of Claim 11 wherein said predeter-mined clipping levels are respectively above and below the mean level of said emphasized periodic fluctuating levels.
13. The circuit of Claim 11 wherein said delay means imparts a delay equal to one horizontal scanning interval;
and said means for emphasizing comprises subtracting means for producing an output which is a function of the difference between the video signal delayed by one horizontal scanning interval and the undelayed video signal.
and said means for emphasizing comprises subtracting means for producing an output which is a function of the difference between the video signal delayed by one horizontal scanning interval and the undelayed video signal.
14. The circuit of Claim 11 wherein said delay means imparts a delay equal to one horizontal scanning interval;
and said means for emphasizing comprises additional delay means to impart an overall delay to said video signal equal to two horizontal scanning intervals, summing means for summing the video signal delayed by two horizontal scanning intervals and the undelayed video signal, and subtracting means for producing an output which is a function of the difference between the video signal delayed by one horizontal scanning interval and the output produced by said summing means.
and said means for emphasizing comprises additional delay means to impart an overall delay to said video signal equal to two horizontal scanning intervals, summing means for summing the video signal delayed by two horizontal scanning intervals and the undelayed video signal, and subtracting means for producing an output which is a function of the difference between the video signal delayed by one horizontal scanning interval and the output produced by said summing means.
15. The circuit of Claim 13 wherein said mixing means comprises inverter means coupled to said slicing means for inverting the portions passed by said slicing means, and adding means coupled to said inverter means and said clipping means and also coupled to receive the undelayed video signal for adding the inverted portions passed by said slicing means, the portions passed by said clipping means, and said undelayed video signal,
16, The circuit of Claim 14 wherein said mixing means comprises inverter means coupled to said slicing means for inverting the portions passed by said slicing means, and adding means coupled to said delay means, said inverter means and said clipping means for adding the video signal delayed by one horizontal scanning interval, the inverted portions passed by said sliding means and the portions passed by said clipping means.
17. The circuit of Claim 11, further comprising level adjusting means for selectively adjusting the ratio of the amplitudes of the signals supplied to said mixing means.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP166221/79 | 1979-12-20 | ||
JP16622179A JPS5689173A (en) | 1979-12-20 | 1979-12-20 | Vertical aperture correcting circuit |
Publications (1)
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CA1147848A true CA1147848A (en) | 1983-06-07 |
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ID=15827350
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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CA000367207A Expired CA1147848A (en) | 1979-12-20 | 1980-12-19 | Vertical aperture correction circuit |
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JP (1) | JPS5689173A (en) |
AT (1) | AT379924B (en) |
CA (1) | CA1147848A (en) |
DE (1) | DE3048544A1 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2473240B1 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2067045B (en) |
NL (1) | NL8006811A (en) |
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JPS60114090A (en) * | 1983-11-26 | 1985-06-20 | Toshiba Corp | Vertical contour correction device |
DE3418794A1 (en) * | 1984-05-19 | 1985-11-21 | Grundig E.M.V. Elektro-Mechanische Versuchsanstalt Max Grundig holländ. Stiftung & Co KG, 8510 Fürth | METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING NARROW TAPE |
KR890004853B1 (en) * | 1985-01-28 | 1989-11-29 | 미쓰비시전기 주식회사 | Circuits for processing video signals |
JPS62239670A (en) * | 1986-04-11 | 1987-10-20 | Ikegami Tsushinki Co Ltd | Contour emphasizing device |
JPH01220975A (en) * | 1988-02-29 | 1989-09-04 | Toshiba Corp | Picture quality adjustment circuit |
JPH02142282A (en) * | 1988-11-24 | 1990-05-31 | Hitachi Denshi Ltd | Video signal processor |
KR920008629B1 (en) * | 1990-09-27 | 1992-10-02 | 삼성전자 주식회사 | Compensation circuit stressing image |
US5287174A (en) * | 1991-04-05 | 1994-02-15 | Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. | Vertical resolution correcting circuit for video signal |
JPH04309075A (en) * | 1991-04-05 | 1992-10-30 | Sanyo Electric Co Ltd | Luminance signal processing circuit |
JP2756070B2 (en) * | 1992-04-09 | 1998-05-25 | 三菱電機エンジニアリング株式会社 | Waveform shaping method, waveform shaping device, and contour correction device for carrier color signal |
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JPS517381B1 (en) * | 1970-10-14 | 1976-03-06 | ||
NL158987B (en) * | 1972-06-10 | 1978-12-15 | Philips Nv | APERTURE CORRECTOR FOR A TELEVISION IMAGE SIGNAL, AS WELL AS A TELEVISION RECORDING DEVICE, FITTED THIS. |
JPS5628071B2 (en) * | 1973-12-03 | 1981-06-29 | ||
JPS53132214A (en) * | 1977-04-25 | 1978-11-17 | Sony Corp | Vertical aperture correction circuit |
-
1979
- 1979-12-20 JP JP16622179A patent/JPS5689173A/en active Pending
-
1980
- 1980-12-16 GB GB8040227A patent/GB2067045B/en not_active Expired
- 1980-12-16 NL NL8006811A patent/NL8006811A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1980-12-18 AT AT618180A patent/AT379924B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1980-12-19 FR FR8027131A patent/FR2473240B1/en not_active Expired
- 1980-12-19 CA CA000367207A patent/CA1147848A/en not_active Expired
- 1980-12-22 DE DE19803048544 patent/DE3048544A1/en active Granted
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
FR2473240A1 (en) | 1981-07-10 |
GB2067045B (en) | 1984-02-01 |
DE3048544A1 (en) | 1981-09-17 |
NL8006811A (en) | 1981-07-16 |
DE3048544C2 (en) | 1989-01-05 |
GB2067045A (en) | 1981-07-15 |
FR2473240B1 (en) | 1985-10-11 |
ATA618180A (en) | 1985-07-15 |
JPS5689173A (en) | 1981-07-20 |
AT379924B (en) | 1986-03-10 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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MKEX | Expiry |