System for regulation of color television camera size and centering currents

Claim 2

Apparatus for maintaing long term centering stability of images in a multiple pickup tube color television camera, each tube including electron beam deflection means, said camera including ramp signal-generating means coupled to each said deflection means, respectively, to control the sweep of an electron beam in a single one of substantially mutually perpendicular directions, said apparatus comprising: sensing means coupled to said deflection means of each of the tubes of said camera for sensing current sweeping the beam in each of said tubes, respectively, in said single direction, each of said sensing means producing an output signal of amplitude dependent substantially upon the average amplitude of each ramp signal waveform produced by the respective ramp signal-generating means coupled thereto; comparison means coupled to each of said sensing means for producing output signals in accordance with differences between amplitudes of signal produced by said sensing means coupled to each one of a pair of said tubes; and means coupling said comparison means to different ones of all but one of said ramp signal-generating means so as to combine each of said output signals produced by said comparison means with the ramp signal waveforms produced by all but said one of said ramp signal-generating means, respectively. Pg,26

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said sensing means comprises an integrating circuit having a time constant at least two orders of magnitude greater than the period of the ramp signal produced by said respective ramp signal-generating means coupled thereto.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said sensing means includes resistance means connected in series between each of said deflection means, respectively, and a separate input, respectively, of said comparison means, and further includes capacitance means connected in shunt with each of said inputs, respectively, of said comparison means.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said each tube includes additional electron beam deflection means, and said camera further includes additional ramp signal-generating means for controlling the sweep of said electron beam in said each tube in the second one of saud substantially mutually perpendicular directions so as to enable said beam to repetitively traverse substantially rectangular rasters, and means coupling said additional ramp signal-generating means to each said additional deflection means, said apparatus further comprising: additional sensing means coupled to said additional deflection means of each of said tubes for sensing current sweeping the beam in each of said tubes, respectively, in said second direction, each of said additional sensing means producing an output signal of amplitude dependent substantially upon the average amplitude of each ramp signal waveform produced by the respective additional ramp signal-generating means coupled thereto; additional comparison means coupled to each of said additional sensing means for producing output signals in accordance with differences between amplitudes of signal produced by said additional sensing means coupled to each one of a pair of said tubes; and means coupling said additional comparison means to different ones of all but one of said additional ramp signal-generating means, respectively, so as to combine each of said output signals produced by said additional comparison means with the ramp signal waveforms produced by all but said one of said additional ramp signal-generating means, respectively.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each said sensing means comprises an integrating circuit having a time constant at least two orders of magnitude greater than the period of the ramp signal produced by the respective ramp signal-generating means coupled thereto.

Claim 7

Apparatus for maintaining long-term size stability of images in a multiple pickup tube color television camera, each tube including electron beam deflection means, said camera including ramp signal-generating means for controlling the sweep of an electron beam in a single one of substantially mutually perpendicular directions, and means coupling one of said ramp signal-generating means to one of said deflection means, said apparatus comprising: sensing means coupled to said deflection means of each of the tubes of said camera for sensing current sweeping said beam in said single direction in each of said tubes, respectively, each of said sensing means producing an output signal of amplitude dependent substantially upon the peak-to-peak amplitude of each signal waveform respectively furnished thereto; comparison means coupled to each of said sensing means for producing output signals in accordance with differences between amplitudes of signal produced by said sensing means coupled to each one of a pair of said tubes; gain control means coupling each of the other ones of said ramp signal generating means, respectively, to each of the other ones of said deflection means, respectively, for controlling peak-to-peak amplitude of the ramp signal furnished to each of said other ones of said deflection means, respectively; and means coupling said comparison means to each of said gain control means so as to enable each said gain control means to regulate peak-to-peak amplitude of ramp signal waveforms respectIvely furnished thereto in accordance with said output signals produced by said comparison means respectively coupled thereto.

Claim 8

Apparatus for maintaining long-term size stability of images in a multiple pickup tube color television camera, each tube including electron beam deflection means, said camera including ramp signal-generating means for controlling the sweep of an electron beam in a single one of substantially mutually perpendicular directions, and means coupling one of said ramp signal-generating means to one of said deflection means, said apparatus comprising: sensing means coupled to said deflection means of each of the tubes of said camera for sensing current sweeping said beam in said single direction in each of said tubes, respectively, each of said sensing means producing an output signal of amplitude dependent substantially upon the peak-to-peak amplitude of each signal waveform respectively furnished thereto; comparison means coupled to each of said sensing means for producing output signals in accordance with differences between amplitudes of signal produced by said sensing means coupled to each one of a pair of said tubes; gain control means coupling each of the other ones of said ramp signal generating means, respectively, to each of the other ones of said deflection means, respectively, for controlling peak-to-peak amplitude of the ramp signal furnished to each of said other ones of said deflection means, respectively; and means coupling said comparison means to each of said gain control means so as to enable each said gain control means to regulate peak-to-peak amplitude of ramp signal waveforms respectIvely furnished thereto in accordance with said output signals produced by said comparison means respectively coupled thereto.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of said sensing means comprises first capacitor means, first diode means in series with said first capacitor means and a separate input of said comparison means, second capacitor means in shunt with said separate input of said comparison means, and second diode means connected to the junction of said first capacitor means and said first diode means for clamping to a predetermined DC potential one point of discontinuity of the ramp signal waveform furnished to said each of said sensing means.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said each tube includes additional electron beam deflection means, and said camera further includes additional ramp signal-generating means for controlling the sweep of said electron beam in the second one of said substantially mutually perpendicular directions so as to enable said beam to repetitively traverse substantially rectangular reasters, and means coupling one of said additional ramp signal generating means to one of said additional deflection means, said apparatus further comprising: additional sensing means coupled to said additional deflection means of each of the tubes of said camera for sensing current sweeping said beam in the second one of said directions in each of said tubes, respectively, each of said additional sensing means producing an output signal of amplitude dependent substantially upon peak-to-peak amplitude of each signal waveform respectively furnished thereto; additional comparison means coupled to each of said additional sensing means for producing output signals in accordance with differences between amplitudes of signal produced by said additional sensing means coupled to each one of a pair of said tubes; additional gain control means coupling each of the other ones of said additional ramp signal generating means, respectively, to each of the other ones of said additional deflection means, respectively, for controlling peak-to-peak amplitude of the ramp signal furnished to each of said other ones of said additional deflection means, respectively; and means coupling said additional comparison means to each of said additional gain control means so as to enable each said additional gain control means to regulate peak-to-peak amplitude of ramp signal waveforms respectively furnished thereto in accordance with said output signals produced by said additional comparison means respectively coupled thereto.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each of said sensing means comprises first capacitor means, first diode means in series with said first capacitor means and a separate input of said comparison means, second capacitor means in shunt with said separate input of said comparison means, and second diode means connected to the junction of said first capacitor means and said first diode means for clamping to a predetermined DC potential one point of discontinuity of the ramp signal waveform furnished to said each of said sensing means.

Claim 12

Apparatus for maintaining long-term registration stability of images in a multiple pickup tube color television camera, each tube including electron beam deflection means, said camera including ramp signal-generating means for controlling the sweep of an electron beam in a single one of substantially mutually perpendicular directions, and means coupling one of said ramp signal-generating means to one of said deflection means, said apparatus comprising: first sensing means coupled to said deflection means of each of the tubes of said camera for sensing current sweeping the beam in each of said tubes, respectively, in said single direction, each of said first sensing means producing an output signal of amplitude dependent substantially upon the average amplitude of each ramp signal waveform furnished thereto; second sensing means coupled to said deflection means of each of said tubes foR sensing current sweeping said beam in each of said tubes, respectively, in said single direction, each of said second sensing means producing an output signal of amplitude dependent substantially upon the peak-to-peak amplitude of each signal waveform respectively furnished thereto; first comparison means coupled to each of said first sensing means for producing output signals in accordance with differences between amplitudes of signal producd by said first sensing means coupled to each one of a pair of said tubes; second comparison means coupled to each of said second sensing means for producing output signals in accordance with differences between amplitudes of signal produced by said second sensing means coupled to each one of said pair of tubes; means coupling said first comparison means to different ones of all but said one of said ramp signal generating means so as to algebraically combine each of said output signals produced by said first comparison means with the ramp signal waveforms produced by said different ones of all but said one of said ramp signal-generating means, respectively; gain control means coupling each of the other ones of said ramp signal-generating means, respectively, to each of the other ones of said deflection means, respectively, for controlling peak-to-peak amplitude of the ramp signal furnished to each of said other ones of said deflection means, respectively; and means coupling said second comparison means to each of said gain control means so as to enable each said gain control means to regulate peak-to-peak amplitude of ramp signal waveforms respectively furnished thereto in accordance with said output signals produced by said second comparison means respectively furnished thereto.

Claim 13

Apparatus for maintaining long-term registration stability of images in a multiple pickup tube color television camera, each tube including electron beam deflection means, said camera including ramp signal-generating means for controlling the sweep of an electron beam in a single one of substantially mutually perpendicular directions, and means coupling one of said ramp signal-generating means to one of said deflection means, said apparatus comprising: first sensing means coupled to said deflection means of each of the tubes of said camera for sensing current sweeping the beam in each of said tubes, respectively, in said single direction, each of said first sensing means producing an output signal of amplitude dependent substantially upon the average amplitude of each ramp signal waveform furnished thereto; second sensing means coupled to said deflection means of each of said tubes foR sensing current sweeping said beam in each of said tubes, respectively, in said single direction, each of said second sensing means producing an output signal of amplitude dependent substantially upon the peak-to-peak amplitude of each signal waveform respectively furnished thereto; first comparison means coupled to each of said first sensing means for producing output signals in accordance with differences between amplitudes of signal producd by said first sensing means coupled to each one of a pair of said tubes; second comparison means coupled to each of said second sensing means for producing output signals in accordance with differences between amplitudes of signal produced by said second sensing means coupled to each one of said pair of tubes; means coupling said first comparison means to different ones of all but said one of said ramp signal generating means so as to algebraically combine each of said output signals produced by said first comparison means with the ramp signal waveforms produced by said different ones of all but said one of said ramp signal-generating means, respectively; gain control means coupling each of the other ones of said ramp signal-generating means, respectively, to each of the other ones of said deflection means, respectively, for controlling peak-to-peak amplitude of the ramp signal furnished to each of said other ones of said deflection means, respectively; and means coupling said second comparison means to each of said gain control means so as to enable each said gain control means to regulate peak-to-peak amplitude of ramp signal waveforms respectively furnished thereto in accordance with said output signals produced by said second comparison means respectively furnished thereto.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein each of said first sensing means comprises an integrating circuit having a time constant at least two orders of magnitude greater than the period of the ramp signal produced by said respective ramp signal generating means coupled thereto, and each of said second sensing means includes first capacitor means, first diode means in series with said first capacitor means and a separate input of said second comparison means, second capacitor means in shunt with said separate input of said second comparison means, and second diode means connected to the junction of said first capacitor means and said first diode means for clamping to a predetermined DC potential one point of discontinuity of the ramp signal waveform furnished to said each of said sensing means.