Patent US3883852A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3883852A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Image scanning converter for automated slide analyzer
Assignee: Corning Glass Works
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Filing: 1973-04-20
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Granted: 1975-05-13
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Expires: 1993-04-20
Abstract
Abstract In an automatic slide analyzer an analog to digital converter is operated at the optimum speed while an address generator continuously generates the correct location in memory for the storage of the digital words. The image read-in system has a television type image scanning detector, a high speed analog to digital converter and an interface to a high capacity digital memory. The image of a leukocyte on a blood smeared slide is magnified and optically filtered. This image is scanned at conventional television rates by a vidicon camera tube. A timing pulse generator produces pulses which operate the analog to digital converter at the optimum time. An address generator concurrently generates digital addresses in the sequence in which the converted digital words are to be retrieved. In storage, digital words from successive scan lines are interleaved in the memory so they are in the correct order upon readout.
Inventors
- 👤 Douglas A Cotter
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 23:15
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N15/00; G01N15/10; G01N15/14; G01N15/1468; G06; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0007; G01N15/1429; G01N15/1433
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
205 words
A system producing stored digital words representing the optical characteristics of an analytical slide comprising: means for producing an optical image of said analytical Slide, a scanning detector for sequentially scanning at least a portion of said optical image of said slide in a raster of scan lines to produce an analog electrical signal representing said optical image along said scan lines, an analog to digital converter responsive to a timing pulse input for producing a digital word representing the magnitude of said analog signal at the occurrence of each timing pulse, an addressable memory for storing each digital word at memory locations specified by a digital address supplied thereto, a timing pulse generator for generating said timing pulses, said timing pulses being applied to said analog to digital converter at intervals commensurate with the conversion rate at which said analog to digital converter performs each conversion, said conversion rate being matched with the cycle time of said memory, said timing pulses occurring at different times relative to at least two successive scan lines, and an address generator for generating the digital address at which each digital word is to be stored, said digital address being applied to said memory for storing each digital word.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
205 words
A system producing stored digital words representing the optical characteristics of an analytical slide comprising: means for producing an optical image of said analytical Slide, a scanning detector for sequentially scanning at least a portion of said optical image of said slide in a raster of scan lines to produce an analog electrical signal representing said optical image along said scan lines, an analog to digital converter responsive to a timing pulse input for producing a digital word representing the magnitude of said analog signal at the occurrence of each timing pulse, an addressable memory for storing each digital word at memory locations specified by a digital address supplied thereto, a timing pulse generator for generating said timing pulses, said timing pulses being applied to said analog to digital converter at intervals commensurate with the conversion rate at which said analog to digital converter performs each conversion, said conversion rate being matched with the cycle time of said memory, said timing pulses occurring at different times relative to at least two successive scan lines, and an address generator for generating the digital address at which each digital word is to be stored, said digital address being applied to said memory for storing each digital word.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system recited in claim 1 wherein said digital words are stored in the sequence in which they are to be retrieved by interleaving digital words from the successive scan lines in which said timing pulses occur at different times.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
79 words
The system recited in claim 2 further comprising: a multiplexed adder, the output of said adder being the address at which said digital word is stored in said memory, and address control logic circuitry producing control signals which are applied to said adder, said control signals operating said adder to produce successive addresses which interleave said digital words from successive scan lines so that said digital words are stored in the sequence in which they are to be retrieved.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
The system recited in claim 2 wherein two optical images are formed of the material on the slide which is to be analyzed, said two images being formed through different colored filters, said address generators generating digital addresses for storing the corresponding points in each of said two images at the same address in said memory.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
174 words
The system recited in claim 2 further comprising: means to generate a horizontal sync pulse after each of said scan lines and a vertical sync pulse upon the completion of each raster, said timing pulse generator comprising: a source of clock pulses occurring at a repetition rate greater than that of said timing pulses, a clock pulse counter, said clock pulses being applied to said counter to increment said counter during the scanning of each raster, a vertical frame counter, said vertical sync pulses being applied to said vertical frame counter, a horizontal line counter, said horizontal sync pulses being applied to said counter to increment it during the scanning of each raster, and a comparator, the outputs of said horizontal frame counter and said vertical frame counter being applied to said comparator, the outputs of said clock pulse counter being applied to said comparator, said comparator producing a timing pulse each time the outputs of said horizontal line counter and said vertical frame counter correspond with the outputs of said timing pulse counter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
134 words
The system recited in claim 5 wherein the image field of scan lines over which said analog signal is converted is smaller than the raster field of said detector further comprising: a picture status counter, said horizontal sync pulses being applied to said counter, a picture status flip flop, said flip flop being set by the output of one stage of said picture status counter which stage corresponds with the horizontal lines at which said picture image field beings, said flip flop being reset by a subsequent stage of said picture status counter corresponding with the horizontal line with which said image field terminates, the output of said flip flop controlling The application of said horizontal sync pulse and said clock pulses to said horizontal line counter and to said clock pulse counter respectively.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
199 words
A system for converting an optical image to stored digital words comprising: means for producing an optical image of said analytical slide, a scanning detector for sequentially scanning at least a portion of said optical image in a raster of scan lines to produce an analog electrical signal representing said optical image along said scan lines, an analog to digital converter responsive to a timing pulse input for producing a digital word representing the magnitude of said analog signal at the occurrence of each timing pulse, an addressable memory for storing each digital word at memory locations specified by a digital address supplied thereto, a timing pulse generator for generating said timing pulses, said timing pulses being applied to said analog to digital converter at intervals commensurate with the conversion rate at which said analog to digital converter performs each conversion, said conversion rate being matched with the cycle time of said memory, said timing pulses occurring at different times relative to at least two successive scan lines, and an address generator for generating the digital address at which each digital word is to be stored, said digital address being applied to said memory for storing each digital word.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
199 words
A system for converting an optical image to stored digital words comprising: means for producing an optical image of said analytical slide, a scanning detector for sequentially scanning at least a portion of said optical image in a raster of scan lines to produce an analog electrical signal representing said optical image along said scan lines, an analog to digital converter responsive to a timing pulse input for producing a digital word representing the magnitude of said analog signal at the occurrence of each timing pulse, an addressable memory for storing each digital word at memory locations specified by a digital address supplied thereto, a timing pulse generator for generating said timing pulses, said timing pulses being applied to said analog to digital converter at intervals commensurate with the conversion rate at which said analog to digital converter performs each conversion, said conversion rate being matched with the cycle time of said memory, said timing pulses occurring at different times relative to at least two successive scan lines, and an address generator for generating the digital address at which each digital word is to be stored, said digital address being applied to said memory for storing each digital word.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system recited in claim 7 wherein said digital signals are stored in the sequence in which they are to be retrieved by interleaving digital words from the successive scan lines in which said timing pulses occur at different times.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
82 words
The system recited in claim 8 wherein said address generator comprises: a multiplexed adder, the output of said adder being the address at which said digital word is stored in said memory, and address control logic circuitry producing control signals which are applied to said adder, said control signals operating said adder to produce successive addresses which interleave said digital words from successive scan lines so that said digital words are stored in the sequence in which they are to be retrieved.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
173 words
The system recited in claim 6 further comprising: means to generate horizontal sync pulse after each of said scan lines and a vertical sync pulse upon the completion of each raster, said timing pulse generator comprising: a source of clock pulses occurring at a repetition rate greater than that of said timing pulses, a clock pulse counter, said clock pulses being applied to said counter to increment said counter during the scanning of each raster, a vertical frame counter, said vertical sync pulses being applied to said vertical frame counter, a horizontal line counter, said horizontal sync pulses being applied to said counter to increment it during the scanning of each raster, and a comparator, the outputs of said horizontal frame counter and said vertical frame counter being applied to said comparator, the outputs of said clock pulse counter being applied to said comparator, said comparator producing a timing pulse each time the outputs of said horizontal line counter and said vertical frame counter correspond with the outputs of said timing pulse counter.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
133 words
The system recited in claim 10 wherein the image field of scan lines over which said analog signal is converted is smaller than the raster field of said detector further comprising: a picture status counter, said horizontal sync pulses being applied to said counter, a picture status flip flop, said flip flop being set by the output of one stage of said picture status counter which stage corresponds with the horizontal line at which said image field begins, said flip flop being reset by a subsequent stage of said picture status counter corresponding with the horizontal line with which said image field terminates, the output of said flip flop controlling the application of said horizontal sync pulse And said clock pulses to said horizontal line counter and to said clock pulse counter respectively.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-05-12 | 1978-11-11 | 1979-05-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-05-12 | 1982-11-11 | 1983-05-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-05-12 | 1986-11-11 | 1987-05-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |