Eastman-kodak Company

Thomas C Nutting

Richard A Shroyer

Kenneth Alan Parulski

Andrew Daniel Arnold

Leslie G Moore

Richard M Vogel

Stephen A Noble

John J Acello

John J Bradley

Mitchell J Milton

Richard C Painton

Edward G Sawyer

King A Lucas

The system of the present invention increases the resolution (number of picture elements or pixels) of an image that may be formed from an image sensor without increasing the resolution of the sensor. The system operates upon a color image beam using a set of primary color filters, including at least two filters of the same color, with at least one of the filters being capable of displacing the color image beam by a distance equal to a fraction of the distance between adjacent photosensitive elements which form the image sensor. The color wheel is rotated to sequentially place each filter of the set of primary filters into the color image beam. The array of photosensitive elements forming the image sensor is positioned to receive the colored image beam which passes through each filter. Each photosensitive element produces signals indicative of the intensity of the color image beam components incident thereon. The signals produced by the photosensitive elements of the image sensor are stored for each filter positioned in the path of the color image beam. A composite image signal is formed from the stored signals by combining the signals such that the filter displaced pixels are interleaved with the non-displaced pixels. The resultant image therefore has a greater number of pixels, or higher resolution, than the image sensor.

Color sequential optical offset image sampling system

Video copying apparatus generates a color sequential video signal from originals having different spectral characteristics, such as photographic slides and negatives. The apparatus includes a color filter wheel with a plurality of color filters that are sequentially interposed into the optical path between a camera and the original. By providing separate red filters in the filter wheel, the spectral pass bands of the red filters can be matched to the separate and distinctive red spectral responses of a slide or a negative. The output color video signal is obtained from a progression of filtered image signals generated by the camera according to the type of original. In one embodiment, a succession of video fields including red image signals from both red filters is continuously applied to a framestore and the selection of the appropriate red signal is made by storing only the color video signals corresponding to the desired type of original.

Video copying apparatus spectrally-responsive to slides or negatives

A video player, specially adapted to accommodate 'mixed field and frame' recordings, incorporates a frame store for playing back still pictures recorded on a magnetic disk as either single field or dual field (full frame) video signals. A repetitive, interlaced output signal is taken from the frame store either directly or through an interpolation circuit. While interpolation benefits single field playback, it is particularly useful for incrementally achieving full frame playback: An interpolated frame is provided for displaying a single field recording and for displaying a still picture before--and until--the second frame of a full frame recording is fully available from the frame store. Once both fields of the picture are stored in the frame store, then and only then is the disk drive motor turned off, albeit that an interpolated frame is displayed before this occurs.

Dual access frame store for field or frame playback in a video disk

An image recording system is provided including a conventional photographic film camera, an electronic video camera, and an electronic flash. Synchronizing apparatus is provided such that, responsive to the actuation of the film camera shutter by a human operator, the flash is substantially immediately triggered to illuminate a subject. Responsive to the single flash illumination, the synchronizing apparatus synchronizes the operation of the video camera to the film camera such that the film camera captures a photographic image of the subject, and the electronic video camera captures a full frame image of a substantially identical view of the subject as two consecutive video fields. The video camera is further synchronized such that the flash illumination is substantially entirely and equally distributed between the two fields of video information. The video camera normally operates in a movie format according to NTSC standards. The capturing of the video image is accomplished by inhibiting, during the flash illumination, any transfer of charge from photosites to shift registers in a video imager contained in the video camera. Upon termination of the flash illumination, the next two video fields are transferred to provide a full video frame of the subject of interest.

Image recording system

A video still camera includes a common integrating circuit for measuring light level in relation to both color balance and exposure control. An exposure photodiode generates an exposure signal from a small sample of image light diverted from the optical section of the camera. Broadly oriented red, green and blue photodiodes generate three color balance signals corresponding to the color characteristics of the illuminant. The photodiodes are selectively multiplexed into the input of the integrating circuit for the measurements. In one embodiment, the exposure photodiode remains connected to the integrating circuit for exposure measurement. The color balance measurement is unaffected because the small photocurrent from the exposure photodiode is effectively swamped by the much larger color photocurrent from a multiplexed color photodiode.

Still video camera with common circuit for color balance and exposure

The control computer of a still video camera provides discrete video gain adjustments to the signal processing section during preview operation of an electronic viewfinder. Because exposure time is fixed for preview, and depth of field can be dramatically larger than for still recording, focusing discrepancies can arise between the viewfinder display and the subsequent still recording. This is true especially as light levels are increasing. Discretely varying the video gain has the effect of discretely varying the effective exposure value at the plane of the image sensor. Thus, by lowering video gain during preview for high light levels and concomitantly reducing the exposure value, the viewfinder aperture is driven further open to a value more closely matching the still aperture. As a large aperture means reduced depth of field, focusing errors are reduced.

Still video camera having effective imager sensitivity optimized for

An apparatus for reproducing recorded interleaved video fields as a field sequential video signal. The interleaved video fields are recorded on a magnetic disc at one rotary speed and reproduced at a second rotary speed utilizing appropriate switching and two dual frequency CCD delay lines to produce a field sequential video signal.

Apparatus for reproducing recorded interleaved video fields as a field

A driving circuit (30) generates multi-phase signals for operating the vertical charge-coupled registers (V1, V2 . . . ) of an interline-transfer image sensor (12). Though having full-frame still capability, the sensor (12) is included in a still video camera for single-field recording. After a still exposure is completed, the phase signals (XV1 . . . XV4) applied to the vertical registers generate an array of charge wells in the registers alongside the photoelectric elements (P1, P2) corresponding to each field. The image charges residing in these elements transfer to the registers as separate fields, where they are merged as one field in order to increase the photosensitivity for a single-field still recording. Such increased photosensitivity is translated into increased photographic range by controlling the exposure of the sensor (12) to accord with the increased image charge by, for example, reducing the exposure time provided by the sensor or the optical aperture presented to the image sensor. In this manner, the 'speed' of the sensor is increased for merged field operation.

Apparatus for merged field operation of an image sensor in a still video

A still video camera includes an electronic image sensor as a signal source either for an electronic viewfinder or for a still image processed by the camera and recorded upon a magnetic disk. Since the viewfinder operates in a movie mode (with a fixed exposure time), the light intensity required for a viewfinder display ordinarily differs from that required for a still exposure. By commonly determining the correct exposure conditions for both the viewfinder display and the still exposure, time can be saved in shifting from the movie mode to the still mode. A sample of image light in the movie mode is diverted to a microprocessor-controlled exposure circuit, which integrates the light to determine the correct diaphragm aperture for both modes of operation. The movie aperture is directly input to a diaphragm driver while the still aperture is saved until a still exposure is requested.

Exposure control apparatus for a still video camera having an electronic

A full frame solid state imager is disclosed having an input register utilized to effect field recirculation whereby the imager itself is utilized as a storage device to store the second field of the frame until the readout of the first field has been effected. The signal produced from the imager is a field sequential signal.

Full frame recirculating imaging device having a field sequential output

The average video level of a video camera is corrected for film-to-video conversion by having a film aperture plate with a light-passing opening that is slightly enlarged with respect to the image area of the film. Non-image light passes through a peripheral region of the film, as defined by the enlarged opening, and strikes a part of the camera sensor not receiving image-wise illumination. By enlarging the aperture plate opening just enough that the video signal from the non-imaged part of the sensor approximates a desired average video level, the automatic video level correction performed by the camera will pertain only to the image. The aperture plate is part of a film gate that is rotatably mounted so that the film may be supported in either a 'horizontal' or 'vertical' orientation, depending on how the film image was initially exposed.

Exposure level correction for film-to-video conversion

A focusing aid for a video camera alleviates manual focusing uncertainty due to difficulty in rendering sharply defined features in an electronic viewfinder. The focusing aid impacts a central viewing area by modifying the picture contrast, a visual substitute for a bandwidth-limited rendition of picture sharpness. A high frequency component of a luminance signal generated by the camera is converted into a dc control signal having an amplitude that varies with high frequency content. By using the control signal to adjust the gain applied to the luminance signal, the contrast of the picture formed in the central area is accentuated according to the degree of focus.

Focusing aid for a manually focused video camera

A magnetic disk recording apparatus is disclosed having a synchronization modification circuit utilized to control the rotational speed of a magnetic disc, whereby an integer number of horizontal lines of a standard video signal are recorded on one annular track of the magnetic disc. When the recorded video signal is repeatedly reproduced, a non-interlaced single field 'still' video image is displayed on a standard monitor adapted to display an interlaced image.

Growing community of inventors

Fairport, NY, United States of America

Thomas C Nutting