Television – Camera – system and detail – Combined image signal generator and general image signal...
Reexamination Certificate
1996-12-19
2001-01-30
Garber, Wendy (Department: 2712)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Combined image signal generator and general image signal...
C348S206000, C348S281000, C348S320000, C348S322000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06181375
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus to be incorporated in a high speed video-system and more particularly is concerned with an image recording apparatus provided with an image device capable of selecting an imaging area and reading out the area with very fast frame feed speed.
An image device such as CCD or MOS-type image device for transducing optical image elements into electric signals is generally utilized for a high speed camera or a high speed system for photographing images and reproducing records. For example, there are provided Japanese Patent Application National Publication Nos. 56-501704 and 57-501309, showing conventional image devices in which an imaging surface is formed by a plurality of two-dimensional arrangements of photoelectric transfer elements such as photodiodes, the imaging surface is divided into a plurality of rectangular blocks along the vertical row direction of the imaging surface for reading out with high speed the images formed on the imaging surface, and quick read-out of frame feed speed can be performed by scanning simultaneously parallelly a plurality of lines of the photoelectric transfer elements respectively arranged in the divided rectangular blocks.
However, the imaging surface of the image device of such prior art to be incorporated in the high speed video-system is divided into a plurality of rectangular blocks along the vertical row direction to thereby realize high speed read-out of the image, but the division of the imaging surface into the rectangular blocks provides a problem of limiting objects shown as imaging areas.
Furthermore, in the prior art image device, since the imaging surface is divided along the vertical row direction, skipping operation in the vertical direction can be relatively easily performed by a simple circuit structure without adversely affecting on number of the frame. However, skipping operation in the horizontal direction requires a high speed circuit structure because a lot of the photoelectric transfer elements and application of high speed pulses, which results in a complicated control thereof, and moreover, a degree of freedom for the selection of the imaging areas is limited and, for this reason, every one of the imaging areas of the respective rectangular blocks can only be selected and it is hence difficult to select other imaging areas.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art and to provide an image recording apparatus capable of improving the degree of freedom for selecting image areas of an imaging surface of an image device of the image recording apparatus and of reading out a picture image on the imaging surface with super-high frame feed speed.
This and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing an image recording apparatus in which an imaging surface of an image device is formed so as to store and read out an image by arranging two-dimensionally a plurality of photoelectric transfer elements, the imaging surface is divided along lines into a plurality of blocks, scanning lines are formed in accordance with the photoelectric transfer elements arranged in a horizontal direction of the divided bloccks, respectively, and the plurality of scanning lines of the respective blocks are parallelly linearly scanned to output a multichannel video signals, the image recording apparatus comprising:
a first scanning circuit for setting a plurality of linear scanning direction start positions along the scanning line direction of the blocks and selecting a block to be read out;
a second scanning circuit for selecting the linear scanning start positions and numbers of picture elements to be linearly scanned; and
a drive circuit for transmitting drive signals to the first and second scanning circuit, wherein the first and second scanning circuits are controlled by the drive signals to select image areas having different linear scanning start positions from each other and then to output multichannel video signals from the image areas.
In a preferred embodiment, the first scanning circuit comprises a vertical scanning circuit for carrying out vertical scanning and the second scanning circuit comprises a horizontal scanning circuit for carrying out a horizontal scanning. The image recording apparatus may further comprise a clock for transmitting a signal for driving the drive circuit, an amplifier circuit connected to the image device, an analog-to-digital converter connected to the amplifier circuit, and a memory connected to the analog-to-digital convertor, and wherein the drive circuit is operatively connected to the analog-to-digital convertor.
According to the image recording apparatus of the characters described above, the imaging surface of the image device of two-dimensional arrangement is divided into a plurality of blocks along line direction of the imaging surface and a plurality of scanning lines are formed in accordance with the photoelectric transfer elements arranged in the longitudinal direction of the respective blocks. A plurality of line scanning start positions are set along the scanning direction of the blocks. The first scanning circuit selects the block to be read out and the second scanning circuit selects and controls the linear scanning start position and the number of linear scanning picture elements to thereby select predetermined imaging areas having different linear scanning start positions and then to output the multichannel video signals from the selected areas, whereby the selection freedom of the imaging areas can be improved and the super-high speed frame feed speed read-out can be realized.
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Mitsui Kenji
Tsuji Masataka
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Garber Wendy
Kabushiki Kaisha Photron
Vu Ngoc-Yen
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