Agfa-gevaert Ag

Agfa-gevaert Ag - Fototechnik

Eduard Wagensonner

Otto Stemme

Wolfgang Ruf

Peter Lermann

Karl Wagner

Kurt Borowski

Bernhard Von Fischern

Istvan Cocron

Volkmar Stenzenberger

Hermann Fuchsberger

Alfred Winkler

Richard Wick

Klaus Birgmeir

Theodor Huber

Frank A Staudacher

Alois Rieder

Gunter Fauth

Friedrich Jacob

Friedrich Stumpf

Herbert Wilsch

Friedrich Winkler

Karel Pustka

Ulrich Krekeler

Horst Rossbach

Karl-Heinz Schultheiss

Franz Bien

Gunter Fischer

Freidhrich Hujer

Dieter Knauer

Thomas Landsiedel

A method and apparatus for the processing of images which are stored on a medium, having images which are electronically raster scanned and then subject to signal processing. The image signals for each image are processed electronically at least two times, with different parameters, and each of the processed image signals is sent to a single printing device. For example, the parameters may describe size, orientation, format, or composite printing, e.g., of an index print.

Method and device for image processing

A scanner has a light sensing unit, and a reflecting unit which reflects light to the sensing unit either directly or indirectly. The reflecting unit receives light from an object being scanned or from a light source. In the former case, the light is reflected to the sensing unit directly. In the latter case, the light is reflected to the sensing unit indirectly. Thus, the reflecting unit directs light to an object being scanned and the object transmits or reflects the light to the sensing unit. The reflecting unit is made up of a series of micromirrors, and each of the micromirrors corresponds to a respective point of the object being scanned. The micromirrors are independently movable between rest positions in which they reflect light away from the sensing unit and active positions in which they reflect light towards the sensing unit. The micromirrors are successively moved from the rest positions to the active positions and back to the rest positions so that only one micromirror at a time directs light to the sensing unit. In this manner, scanning is accomplished point-by-point. The scanner can be used in a photographic copier to measure the densities of film frames and thereby regulate the exposure times during copying.

Scanning method and apparatus

A photographic scanner has a light source for illuminating a photographic original to be scanned and a sensor for detecting light which has passed through the original. The sensor has a single row of sensing cells, and the original is scanned by moving the sensor and the original relative to one another in a direction perpendicular to the row. An objective serves to focus light from the original on the sensing cells. Between the objective and the sensor is a protective glass sheet which overlies the sensor. A mask is interposed between the protective sheet and the sensor and has a slit in register with the row of sensing cells. The mask reduces the amount of scattered light reaching the sensing cells.

Photographic scanner with reduced susceptibility to scattering

The transparencies of an original for the primary colors are measured at a series of discrete points. The transparency values are processed to adjust for the characteristics of the copy material and the characteristics of the light source used to form an image of the original on the copy material. The light source is a cathode ray tube which generates an image forming beam having a Gaussian intensity distribution with a maximum at the longitudinal axis of the beam. The copy material is a hard copy material having three layers each of which is sensitized to light of a different primary color. Each layer responds to light of the corresponding color having an intensity in excess of a corresponding threshold level but exhibits no response to light having an intensity below this level. An image of the original is formed on the copy material point-by-point using the image forming beam from the cathode ray tube. The size of each image point depends upon the intensity of the beam relative to the threshold levels. By regulating the intensity of the beam on the basis of the adjusted transparency values of the original, the sizes of the image points are such that the tones of the image correspond to those of the original.

Method and apparatus for point-by-point reproduction of an original

A colored original is scanned in each of the three primary colors red, green and blue to generate a series of electrical imaging signals for each such color. The signals are electronically processed and then sent to a cathode ray tube having a screen which is coated with a phosphor. The cathode ray tube successively converts the signals of the different series into optical images having the respective primary colors red, green and blue. The images are formed on the screen of the cathode ray tube thereby exciting the phosphor which luminesces to generate printing light. The differently colored images are successively printed on photographic color paper using the printing light emitted by the phosphor as well as respective red, green and blue filters. The phosphor is a rare earth phosphor which emits strongly in the red region of the spectrum and only weakly in the green and blue regions of the spectrum. The weak emissions in the green and blue regions of the spectrum are compensated for by using dichroic green and blue filters having high transmissivities. On the other hand, the strong emission of the phosphor in the red region of the spectrum is balanced by employing copy paper having relatively low sensitivity in this region. Such compensation and balancing make it possible to achieve equal or almost equal exposure times in the different primary colors.

Method of and apparatus for printing a color image using dichroic

An original to be copied is electrooptically scanned point-by-point. The resulting imaging signals are stored in a first memory and then forwarded to a first image processing unit where the signals are electronically corrected to enhance the image of the original. The corrected signals are loaded into a second memory. A portion of the corrected signals is recalled from the second memory and sent to a third memory. This portion of the corrected signals is then transmitted to a second image processing unit and thereafter converted into a low-resolution video image which can be inspected to determine image quality. If image quality is satisfactory, the contents of the second memory are sent to an exposure unit which prints a high-resolution image of the original on copy material. Imaging signals for a second original are loaded into the first memory as the contents of the second memory are recalled for printing. The second processing unit functions to adjust the video image so that it closely corresponds to the printed image of the original.

Method of and apparatus for copying originals in which an image to be

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for electronic contrast valuation of two-dimensional transparent original images, in which the original images are electro-optically scanned by rows and columns. The image signals, corresponding to the image elements or pixels, and possibly needing correction, are subjected to frequency filtering, in which they are modified by a low-pass filter. The resulting low-pass signals are summed with corresponding high-pass signals obtained by subtraction of low-pass signals from the original image signals. The amplification factor for the high-pass signal is determined according to a non-linear transfer characteristic function K2, such that small signals corresponding to low image contrast are more greatly amplified (amplification S.sub.1) than are large signals corresponding to high image contrast (amplification S.sub.2), and that the low-pass signals are modified according to a non-linear gradation characteristic function K1 prior to the addition of the high-pass and low-pass signals.

Method of and apparatus for electronic contrast enhancement of

A colored original to be reproduced is scanned point-by-point in each of the three primary colors. The resulting imaging signals are processed to generate a luminance signal and a pair of chrominance signals. The luminance signal is branched into a high-pass filter channel and a low-pass filter channel. The high-pass portion of the luminance signal is amplified in accordance with a sublinear characteristic function which causes signals of small amplitude to be amplified to a greater degree than signals of large amplitude. The low-pass portion of the luminance signal is modified per a non-linear characteristic gradation function. The thus-modified high-pass and low-pass portions of the luminance signal are added to yield an enhanced luminance signal. The enhanced luminance signal is divided by the original luminance signal and each of the chrominance signals is multiplied by the resulting quotient. This automatially compensates for the changes in color saturation which accompany changes in brightness. After the multiplication, the chrominance signals are amplified in accordance with a sublinear characteristic function which causes signals of small amplitude to be amplified to a greater degree than signals of large amplitude. This characteristic function further has a form such that no additional ampification takes place beyond a predetermined threshold limit.

Method of electronically improving the sharpness and contrast of a

Diapositives are copied on negative photosensitive paper in an apparatus wherein the positive is electronically scanned, line-by-line, and the thus obtained density signals are electronically inverted prior to influencing the beam of a CRT or laser which is used to reproduce the image of the positive on paper, either line-by-line or point-by-point. The inversion of signals renders it possible to scan the high-transmissivity portions of the positives with a narrow beam, i.e., with a high degree of resolution.

Method and apparatus for making positive copies from diapositives

A method of producing a video picture of an image comprises the steps of lighting the image at a light level equal to about a predetermined small fraction of the light level necessary to produce picture-element signals of an amplitude sufficient to process. The thus lighted image is then scanned and electrooptically reduced to a succession of sets of analog picture-element signals a predetermined number N of times, the number N being equal to the inverse of the predetermined small fraction. Thus for each portion of the image there is a respective picture-element signal in each succession. The signals of each image portion are then projected onto the same portion of a light-sensitive medium to form a picture of the image thereon. This medium is capable of adding each of the signals of each set to the signals of the other sets corresponding to the same image portion.

Method of and apparatus for making video images

The dynamic random access memory for use in a video circuit scanning video images according to the interlaced scanning method and reproducing the images on monitors of different resolutions is described. The RAM memory is composed of as many RAM segments as there are graduations of picture elements available, each segment including a plurality of RAM chips determined by the minimum read/write cycle time and by the scanning cycle time. To speed up the addressing during the switchover from the low-resolution to a high-resolution reception, the memory is organized into two halves, for storing respectively signals pertaining to odd-numbered and even-numbered picture lines. In each half, the vertical columns are subdivided into groups of lines pertaining to a single video data word. The adjoining pairs of columns store the signals pertaining to corresponding pairs of consecutive video lines which, in each pair, are arranged one below the other. In this manner the access time in the memory during the low-resolution is made faster.

Arrangement of a dynamic random access memory

A color filtering device for a charge-coupled photoelectric converting device including a series of uniformly configured photoelectric converting elements which are sensitized by the filtering arrangement in the order of green, blue, green and red. The filtering arrangement includes a transparent filter carrier supporting a series of green, blue, green, red, blue, green, and so on, filtering elements. The active surface of each blue filtering element is equal to the active surface of the assigned photoelectric converting element. The green and red filtering elements are reduced in size in inverse proportion to the spectral sensitivity of the assigned photoelectric converting element. The resulting spacings between the elements are covered by an opaque masking layer, preferably of chromium.

Color filter arrangement for optoelectric converting devices

An electronic image scanner is disclosed in various embodiments. Scanning of an image is divided into a first reproduction phase and a second reproduction phase. In the first reproduction phase, a first half-frame of a video signal is developed. In the second reproduction phase, a second half-frame of the video signal is developed. By utilizing the invention herein, a flicker-free video signal can be developed from a motion picture film while maintaining resolution of the resultant video signal at the conventional television resolution standard of 625 lines per film frame.

Device for the electronic scanning of images

A photographic camera with automatic setting of diaphragm and exposure time. A light sensitive circuit generates pulses and is connected to a diaphragm counting stage for comparing signals from the light sensitive circuit with preset signals in the diaphragm counting stage and for providing a stop pulse to an electromagnetic diaphragm setting stage. A counter is connected to a pulse generator and to the diaphragm counting stage in a stop control connection. A start control provision connects the output of the diaphragm counting stage to an exposure time forming stage. The exposure time forming stage can be connected to the counter for providing automatic setting of the time determining part of the exposure time forming stage depending on the counting state of the counter. A shutter opening member can be connected to the diaphragm counting stage for receiving a control signal for the release part of the shutter opening member.

Photographic camera

An apparatus is disclosed for electronically scanning photographic positives or negatives and reproducing them as video images. These images are displayed on a video monitor and may, if desired, be copied onto photosensitive paper.

Growing community of inventors

Aschheim, Germany

Eduard Wagensonner