US 5,311,322 AGranted

Video camera with negative-positive reversal function

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorTadashi Okino

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Abstract

A video camera including: an image pickup unit for generating an image signal; a level changing device for changing the level of the image signal; a negative-positive switching circuit for receiving the image signal outputted from the level changing device, the negative-positive switching circuit outputting the image signal outputted from the level changing device after inverting the level change direction of the image signal in a negative mode, and outputting the image signal outputted from the level changing device without inverting the level change direction of the image signal in a positive mode; and a control circuit for controlling the level changing device, the control circuit inverting the control direction between the negative and positive modes. The same control for both the negative image pickup and positive image pickup can be carried out by similar processes and operations.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A video camera comprising:

(a) image pickup means for generating an image signal;
(b) level changing means for changing the level of said image signal;
(c) negative-positive switching means for receiving said image signal outputted from said level changing means, said negative-positive switching means outputting said image signal outputted from said level changing means after inverting the polarity of said image signal in a negative mode, and outputting said image signal outputted from said level changing means without inverting the polarity of said image signal in a positive mode;
and
(d) control means for controlling said level changing means such that when in said positive mode, said level changing means increases at least one component of said image signal when said level changing means is adjusted in a first direction and decreases said component of said image signal when said level changing means is adjusted in a second direction and, when in said negative mode, said level changing means decreases said component of said image signal when said level changing means is adjusted in said first direction and increases said component of said image signal when said level changing means is adjusted in said second direction.

2 more elements

A video camera comprising:

(a) image pickup means for receiving light from a subject and forming an image signal including a plurality of color signals;
(b) white balance control means for controlling a white balance of said image signal;
and
(c) negative-positive switching means for receiving said image signal outputted from said white balance control means, said negative-positive switching means outputting said image signal outputted from said white balance control means after inverting the polarity of said image signal in a negative mode, and outputting said image signal outputted from said white balance control means without inverting the polarity of said image signal in a positive mode;
and
wherein, when in said positive mode, said white balance control means increases said white balance of said image signal when said white balance control means is adjusted in a first direction and decreases said white balance of said image signal when said white balance control means is adjusted in a second direction and, when in said negative mode, said white balance control means decreases said white balance of said image signal when said white balance control means is adjusted in said first direction and increases said white balance of said image signal when said white balance control means is adjusted in said second direction.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.