Image input apparatus and method
View Patent ↗An image input apparatus is provided which is capable of taking a still image with high quality and with easy operations. The image input apparatus disclosed herein has a video camera and an expansion board mounted on a personal computer. The video camera has a lens, a shutter release switch, an image pickup device, a VIDS circuit, and the like. The expansion board connected via a camera cable to the video camera has a VIDS circuit, an A/D converter, a synchronous signal generator, and the like. As the shutter release switch of the video camera is depressed, the expansion board is controlled to read still image data and compress it. As the shutter release switch is released, it is controlled to resume the initial operations of reading moving image data and compressing it.
1. An image processing system comprising:
receiving means for receiving signals and user operation instructions transmitted from an image pickup means mounted to an image pickup means housing, and wherein the user operation instructions are sequentially inputted thereto; and
processing means, mounted to a processing means housing that is different from said image pickup means housing, for processing and compressing the transmitted image signals in accordance with the transmitted user operation instructions, said image pickup means includes switching means for switching an image pickup between a moving image and a still image, and notification means for notifying said processing means of a state of said switching means;
wherein said processing means includes a first compression means for executing compression for a moving image, a second compression means for executing compression for a still image, and selection means for selecting said first or second compression means in accordance with the notified state of said switching means;
wherein said processing means includes means for setting a white balance of the image signals to a value shifted for the still image, if said switching means is in an on-state, wherein said second compression means compresses the image signals whose set value is shifted for the still image;
said notification means notifies a state of said switching means by multiplexing a signal representative of the state with the image signal; and
the image signals processed by said processing means are displayed on different windows respectively.
2. An image processing system according to claim 1 , wherein:
if said switching means is in a non-operated state, said selection means selects said first compression means; and
if said switching means is in an operated state, said selection means changes a selection of said first compression means to a selection of said second compression means and resumes a selection of said first compression means after a lapse of a predetermined time.
3. An image processing system according to claim 2 , wherein said predetermined time is a time required for said second compression means at least to compress image signals in unit of frame or field.
4. An image processing system according to claim 2 , wherein:
if said switching means continues to be operated, said second compression means continues to compress image signals in unit of frame or field; and
after the lapse of said predetermined time after said switching means is not operated, an operation by said first compression means resumes.
5. An image processing system according to claim 1 , further comprising display means for displaying said compressed image signals, wherein:
said display means displays image signals compressed by said first and second compression means in different windows; and
the window displaying the image signals compressed by said second compression means is formed separately for each frame or field.
6. An image input apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said notification means notifies a state of said switching means during a blanking period of the image signals by multiplexing a signal representative of the state with the image signals.
7. An image input method comprising the steps of:
sequentially inputting user instructions to an image input means using a switching means of said image input means;
transmitting image data and inputted user instructions from the image input means;
receiving the transmitted image data and user instructions by processing means mounted to a housing different from the image input means;
compressing the image data received by said processing means in accordance with the received user instructions, wherein said received user instructions notify said processing means of an on/off state of said switching means for switching the input image between a moving image and a still image;
selecting a first compression means for compression of the moving image or a second compression means for compression of the still image, in accordance with the notified on/off state of the switching means;
setting a white balance of the image signals to a value shifted for the still image, if the switching means is in an on-state, wherein said second compression means compresses the image signals whose set value is shifted for the still image; and
displaying images processed by the first and second compression means on different windows respectively.