White balance correcting device

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Accordingly, the present invention has an object to provide a white balance correcting device for use in a color video camera, which can eliminate the disadvantages inherent in conventional devices.
In the white balance correcting device embodiments of the present invention, two kinds of color signals are obtained from an image output signal of an imaging means such as a camera tube in a color video camera or a solid-state image element and are respectively supplied to gain-control matrix circuits together with respective low luminance signal components so as to obtain respective color difference signals which are smoothed and converted to DC voltages; each DC voltage is compared with a constant voltage used as a reference so as to obtain a comparison signal, which is fed back to the respective gain-control circuit.
When a light input which is inputted into the camera tube has a light level which is larger than that of a predetermined references level, either the low frequency luminance component Y.
sub.
L which is inputted into the gain-control matrix circuit is reduced, or the low frequency luminance component Y.
sub.
L which is an output from the gain-control matrix circuit is reduced, both the (R-Y.
sub.
L) signal of the color difference signal and the Y.
sub.
L component of the (B-Y.
sub.
L) signal are reduced so as to make the level variation of the (B-Y.
sub.
L) signal small and to enable the R, G, and B components to be disposed within a normal range, so as to thereby form a picture having a white balance even at a high luminance.