Patent ID: 7573507

Claim:
A white balance controlling apparatus for controlling adjustment of the white balance of a color signal, the apparatus comprising: luminance detection means for detecting the luminance of pixels of an inputted image signal; luminance comparison means for comparing a maximum value of luminance at a first portion of the image signal corresponding to one frame or one field which includes pixels discriminated at least as pixels of one of green under a light source of the sun or white under a fluorescent light source with a maximum value of luminance at a second portion of the image signal different from the first portion; light source estimation means for estimating, where the maximum value of the luminance at the first portion is lower than the maximum value of the luminance at the second portion, that the light source being used is the light source of the sun, and for estimating, where the maximum value of the luminance at the first portion is higher than the maximum value of the luminance at the second portion, that the light source being used is the fluorescent light source; and adjustment controlling means for outputting an adjustment amount for the color signal in response to a result of the estimation by the light source estimation means so as to suitably adjust the white balance.