Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
200 words
Automatic registration apparatus for use in a plural-pickup-device color television camera, for correcting misregistration of pictures picked up by at least a first and second pickup device from an object having at least one distinct edge, in which said pickup devices scan in the vertical and in the horizontal directions and provide respective video output signals, comprising: means for detecting the scanning of the edge of at least one said object and providing an edge signal in response to such detecting; means for detecting the time difference between scanning of said at least one edge by said first pickup device and scanning thereof by said second pickup device, and providing a deflection signal representing such time difference; multiplier means providing an error signal corresponding to the product of said edge signal and said deflection signal; means for providing a misregistration signal, in response to said error signal, having a magnitude and a polarity respectively corresponding to the degree and direction of misregistration of the pictures of said first and second pickup devices; and means for correcting misregistration of the picture of said second pickup device relative to the picture of said first pickup device, in response to said misregistration signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
200 words
Automatic registration apparatus for use in a plural-pickup-device color television camera, for correcting misregistration of pictures picked up by at least a first and second pickup device from an object having at least one distinct edge, in which said pickup devices scan in the vertical and in the horizontal directions and provide respective video output signals, comprising: means for detecting the scanning of the edge of at least one said object and providing an edge signal in response to such detecting; means for detecting the time difference between scanning of said at least one edge by said first pickup device and scanning thereof by said second pickup device, and providing a deflection signal representing such time difference; multiplier means providing an error signal corresponding to the product of said edge signal and said deflection signal; means for providing a misregistration signal, in response to said error signal, having a magnitude and a polarity respectively corresponding to the degree and direction of misregistration of the pictures of said first and second pickup devices; and means for correcting misregistration of the picture of said second pickup device relative to the picture of said first pickup device, in response to said misregistration signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for correcting misregistration includes up/down counter means whose direction of counting is determined by the polarity of said misregistration signal, and providing a correction signal, corresponding to the count attained therein, to correct registration of the pictures of said first and second pickup devices.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means for correcting misregistration further includes stop counter means for inhibiting further counting by said up/down counter means when said misregistration signal has changed polarity a predetermined number times.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means for correcting misregistration further includes N-bit counter means for enabling said up/down counter means to commence counting when a predetermined number of occurrences of said edge signal are counted in said N-bit counter means during a predetermined period.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
62 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising gate signal generating means providing a gate signal in response to said edge signal, and wherein said means for providing a misregistration signal includes sampling gate means, gated by said gate signal, for sampling said error signal for the duration of said gate signal, and holding means for holding the sampled error signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
46 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising AC coupling means, disposed between said multiplier means and said means for providing a misregistration signal, for establishing a predetermined DC level for said error signal thereby to accomodate for any DC drift in said multiplier means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for detecting the scanning of the at least one edge includes delay means imparting a predetermined delay to the output signal of said first pickup device to yield a delayed output signal, and differential circuit means providing an output representing the difference between said output signal and said delayed output signal as said edge signal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
65 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said delay means imparts a delay of substantially two horizontal scanning intervals to the output signal of said first pickup device to provide said delayed output signal, and imparts a delay of substantially one horizontal scanning intervals thereto to provide a version of such output signal to be applied to said means for detecting the time difference.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for detecting the scanning of the at least one edge includes differential circuit means for providing said edge signal in response to transitions in level in the output signal of said first pickup device.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said differential circuit means includes tank circuit means coupled to pass said transitions as said edge signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
Automatic registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pickup devices each have horizontal and vertical deflection means responsive to deflection signals having DC bias levels for controlling the scanning of said pickup devices, and said means for correcting misregistration adjusts the DC bias level of deflection signals applied to at least one of said pickup devices.