US5394187A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Video imaging systems and method using a single interline progressive scanning sensor and sequential color object illumination
Assignee: Apollo Camera LLC
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Filing: 1993-11-22
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Granted: 1995-02-28
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Expires: 2013-11-22
Abstract
Abstract A sequential video imaging system uses a video sensor having interline architecture whereby image data is moved from sensor elements to adjacent interlined storage elements. The object being viewed is sequentially illuminated with colored light sources to produce luminance and chrominance video signals. Binning of image data corresponding to low level color signals is carried out in the sensor. A digital signal processor includes data buffering and averaging circuits whereby the camera head and base unit can be operated asynchronously.
Inventors
- 👤 John I. Shipp
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 09:07
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N13/00; H04N13/20; H04N13/204; H04N13/207; H04N13/211; H04N13/239; H04N13/254; H04N13/257; H04N23/00; H04N23/80; H04N23/84; H04N13/10; H04N13/194; H04N13/218; H04N13/296; H04N13/30; H04N13/332; H04N13/341; H04N13/398
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
191 words
A sequential color video imaging system for viewing an object, said system comprising: a. an interline video sensor having an image array of horizontal and vertical photosensitive elements and a corresponding storage array of video data storage elements, said photosensitive elements responsive to levels of light reflection from the object; b. object illumination means to illuminate the object, said object illumination means including separately operable red, green, and blue light sources; c. timing and driver means operably connected to said object illumination means to activate said red, green, and blue light sources in a pre-determined repeating sequence of red and green, red, red and green, and blue light illumination periods; d. sensor driver means operably connected to said sensor to shift the video data responsive to the level of light reflected from the object during each of said illumination periods from said image array to said storage array; and e. processor means operably connected to said storage array of said sensor, to read and transform the video data shifted to said storage array into a corresponding sequence of chrominance and luminance video signals representing the object viewed by said imaging system.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
191 words
A sequential color video imaging system for viewing an object, said system comprising: a. an interline video sensor having an image array of horizontal and vertical photosensitive elements and a corresponding storage array of video data storage elements, said photosensitive elements responsive to levels of light reflection from the object; b. object illumination means to illuminate the object, said object illumination means including separately operable red, green, and blue light sources; c. timing and driver means operably connected to said object illumination means to activate said red, green, and blue light sources in a pre-determined repeating sequence of red and green, red, red and green, and blue light illumination periods; d. sensor driver means operably connected to said sensor to shift the video data responsive to the level of light reflected from the object during each of said illumination periods from said image array to said storage array; and e. processor means operably connected to said storage array of said sensor, to read and transform the video data shifted to said storage array into a corresponding sequence of chrominance and luminance video signals representing the object viewed by said imaging system.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
The system of claim 1 further comprising video amplifier means to amplify the video data from said storage array before processing in said processor means, said amplifier means having a signal gain which is switchable in response to an external signal whereby differing amplifier gains can be applied to the video data corresponding to different illumination colors.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
122 words
The system of claim 2, said video sensor further comprising a parallel video data shift register, a serial video data shift register, and means responsive to binning signals from said sensor driver means whereby at least two vertical lines of the video data corresponding to a single illumination color from said storage array are summed in said parallel shift resister, and whereby at least two horizontal lines of the video data are summed from said parallel shift register into said serial shift register, and said sensor driver means including means to generate said binning signals whereby a matrix of at least a 2×2 array of said photosensitive elements having red or blue video data are summed in said sensor before further processing.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
21 words
The system of either of claims 2 or 3, said processor means comprising video data averaging and video data subtraction circuits.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of either claim 2, or 3 further comprising means for wireless transmission of said video data to a remote location.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
186 words
An improved method of processing video data in a sequential color video camera comprising the steps of: a. illuminating an object to be viewed with repeating sequences of red and green, red, red and green, and blue light during corresponding luminance signal, first chrominance signal, luminance signal, and second chrominance signal illumination periods; b. sensing and integrating in a video data sensor array a level of light reflected by the object during each of said luminance signal and said first and second chrominance signal illumination periods; c. shifting at the end of each of said luminance and first and second chrominance signal illumination periods, the video data from said video data sensor array into a video data storage array; d. reading the video data stored in said video data storage array into a video amplifier; e. processing the video data outputted from said video amplifier corresponding to said luminance signal illumination periods to produce a luminance video signal; and f. processing the video data outputted from said video amplifier corresponding to said first and second chrominance illumination periods to produce first and second chrominance video signals.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
186 words
An improved method of processing video data in a sequential color video camera comprising the steps of: a. illuminating an object to be viewed with repeating sequences of red and green, red, red and green, and blue light during corresponding luminance signal, first chrominance signal, luminance signal, and second chrominance signal illumination periods; b. sensing and integrating in a video data sensor array a level of light reflected by the object during each of said luminance signal and said first and second chrominance signal illumination periods; c. shifting at the end of each of said luminance and first and second chrominance signal illumination periods, the video data from said video data sensor array into a video data storage array; d. reading the video data stored in said video data storage array into a video amplifier; e. processing the video data outputted from said video amplifier corresponding to said luminance signal illumination periods to produce a luminance video signal; and f. processing the video data outputted from said video amplifier corresponding to said first and second chrominance illumination periods to produce first and second chrominance video signals.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 6 wherein said luminance signal illumination periods have a duration of a fraction of the duration of said first and second chrominance signal illumination periods, said fraction determined by a readout time of said first and second chrominance signals.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of binning in said video data sensor array at least two vertical lines of the video data integrated in said sensor array during said first and second chrominance signal illumination periods, producing binned red and blue video signals whereby video image signal strengths corresponding to red and blue light illumination of the object are increased.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 8 wherein said processing of the video data includes averaging of luminance signals to provide an averaged luminance signal whereby said averaged luminance signal temporally matches said binned red and blue video signals, and wherein said first chrominance video signal is obtained by subtracting said binned red signal from said averaged luminance signal and said second chrominance signal is obtained by subtracting said binned blue signal from said averaged luminance signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of switching in a predetermined sequential manner said video data from said video amplifier among Y storage and first and second chrominance memory units.
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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) | 1998-02-27 | 1998-08-29 | 1999-02-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-02-27 | 2002-08-29 | 2003-02-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-02-27 | 2006-08-29 | 2007-02-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |