Imaging sensing and processing apparatus and method

Claim 2

Image sensing and processing apparatus comprising photoresponsive means (20,34,36) for sensing at least one colour of image defining light incident thereto for each picture element of a selected number of image defining picture elements, and for providing a high resolution electrical colour separation signal corresponding to a selected colour selected and sensed for each one of the picture elements and a low resolution electrical colour separation signal corresponding to the selected colour and sensed for selected groupings of the image defining picture elements; a memory (42) for storing the low resolution electrical colour separation signals or signals related thereto; and signal processing means (46,44) responsive to the signals retrieved from the memory (42) and the high resolution electrical colour separation signals sensed by the photoresponsive means (20,34,36) for providing enhanced high resolution electrical colour separation signals for the selected colour.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing means operates to colour matrix each colour component of the high resolution electrical colour separation signal with a selected colour component of the low resolution electrical colour separation signal to provide the enhanced high resolution electrical colour separation signals.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the colours selected for the high resolution electrical colour separation signal are selected from the group of primary red, green, and blue colours and the colours selected for the low resolution electrical colour separation signals are selected from the group of complementary cyan, magenta and yellow colours.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the photoresponsive means comprises a linear array (24) of light sensing elements for providing a line scan of a subject (12) wherein each one of the light sensing elements corresponds to one of the image defining picture elements and means (22) for establishing relative movement between the linear array (24) and the subject (12) to be scanned in a direction transverse to the direction of the line scan in order to enable the linear array to scan the entire area of the subject.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the photoresponsive means further comprises at least one transfer register (30,32) for receiving and transferring individual charge packets from the sensing elements (24), transfer gate (26,28) and clock means (50) for controlling the transfer of charge packets from the linear array (24) to the or each transfer register (30,32), a precharge diode (34) for providing an analogue output potential in correspondence to the charge transferred thereto from the or each transfer register (30,32) and transport clock means (52) for controlling the transfer of charge packets from the or each transfer register (30,32) to the precharge diode (34), whereby in use the output from the photoresponsive means (20) is varied from the high resolution electrical colour separation signal to the low resolution electrical colour separation signal by increasing the speed of relative movement between the linear array (24) and the subject (12) to be scanned, by increasing the rate at which the transfer gate (26,28) and clock means (50) controls the transfer of the charge packets from the linear array to the transfer register, and by increasing the rate at which the transport clock means (52) controls the transfer of charge packets from the transfer register to the precharge diode (34).

Claim 7

Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, further including means (48) responsive to the enhanced high resolution electrical colour separation signals for providing an enhanced facsimile of the image detected by the photoresponsive means.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of colour matrixing each colour component of the high resolution electrical colour separation signal with a selected colour component of the low resolution electrical colour separation signal to provide the enhanced high resolution electrical colour separation signals.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the colour for the high resolution electrical colour separation signal is selected from the group of primary red, green and blue colours and the colours for the low resolution electrical colour separation signal and selected from the group of complementary cyan, magenta and yellow colours.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 11, further including the steps of: receiving and- transferring individual charge packets from the sensing elements to at least one transfer register (30,32) and controlling the rate of transfer of the packets with a transfer gate (26,28) and clock pulse, transferring the charge packets from the or each transfer register (30,32) to a precharge diode (34) to provide an analogue output potential in correspondence to the charge transferred thereto, and periodically resetting the potential of the precharge diode.

Claim 15

A method according to claim 12, in which the high resolution electrical colour separation signal is changed to the low resolution electrical colour separation signal by the steps of: increasing the speed of relative movement between the linear array (24) and the subject (12) to be scanned, increasing the rate at which charge packets are transferred from the linear array (24) to the or each transfer register (30,32) and increasing the rate at which charge packets are transferred from the or each transfer register to the precharge diode (34).