[54] VIDEO SIGNAL PROCESSOR FOR
DETECTING FLESH TONES IN AM IMAGE
[75] Inventors: Kazuaki Kojima; Tetsuya Kuno;
Hiroaki Sugiura; Takeshi Yamada, all
of Nagaokakyo, Japan
[73] Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha,
Tokyo, Japan
[21] Appl. No.: 999,741
[22] Filed: Dec. 31,1992
[30] Foreign Application Priority Data
Jan. 13, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-003917
Jan. 14, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-004453
Mar. 2, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-044581
Apr. 27, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-107451
Jim. 19, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-161057
Jun. 19, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-161058
Aug. 5, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-208929
Aug. 5, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-208930
Aug. 21, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-222698
Aug. 21, 1992 [JP] Japan 4-222699
[51] Int. CI.6 H04N 9/68
[52] U.S. CI 348/653; 348/652
[58] Field of Search 348/652, 653,
348/649, 650, 645; 358/28, 27; H04N 9/64, 9/68, 5/20, 5/205
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
3,873,760 3/1975 Worden 348/652
4,327,374 4/1982 Matsudaetal 348/653
4,385,311 5/1983 Harwood et al 358/28
4,506,293 3/1985 Hurst 348/630
4,812,903 3/1989 Wagensonner et al 348/645 X
4,837,612 6/1989 Miller 348/645
4,953,011 8/1990 Mori et al 348/30
5,089,882 2/1992 Kaye et al 348/645
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
3809967 10/1988 Germany H04N 9/64
56-104595 8/1981 Japan H04N 9/64
0060792 4/1982 Japan H04N 9/535
0080891 5/1982 Japan H04N 9/535
0013094 1/1983 Japan H04N 9/535
58-104588 6/1983 Japan H04N 9/64
0051387 5/1985 Japan H04N 9/67
1- 223891 9/1989 Japan H04N 9/00
2214272 8/1990 Japan .
2- 214272 8/1990 Japan H04N 5/232
(List continued on next page.)
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 13, No. 544, Dec. 6, 1989. Record of the 1992 Kansai-Section Joint Convention of Institutes of Electrical Engineering, Japan, "A Study of a Method of Flesh-tone Color Correction for Digital Color Video Cameras".
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 15, No. 273, Jul. 11, 1991.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 7, No. 208, Sep. 14, 1983.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 5, No. 179, Nov. 17, 1981.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 14, No. 515, Nov. 13, 1990.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 15, No. 375, Sep. 20, 1991.
Primary Examiner—Victor R. Kostak
Assistant Examiner—John W. Miller
[57] ABSTRACT
A flesh-tone area is detected based on color-difference and luminance signals constituting video signals, and luminance correction, color correction, and aperture correction are performed only on the flesh-tone area or a human face area identified in the flesh-tone area. The setting of a focus area or the setting of a photometric area for iris control, automatic gain control, automatic shutter control, etc., in a video camera, is performed with respect to the flesh-tone area or the human face area. Furthermore, based on the colordifference and luminance signals constituting the video signals, a background area is detected, and the video signals are divided into components representing a background area and components representing an object area. An image signal of a desired hue or a still image is superimposed on the detected background area, or special processing is performed on the video signals representing the object area other than the detected background area.
11 Claims, 187 Drawing Sheets
