Charge-coupled device video-signal-generating system

Abstract

A video-signal-generating system comprises a pair of similar charge-coupled area-image-sensing devices, each comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensor sites arranged in rows and columns, each site being effective to produce a charge packet in response to illumination incident thereon, a charge-detection output circuit capable of producing an output signal varying with the magnitudes of successive charge packets in sequence, and a plurality of charge-storing sites located intermediate the photosensor sites and the charge-detection circuit for effecting the orderly transfer of charge packets from the photosensor sites in sequence to the charge-detection circuit. The system also includes an optical system for simultaneously imaging a scene to be reproduced on each of the charge-coupled area-image-sensing devices where each device is positioned with respect to corresponding image points such that photosensor sites of one of the devices are offset along row and column directions within the image plane from corresponding photosensor sites of the other device. One example described comprises two image-sensing devices with the offset made equal to one row spacing of photosensor sites in one direction and one-half column spacing of photosensor sites in the other direction. The system also includes means for combining the output signals of the output circuits of the image-sensing devices to provide a video signal for reproduction.