Method and system for generating color television signals without loss of vertical resolution

Claim 2

For use in a color television camera wherein the time period for scanning a horizontal line is a line interval and wherein said horizontal scanning takes place at a horizontal line frequency, a process for generating color signals comprising, in combination, projecting a plurality of images, each in a predetermined spectral range, of an object to be televised onto the photosensitive surface of a camera tube in said camera; scanning substantially corresponding lines of said plurality of images sequentially in a time period substantially equal to said line interval, thus generating a corresponding plurality of compressed color signals, each having a time duration shorter than said line interval; and converting said sequential compressed color signals into simultaneous color signals each having a time duration substantially equal to said line interval, thus furnishing a plurality of color signals corresponding to said plurality of images for each horizontal line, resulting in full vertical resolution.

Claim 3

A process as set forth in claim 1, wherein converting said sequential compressed color signals into simultaneous color signals each having a time duration substantially equal to said line interval comprises the steps of storing each of said compressed color signals in a corresponding storage location, thus furnishing stored color signals; and reading said stored color signals out of said storage locations in such a manner that the readout interval for each storage location is equal to said line interval, thus generating said standard color signals.

Claim 4

A process as set forth in claim 2, also comprising the step of writing said compressed color signals into said storage locations; wherein said writing into and reading out of a storage location begin simultaneously; and also comprising the step of delaying said color signals in such a manner for such differing time periods that said color signals are available simultaneously in the subsequent line interval, thus furnishing simultaneous color signals as required for transmission.

Claim 5

A process as set forth in claim 2, wherein storing said compressed color signals comprises storing the compressed color signals generated in a first line interval in a first group of storage locations; storing the compressed color signals generated during the subsequent line interval in a second group of storage locations; simultaneously reading out all of said stored signals in said first group of storage locations, over a time period corresponding to said line interval, in said subsequent line interval, thus generating simultaneous color signals, corresponding to a first line of said image; and simultaneously reading out said stored signals in said second group of storage locations, over a time interval corresponding to said line interval, during the line interval following said subsequent line interval, thus generating simultaneous color signals corresponding to a second line of said image.

Claim 6

For use in a color television camera wherein the time period for scanning a horizontal line is a line interval and wherein scanning of said horizontal lines takes place at a horizontal line frequency, a system for generating color signals without loss of vertical resolution, comprising, in combination, means for projecting a plurality of images, each in a predetermined spectral range, of an object to be televised onto the photosensitive surface of a camera tube in said camera; means for scanning substantially corresponding lines of said plurality of images sequentially in a total time period substantially equal to said line interval, thus generating a corresponding plurality of compressed color signals, each having a time duration shorter than said line interval; and means for converting said sequential compressed color signals into simultaneous color signals each having a time duration substantially equal to said line interval, thus furnishing simultaneous color signals for each horizontal line, as required for full vertical resolution.

Claim 7

For use in a color television camera wherein the time period for scanning a horizontal line is a line interval and wherein scanning of said horizontal lines takes place at a horizontal line frequency, a system for generating color signals without loss of vertical resolution, comprising, in combination, means for projecting a plurality of images, each in a predetermined spectral range, of an object to be televised onto the photosensitive surface of a camera tube in said camera; means for scanning substantially corresponding lines of said plurality of images sequentially in a total time period substantially equal to said line interval, thus generating a corresponding plurality of compressed color signals, each having a time duration shorter than said line interval; and means for converting said sequential compressed color signals into simultaneous color signals each having a time duration substantially equal to said line interval, thus furnishing simultaneous color signals for each horizontal line, as required for full vertical resolution.

Claim 8

A system as set forth in claim 5 wherein said converting means comprise storage means for storing said compressed color signals thus furnishing stored signals; storage write-in means for writing said compressed color signals into said storage means; and storage readout means adapted to readout said stored signals, each in a time period substantially equal to said line interval, thus generating color signals having a time duration equal to said line interval.

Claim 9

A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said storage means comprise a plurality of individual storage elements each having a storage electrode adapted to store signals in the form of electrical charges; wherein said storage write-in means comprise a plurality of first electron beams, each adapted to be modulated with a corresponding one of said compressed color signals; and wherein said readout means comprise a corresponding plurality of second electron beams, each deflected at said horizontal line frequency.

Claim 10

A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said storage means comprise a plurality of capacitors; wherein said storage write-in means comprise first electronic switching means adapted to connect each of said compressed color signals in turn to said capacitors, thus causing said capacitors to be charged correspondingly, the charge on said capacitors thus constituting said stored signals; and wherein said readout means comprise second electronic switching means operated at horizontal line frequency.

Claim 11

A system as set forth in claim 6, and also comprising a plurality of delay elements, each adapted to delay an Appropriate one of said color signals for such a time period that said color signals are simultaneously available at a predetermined subsequent line interval following said scanning process.

Claim 12

A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said storage means comprise a first and second group of storage elements, each of said groups of storage elements comprising a plurality of storage elements, one for each of said images; also comprising electronic switching means for connecting each of said compressed color signals to a corresponding storage element in said first group of storage means for a given line interval and to said second group of storage elements for the line interval following said given line interval; and wherein said readout means are adapted to readout the signals from said first group of storage elements simultaneously during the write-in time for said second group of storage elements, and are further adapted to readout the signals from said second group of storage elements simultaneously during the write-in time for said for first group of storage elements.

Claim 13

A system as set forth in claim 6; wherein said storage means comprise a plurality of individual storage elements, one for each of said images; wherein said write-in means comprise a corresponding plurality of write-in elements; wherein said readout means comprise a corresponding plurality of readout elements; also comprising means for impeding action of said readout or said write-in elements upon receipt of corresponding read or write impeding signals; and means for generating said impeding signals in such a manner that said write-in is effected to corresponding storage elements during said scanning process and said readout takes place during a time interval corresponding to said line interval.

Claim 14

A system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said images are located side by side in the direction of a horizontal line on said photosensitive surface; wherein said scanning means comprise a scanning electron beam; and also comprising deflection means for deflecting said scanning electron beam with a frequency equal to said horizontal line frequency and an amplitude corresponding to a width equal to the sum of the widths of the individual images and the spaces therebetween.

Claim 15

A system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said images are located side by side in the direction of the horizontal line on said photosensitive surface; wherein said scanning means comprise a scanning electron beam; also comprising a deflection system for said scanning beam having first deflection means adapted to generate a sawtooth voltage with an amplitude corresponding to the width of a single image and a frequency equal to the product of the horizontal line frequency and the number of said plurality of images; and second deflection means adapted to generate a step signal having a constant amplitude during the scanning time of each individual image.

Claim 16

A system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said images are located one underneath the other on the photosensitive surface, in a direction perpendicular to said horizontal line; wherein said scanning means comprise a scanning electron beam; and also comprising a deflection system for said scanning beam having first deflection means adapted to generate a sawtooth signal whose sawtooth frequency is the product of said horizontal line frequency and the number of said plurality of images; and a step voltage whose amplitude remains constant during the scanning of individual images and whose change in amplitude from the scanning of one individual image to the scanning of the subsequent individual image is equal to the vertical distance between corresponding lines of said images.

Claim 17

A system as set forth in claim 5, also comprising a second camera tube; means for projecting a panchromatic picture onto the photosensitive surface of said camera tube; and means for generating a brightness signal as a function of said panchromatic image.