Photography – Color image using monochrome film – Simultaneous recording of images
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-07
2002-04-09
Matthews, Alan A. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Color image using monochrome film
Simultaneous recording of images
C396S305000, C396S317000, C355S032000, C358S506000, C358S515000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06370337
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to recording color images on black and white silver halide emulsion film and more particularly to a method and apparatus using a high resolution color filter array for recording high resolution luminance and low resolution chrominance information on the black and white film and subsequently recreating color images using the recorded information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional color photographic systems use an optical system to project a focused image onto a film having multiple light-sensitive layers. These multilayer color films have several disadvantages when compared to black and white (B/W) film emulsions. Processing of silver halide (AgX) in color film is a slow process because development chemistries must diffuse through a thicker depth of emulsion than found in black and white film emulsion. Lower layers of film emulsion lose speed because of light loss due to silver halide particles in the upper layers. Also, light traveling through the thick, multilayer film loses sharpness through light scatter. These multilayer color films store the image as formed dyes which are not as permanent as the silver metal in black and white film images. Finally, the complexity and therefore the cost of color multilayer films is greater. It would be advantageous to use a black and white film emulsion to make color images.
Recent advances in optical microstructures have allowed the creation of high resolution (10 micron) color filter arrays (CFA). The resolution of these CFA'S is high enough to match the resolution required for simple consumer imaging. These arrays are-used on CCD imagers to filter the panchromatic (sensitive to all visible wavelengths) to separable colors. Multiple structures have been proposed for these CFA's. It is preferable that the CFA filter out (“throw away”) only a small fraction of the light passing through the filter to transfer therethrough the greatest light signal possible. It is also advantageous to store high resolution luminance (panchromatic) data and lower resolution color data for the image. In both color television and PhotoCD systems, efficient use of image structures is achieved by recording high resolution panchromatic (composite red-green-blue {RGB}) signals and two lower resolution color recordings.
The Polachrome Instant Slide™ process prints a CFA treated light signal onto a black and white series of red, green, and blue stripes on the film. An image is exposed on the film through the filter and developed into a slide. The earliest use of a color image silver halide emulsion system was by Joly (@ Dublin University, late 1800's).
Joly used a separate glass plate as the filter carrier. Later, the CFA and emulsion were united in the Paget process which was in use until the 1950's. The Paget process is unique in that a matrix of red, green, and blue pixels is used as the CFA on the film. All these systems have to provide optical-only displayable images. These systems suffer speed loss because each filter absorbs ⅔ of neutral (RGB) light. The present invention assumes that the film will be scanned, eliminating the need for optical projection, and allowing improved CFA structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for recording and reproducing a color image using panchromatic black and white silver halide emulsion film.
Accordingly, a filter including a color filter array is disposed near panchromatic black and white film in a camera or other image recording apparatus. In the color filter array, a plurality of the pixels are clear, transmitting luminance information to the film. A sparse array of colored pixels subencodes color information onto the film for two separate colors at low resolution. Fiducial marks outside the image area of the film are illuminated using flash contacts at the time of image capture. The fiducial marks are used to identify the CFA location. Image reconstruction is done by scanning the film, determining CFA location by the fiducial marks, and creating a full color image using high resolution luminance and low resolution chrominance information.
Optionally, the color filter array takes the form of a 2×2 repeating array, wherein two diagonally disposed pixels are clear, and the remaining two pixels are fabricated of yellow and cyan dyes. Cyan marks outside the image areas are illuminated at exposure to provide CFA registration with the film. Luminance and chrominance information encoded on the film is subsequently matrixed to create a trichrominance image.
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Matthews Alan A.
Walker Robert Luke
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