초록 ▼

An image signal provided by an image pickup device, such as a CCD, is converted into a video signal by a signal processor. An extraction means extracts a candidate object region from the current video signal and an object region determined a certain time before by a decision means is read from a mem

An image signal provided by an image pickup device, such as a CCD, is converted into a video signal by a signal processor. An extraction means extracts a candidate object region from the current video signal and an object region determined a certain time before by a decision means is read from a memory. For example, the decision means compares an overlapping region in which the candidate object region and the object region read from the memory overlap each other and provides a new object region a size larger than the overlapping region and replace the object region with the new object region to update the contents of the memory. On the other hand, a calculating means calculates the features of the object region including the position of the centroid of the object region on a screen. A control means, such as a microcomputer, controls the image pick up device on the basis of information about the features so that a region including the target object substantially in its central part is cut out as a video signal. Consequently, the target object can be surely tracked regardless of objects other than the target object included in a scene.

대표청구항 ▼

A video camera comprising: an image pickup device having a plurality of light receiving elements in a two-dimensional arrangement on an imaging surface thereof for producing an image signal through the photoelectric conversion of an optical image focused on the imaging surface by a lens unit; a driv

A video camera comprising: an image pickup device having a plurality of light receiving elements in a two-dimensional arrangement on an imaging surface thereof for producing an image signal through the photoelectric conversion of an optical image focused on the imaging surface by a lens unit; a driver which drives the image pickup device to read the image signal from a part of the light receiving elements located in a specified region of the imaging surface; a signal processor which produces a video signal indicating the luminance and chrominance on the basis of the image signal; a target tracking processor which processes the video signal on the basis of predetermined conditions and continuously provides a signal representing a current object region; and a controller which continuously determines a location of the specified region of the imaging surface representing the current object region, so that the object region is located substantially in the center of the specified region, the controller providing an output to the driver for specifying the location of the specified region; wherein the target tracking processor is provided with an extractor which makes a decision as to whether or not the video signal meets the predetermined conditions and generates an extraction signal representing an extracted region meeting the predetermined conditions; and wherein the predetermined conditions require that the luminance and chrominance of the video signal are within fixed ranges, respectively.