Image pick-up device

Abstract

An image pick-up device for picking up the image of an object having different degrees of brightness, ranging from a low degree to a high degree. The device includes a light source for irradiating the object, an image pick-up unit for picking up an image of the object, and an optical system disposed between the object and the image pick-up unit for forming the image of the object on the image pick-up unit. A discrimination circuit designates a region of high brightness in the image of the object picked-up by the image pick-up unit, and a detection circuit detects the brightness level of a designated region of high brightness. A light transmittance changing circuit reveives a representation of the detected brightness level of the designated region of high brightness from the detection circuit responsive to a designation of a region of high brightness by the discrimination circuit and decreases the light transmittance in a region of the optical system corresponding to the designated region of high brightness in the image. The discrimination circuit includes a comparison circuit for comparing the brightness of the image of the object with a predetermined reference level to automatically designate a region of high brightness.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.