Patents Represented by Attorney E. M. Whitacre

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  • Motion tracking system and method
    Patent number: 4662757
    Abstract: The relative transverse position of a measuring device and the aperture patterns in a longitudinally and transversely moving strip of material is held constant. A platform, which supports the measuring device, moves transversely along with the strip. Multi-element energy sensors are supported on the platform at the longitudinal edges of the pattern. Different numbers of elements are illuminated when the strip is off center and a difference signal is provided. The difference signal is used to move the platform to maintain the desired constant transverse relative positioning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Michael J. Duran, Jr.
  • Motion tracking device
    Patent number: 4662756
    Abstract: A device for sensing the longitudinal edges of an aperture pattern in a longitudinally and transversely moving opaque strip of material includes a transversely moveable platform. Arrays of detector elements are supported on the platform and positioned such that some elements of each array are opposite the aperture patterns and other elements of each array are opposite the opaque borders of the strip. Energy sources are individually arranged on the side of the strip opposite the arrays whereby the elements opposite the aperture pattern receive energy and the elements opposite the borders are shielded. The energy conditions of the elements are detected and the platform is moved transversely to maintain an equal number of elements in both arrays opposite the apertures whereby the platform tracks the transverse motion of the strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Michael J. Duran, Jr.
  • Interfield image motion detector for video signals
    Patent number: 4661853
    Abstract: A motion detector for determining image motion in a video signal develops an array of signals representing the difference between pixels from adjacent frames. The array of signals are grouped into subarrays, each of which include the signal corresponding to the pixel under examination for motion. Each of the subarrays are independently examined to determine if the magnitude of all of the pixel differences represented in a particular subarray exceed a predetermined threshold and/or the pixel differences have like polarity. If these conditions are met in any one of the subarrays, a motion signal is produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Barbara J. Roeder, Leopold A. Harwood, Hermann J. Weckenbrock
  • Video signal noise reduction apparatus
    Patent number: 4658285
    Abstract: A recursive filter for noise reducing composite video signal separately processes the luminance and chrominance components of the composite signal but requires only a single frame of storage. Input composite video signal is separated into luminance and chrominance component signals. The component signals are coupled to separate signal recursion scaling/combining circuits. The outputs from the recursion circuits are summed in an adder to produce noise-reduced composite video signal which is applied to a frame delay element. The output of the delay element is applied to a chroma/luma separator which separates the luminance and chrominance components and applies them to the respective recursion circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Henry G. Lewis, Jr.
  • Horizontal compression of pixels in a reduced-size video image utilizing cooperating subsampling and display rates
    Patent number: 4656515
    Abstract: A pix-in-pix television display includes circuitry for reducing the amount of memory needed to hold one field of the reduced size image. In the display apparatus, digital samples representing the large and small picture signals are developed at substantially equal rates by separate circuitry. Subsampling circuitry stores one out of every five of the samples representing a horizontal line of the small picture. These samples are displayed, synchronous with the large picture at a rate three-fifths times the display rate of the large picture samples to produce an apparent size reduction of one-third in the horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Todd J. Christopher
  • Vertical subsampling and memory synchronization system for a picture within a picture television receiver
    Patent number: 4656516
    Abstract: A pix-in-pix television display includes a memory for holding samples representing one field of the small picture. Samples which are to be written into the memory are developed in a buffer memory one line at a time over intervals corresponding to the three line periods of the signal which produces the small picture. A line of samples is written from the buffer memory into the field memory over three line periods of the small picture signal. The memory write operation is suspended when data is read from the field memory for display. The write operation resumes when a read operation is completed at the address and pixel value which were being written when the write operation was suspended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Russell T. Fling, Todd J. Christopher
  • Cathode-ray tube arc-over protection for digital data in television display apparatus
    Patent number: 4654717
    Abstract: Arc-over in the cathode ray tube of a digital television receiver produces a large current pulse which, when it discharges via the chassis ground, disrupts the reference ground potentials of other circuitry coupled to the chassis ground. The affected circuitry includes digital data storage elements which may experience random state changes caused by the fluctuating ground potential. The CRT arc-over condition is detected by circuitry which applies a pulse to the reset terminal of the microprocessor, causing it to restore the potentially corrupted data in the data storage elements using preset data stored in a less volatile programmable read only memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: John W. Stoughton
  • Apparatus for reducing the resolution of video samples by truncating the most significant bits
    Patent number: 4654695
    Abstract: A pix-in-pix television display, with a digital memory for holding samples representing one field of the small picture, includes circuitry for converting eight-bit luminance samples into five-bit samples for efficient storage in the digital memory. A subtracter subtracts a predetermined block level bias value from each sample and an adder adds a two bit psuedo-random dither value to each sample. The six most significant bits of these samples are applied to a limiter which changes the samples having values greater than thirty-one to have values of thirty-one. The five-bit luminance samples are obtained by taking the five least significant bits of the samples provided by the limiter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Russell T. Fling
  • Filtering system for processing a reduced-resolution video image
    Patent number: 4652908
    Abstract: A pix-in-pix display includes a filtering system for processing the video signals which produce the reduced-size image. The filtering system includes an anti-aliasing filter which reduces the amplitude of the components of the video signals which may cause aliasing distortion when the image is subsampled. However, the filter passes substantial amounts of these components. The filtered video signal is subsampled and applied to a peaking filter which amplifies the band of frequencies containing the aliasing components relative to lower frequency bands to improve the appearance of detailed portions of the reproduced image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Russell T. Fling, Todd J. Christopher
  • Apparatus for adaptively controlling a video signal recursive filter
    Patent number: 4652907
    Abstract: A video signal recursive filter includes circuitry for controlling the integration time of the filter. The control circuitry develop a motion-threshold value responsive to the noise content of signal differences developed by subtracting a processed signal, delayed by a frame period, from an incoming video signal. The signal differences are compared against the motion threshold to develop motion signals indicating the history of image motion for each picture element. Circuitry responsive to the signal noise content develops a signal which is coupled to the motion signals to form address codewords that are applied to a ROM programmed with predetermined control signals for establishing the integration time of the recursive filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Russell T. Fling
  • Deflection yoke centering apparatus
    Patent number: 4650436
    Abstract: An apparatus for centering a deflection yoke in a support ring includes a spindle having a tapered portion and a cylindrical portion. A spider, having radial arms, is centered on the spindle. A planar member includes an inset which is centered on the spindle, and is supported on the radial arms. The inset centers the support ring on the spindle. The tapered portion centers a yoke on the spindle whereby the yoke is centered in the support ring. Holding members are in the support ring, and hold the yoke centered in the support ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Dennis E. Thro, Mort J. Nierenberg
  • Video signal motion detecting apparatus
    Patent number: 4651211
    Abstract: A motion detector for detecting interimage motion represented by composite video signals analyzes both the chrominance and luminance components for image motion. Interimage motion represented by the luminance component is determined from interimage signal differences. The interimage signal differences are separated into high and low frequency spectra corresponding to fine and coarse luminance image detail. Selected signal differences from the low frequency spectrum are summed and threshold detected to determine motion in the coarse image detail. The high frequency spectrum of the sample differences are applied to parallel summing circuits which sum different combinations of sample differences in order to discriminate motion signals from non-moving chrominance transitions. The detection signals from the high and low frequency motion detectors are combined to produce a luminance motion signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Hermann J. Weckenbrock, Barbara J. Roeder, Robert F. Casey, Leopold A. Harwood, Werner F. Wedam
  • Signal offset circuitry for digital deghosting system
    Patent number: 4651212
    Abstract: A digital deghosting system uses the interval between the sixth pre-equalization pulse and the first serration as a training signal to determine the timing and amplitude of ghost signals relative to the desired signal. The system includes level shifting circuitry to change the amplitude of the video signals during the training interval. This amplitude shift ensures that all of the information concerning the ghost signals is within the dynamic range of the analog to digital converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Henry G. Lewis, Jr.
  • Adaptive control of the chrominance signal frequency response in a video signal processing system
    Patent number: 4651196
    Abstract: A digital television receiver, which uses a comb filter to separate the luminance and chrominance components of composite video signals, includes an adaptive band-pass filter for processing the comb filtered chrominance signals. Comb filtered chrominance signals may include luminance vertical detail information at the relatively high frequencies also occupied by chrominance information. The adaptive band-pass filter is controlled to have a narrow bandwidth when significant amounts of this relatively high frequency vertical detail information are present and to have a wide bandwidth otherwise. Consequently, the bandwidth of the chrominance signal provided by this filter is restricted only when it is necessary to prevent distortion, and vertical detail is added to the luminance signal only when it is not likely to be contaminated with chrominance information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Leopold A. Harwood, Chandrakant B. Patel
  • Station signature system
    Patent number: 4647974
    Abstract: A system for the automatic insertion of auxiliary video information into a television signal received at a local station from a network distribution system is provided which inserts a trigger signal into the television signal before its distributed to the local stations. The trigger signal indicates the desired timing of the insertion of the auxiliary video information. At the local stations, means are provided for generating a television signal including the auxiliary video information synchronously with the received television signal. A switch is responsive to detection of the trigger signal for providing at an output the received television signal including the desired auxiliary video information inserted therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Butler, Ronald G. Schlameuss
  • Analog-to-digital conversion system as for a narrow bandwidth signal processor
    Patent number: 4647968
    Abstract: A narrow bandwidth analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) system is described in the context of the color burst processing and burst phase detecting circuitry of a digital color television receiver. The ADC includes a dither generator which adds a dither signal to either the analog input signal or to the reference signal used by the ADC. This dither signal increases in magnitude by 1/16 of an LSB value at a rate one-quarter of the burst frequency and changes in sign at one-half of the burst frequency. This signal passes through a low-pass filter in the chrominance channel providing an increase in sample resolution by averaging the samples in a chroma band-pass filter and in the phase detecting circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Donald H. Willis
  • Video signal recursive filter with luma/chroma separation
    Patent number: 4646138
    Abstract: A motion adaptive recursive filter is modified to separate luminance or chrominance signal from composite video. The filter proportions and sums current and frame delayed signal recursively to provide signal-to-noise enhanced luminance signal with the chrominance component reduced to a steady state residual value the first frame after motion ceases. Current composite video signal is appropriately scaled and combined with the signal-to-noise enhanced signal to cancel the residual chrominance component therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Donald H. Willis
  • Television chassis
    Patent number: 4643493
    Abstract: A plastic television chassis adapted for use in combination with a cathode-ray tube within an enclosure includes a base having integral snap-together parts disposed at opposite ends thereof. A pair of side frames are attached, respectively, to the opposite ends of the base in a substantially orthogonal orientation. Each side frame has integral snap-together parts disposed adjacent a first edge thereof for mating with the snap-together parts of the base, and also has integral slidable-groove parts disposed along a second edge thereof adjacent the first edge. A panel is attached to the side frames by integral slidable-groove parts disposed along opposite sides thereof for mating, respectively, with the slidable-groove parts of the side frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Richard J. Sides, Sr., Christopher L. Crawford, Raymond J. Nunweiler, Jr., David L. Muth, George P. Hope
  • System and method for measuring energy transmission through a moving aperture pattern
    Patent number: 4641256
    Abstract: A system for measuring the energy transmission through a moving aperture pattern includes a CCD (charge coupled device) sensor having at least one row of pixels arranged perpendicular to the direction of motion. An encoder responds to the motion and provides count pulses. For each count pulse, specific pixels are addressed to establish a plurality of inspection areas for the aperture pattern through which energy transmission is measured. The transmission is averaged for all the inspection areas to determine the acceptability of the aperture pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph E. Marchegiano, Anthony S. Baran
  • Apparatus for detecting motion in a video image by comparison of a video line value with an interpolated value
    Patent number: 4639773
    Abstract: A motion detector for detecting the occurrence of image changes between successive fields of video information includes a signal averager for averaging the video signal from two lines of video signal of one video field and a signal averager for averaging the video signal from three lines of video signal of a successive field. The two average video signals are coupled to comparing means which develops a motion indicating signal when the two average video signals differ.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Robert N. Hurst