Television – Camera – system and detail – Swing driven
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-12
2001-06-19
Garber, Wendy R. (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Swing driven
C348S208400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249312
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to video cameras of the type comprising: a detector having a two-dimensional matrix of photosensitive sites that accumulate charge, distributed at a determined pitch or spacing, placed in an image plane of an optical system, and connected to a circuit for periodically transferring the accumulated charges at a determined frequency; and a deviation member interposed on the light path between an entrance pupil and the matrix, enabling said path to be deflected in all directions about a nominal direction.
The number of photosensitive sites in such a matrix is limited. To improve the image, proposals have already been made for cameras in which the deviating means is controlled in such a manner as to perform micro-scanning at a pitch that is smaller than the site-distribution pitch, thereby improving spatial resolution by oversampling the scene observed by the camera.
For example, each photosensitive site can be made to correspond in succession with four different points of the scene for a given orientation of the beam input into the camera.
It is also known that the photosensitive sites do not all have exactly the same response, whether in their initial state or as a result of being subjected to different changes over time. Methods already exist for calibrating and storing the characteristics of the sites, so that corrections can subsequently be performed by calculation. Such calibration constitutes a prior operation and requires additional means to be implemented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a video camera of the above-defined type in which several functions are integrated in a same assembly, thereby considerably simplifying design and implementation of the camera.
To this end, the invention provides, in particular, a camera of the above-defined type, which comprises:
a unit for periodically controlling the deviation member, capable of causing the image to be deviated in two dimensions, each time through a determined fraction of a pitch step size, implementing a first determined cycle so as to perform space oversampling, and capable, in a second cycle, of causing the image to be deviated, each time through a complete pitch step size, which second cycle is a multiple of the first;
a processor unit serving to calculate gain differences and response offsets between sites by comparing the responses of two sites exposed successively to the same point of a scene, and for providing data enabling said differences and offsets to be compensated; and
vibration detectors providing the control unit with signals in two directions orthogonal to the light beam passing through the inlet optical system, and said unit is designed to control the deviation member so as to compensate for the vibration.
On-board or hand-held cameras also suffer from the problem of vibration caused by the support which tends to smear the image. The invention performs stabilization simultaneously with the micro-scanning and uses the same deviating member.
The camera may include simultaneously all three functions of micro-scanning, of making response uniform, and of stabilization; it may also be designed to optionally perform only two of those three functions simultaneously, for example only micro-scanning and stabilization.
The above features and others appear better on reading the following description of a particular embodiment, given by way of non-limiting example. The description refers to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5402171 (1995-03-01), Tagami et al.
patent: 5450126 (1995-09-01), Nishida
patent: 5514865 (1996-05-01), O'Neil
patent: 5517238 (1996-05-01), Hirasawa
patent: 5712474 (1998-01-01), Naneda
patent: 5734933 (1998-03-01), Sekine et al.
patent: 5754226 (1998-05-01), Yamada et al.
patent: 5831671 (1998-11-01), Chigira et al.
patent: 5889553 (1999-03-01), Kino et al.
patent: 0 289 182 (1988-11-01), None
patent: 0 358 196 (1990-03-01), None
patent: 0483530 (1991-09-01), None
patent: 0669757 (1995-02-01), None
patent: 0 669 757 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 2661583 (1991-10-01), None
patent: 2 037 119 (1980-07-01), None
patent: 2 250 155 (1992-05-01), None
patent: 93/25043 (1993-12-01), None
Garber Wendy R.
Larson & Taylor PLC
Sagem SA
White Mitchell
LandOfFree
Video camera having deviating means for improving resolution does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Video camera having deviating means for improving resolution, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Video camera having deviating means for improving resolution will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2535329