Abstract: Digital representations of analog signals are limited in resolution accuracy by the number of bits in the digital output signal of an analog-to-digital converter which limits the number of analog output levels produceable by a digital-to-analog converter. The apparent resolution accuracy can be improved, however, by the addition of two "dithering" signals, one at a lower frequency and one at a higher frequency, to increase the number of transitions of the least significant bit (LSB) of the digital signals. In a television receiver employing digital signal processing apparatus, dither signals having magnitudes equivalent to 1/2 and 1/4 LSB and at frequencies related to the TV line frequency and the color subcarrier frequency are preferred.

Abstract: A circuit for changing or improving the picture characteristics or quality sent from home consumer video tape recorders to television receivers by processing the radio frequency signals feeding such receivers after they have left the video tape recorder.

Abstract: A video sync validity detector comprises a peak detector circuit and an average detector circuit both responsive to output signals from a sync separator network. Sync representative signals are provided from the output of the peak detector. The average detector is coupled to the peak detector for inhibiting sync representative outputs therefrom in the presence of sync separator output signals representative of false sync signals of average value.

Abstract: An electromagnetic relay having a dual acting armature has a U-shaped armature with two divergent legs. The armature is pivoted on one of the legs with the pivoted leg being arranged adjacent to an electromagnetic field producing structure including an electrically energizable coil. A first movable electrical contact carrying means is arranged to cooperate with a first one of the legs of the armature to produce a motion of a first electrical contact between a first and a second position in response to an energized and a non-energized state of the coil, respectively. Concurrently, a second movable electrical contact carrying means is arranged to cooperate with the other or second leg of the armature to produce a motion of a second electrical contact between a first and a second position in response to an energized and deenergized state of the coil, respectively. The coil is located in the bight of the U-shaped armature with the pivoted first leg being urged by a spring away from the coil.

Abstract: A television signal transmission system incorporating circuits for processing and encoding a repetition reduced signal. The system contains a component separator for generating sampled digital values of the color and intensity components of a television signal, storage buffer for storing the separated components of the video signal, a data processor for comparing successive samples of the component video data and for generating variable-length blocks of data to represent either slowly varying signals or rapidly varying signals, circuitry for encoding and multiplexing audio and synchronization data into the signal stream, circuitry for encoding signal and control data for transmission to a receiver, circuit for processing the received signal to establish synchronization, circuit for demultiplexing the received signal to extract the audio information, and means for demultiplexing the component video information and reconstructing the composite video signal from the repetition-reduced representation.

Abstract: Infrared radiation onto a pyroelectric vidicon TV camera is converted to a stable visible image by recourse to a rotational modulator which rotates the pyroelectric vidicon target with respect to the incoming radiation, about the rotational symmetry axis of the said target, without rotating the readout electron beam of the vidicon. The rotational motion may be continuous or cyclically reversible. Electronic assemblies may be rotated with the vidicon tube in order to simplify electrical contact means.

Abstract: The amount of noise reduction of a television signal produced by averaging corresponding pixels from one frame to the next is reduced by a correction factor when motion in the picture is detected. In order to prevent very active motion from disturbing detection of the noise level, a noise level measurement signal is subjected to a hold of its value in a time briefly preceding a highly active motion in the picture until a time shortly after the end of such highly active motion. The motion signal is processed so as to provide such a hold only when motion is highly active in the picture, and that signal is prolonged in a further circuit so that it will have a duration long enough to cover build-up of that motion and its trailing off, when the noise measurement signal is delayed by about half of the prolongation, so that the noise measurement level that is held corresponds to the noise level prior to the buildup of the motion which shortly thereafter becomes highly active.

Abstract: An apparatus for the acquisition and restoration in real time of a framed picture as disclosed. This apparatus utilizes an automaton and a slave circuit of the automaton for the addressing of a memory through the use of digital values from an analog-digital converter for analog picture acquisition signals. The digital values are processed and supplied to a digital-analog converter for the display of a picture on a display unit. Addressing outputs of the automaton are connected to the memory with the outputs of the slave circuit being connected to the synchronization inputs of both the analog-digital and the digital-analog converters in order to display picture corresponding to the processed digital values.

Abstract: An improved digital integrated chrominance-channel circuit having gain control for color-television receivers includes at least one integrated circuit for digitally processing the composite color signal. The circuit includes a first limiter inserted between a parallel multiplier and a burst-amplitude-measuring stage, and a control stage including a parallel subtracter whose minuend input is fed with a reference signal, and whose subtrahend input is connected to the output of the burst-amplitude-measuring stage. A digital accumulator whose enable input is presented with a signal derived from the trailing edge of a burst gating signal is used as an integrator.

Abstract: An assembly fixture for television sets consists of a top panel, a front panel secured to the top panel, and a pair of opposite side panels, each of the latter being secured to both the top and front panels, respectively. The assembly fixture, when used with a television set, is placed over that television set to encompass same, and the front panel has a main aperture therein through which the picture screen of the television set is viewed.

Abstract: A video data acquisition system includes a vision system having a video camera for taking pictures of articles. The video acquisition system is adapted to acquire, digitize and select signals within a predetermined amplitude range as representations of pixels of the images of the pictures arranged in rows, columns and diagonal lines, and further adapted to provide a total count of pixels in rows, columns and diagonal lines. A hand-held application module for directing the operation of the vision system has teaching capabilities in conjunction with the system for causing the video camera to take repeated pictures of an article within its field of view in various positions to provide identity of the article. The video acquisition system includes means for computing the area and perimeter of the article and for computing the maximum moments and minimum moments, thereby providing an identification of the article and its orientation.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for generating a processed video image of a fluid-carrying vessel in a body, and can also be used to obtain information concerning the flow rate of blood in the vessel. In the disclosed method, a contrast medium is injected into the body, typically into the vessel to be imaged or leading into the vessel to be imaged. A source of X-radiation is directed at the body, and radiation which passes through the body is detected and converted into a series of frames of electronic video signals, preferably in digital form. The frames represent images of the radiation transmission characteristics of the body at a series of successive times. Each frame includes an array of pixels, the video level at each pixel of a frame being determined by the radiation transmissivity of the body through an elemental region thereof.

Abstract: A switching array comprising low power switching elements for switching high bandwidth pulse encoded signals with minimum distortion. Each switching element comprises an emitter-coupled pair of transistors which are used to switch the pulse encoded signals. The pair of transistors are enabled and disabled by inhibiting the flow of electrical current through the latter. A transistorized switch controls the electrical current in the pair of transistors in response to signals from a control register within the switching array. Since no current is flowing in the pair of transistors when the element is inhibited, the power dissipation approaches zero in the inhibit state resulting in an overall low power dissipation for the switching array since only a small number of elements are normally enabled at any time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a technique for generating a Semi-Compatible High Definition Television (SC-HDTV) signal which can be sent over two present-day Cable Television (CATV) channels. In accordance with the present invention, a HDTV signal is formed comprising a line scan rate which is a multiple of the line scan rate of a current conventional TV signal. The SC-HDTV signal is formed therefrom by transmitting a first HDTV line as is and a second HDTV line as a field differential signal transmitted via QAM on the IF or RF carrier of the first line signal at a line scan rate of a current conventional TV signal. Arrangements are also disclosed frDconverting the SC-HDTV signal back into either a HDTV or conventional TV signal.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for the reproduction of an image with coarser resolution than used during scanning wherein the original image is opto-electronically scanned point-wise and line-wise with a prescribed resolution and is converted into digital image signals, and a field containing as many image points as is used for one coarse image point is extracted from the digital image signals, and wherein weighting is undertaken for the individual image signals of the image points of said field and a corresponding image signal for the coarse image point is obtained by means of combining the weighted image signals.

Abstract: A signal analyzing circuit for a periodically occurring signal such as from a video signal source (VSS). The circuit comprises a store (m) having separate store locations m associated with corresponding regions defined as rows and columns of a picture display of the periodically occurring video signal. In addition, a time signal generator (TG) is provided for the synchronous control of the video signal source (VSS) and the store (m). For filling in a simple manner, without disturbance, the store locations (m) with the mean value of the video signal taken per accurately determined region, the output of the signal source (VSS) is coupled via an analog-to-digital converter (A/D) to counting inputs of a number of counters (BC1 to BC7) equal to the number of regions per row. The counters are operative sequentially and periodically.

Abstract: An apparatus for converting facsimile coded data to video data utilizing a programmed digital computer for receiving the facsimile coded data buffering the facsimile coded data and converting the facsimile coded data to a fixed length intermediate code. The fixed length intermediate code is then hardware converted to the video data.

Abstract: A filter circuit for processing a composite video signal comprises a series circuit of a delay device for delaying an input composite video signal for the duration of one line of the video signal and a first bandpass filter connected to the delay device to receive the delayed video signal. A transversal bandpass filter receives the input composite video signal and provides as outputs a delayed composite video signal and a delayed chrominance component. A first summing device sums the delayed chrominance component and the output of the series circuit, while a second summing device sums the delayed composite video signal and the output of the first summing device. The series circuit can be selectively disabled so as not to apply the delayed video signal to the first summing device.

Abstract: A TV video signal synchronization signal system enables a video device such as a digital special effects system to operate synchronously in response to an input video signal and still produce an output video signal synchronized to a television studio locking reference signal. The video device and the synchronization signal generating subsystem thereof operate in response to a pixel rate clock of approximately 70 ns and in response to a phase command to generate timing for the horizontal sync pulse, color burst signal and video data of the output video signal. The output color burst signal remains phase locked to the locking reference signal with output gating being responsive to the phase command. A ROM interpolator provides subpixel accuracy for the output horizontal sync pulse while output line buffering and interpolation permits the output video data to be phase matched to the reference master sync signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the improved demodulation system which improves the noise characteristics for the demodulation of a wideband television FM signal. A variable bandpass filter (8), the center frequency and the bandwidth of which are controllable, for improving C/N, is inserted at the output of a reference bandpass filter (7) in an FM signal path. The bandwidth of the variable bandpass filter (8) is controlled so that said bandwidth is wide when the input carrier level is high, and said bandwidth is narrow when the input carrier level is low. The center frequency of the variable bandwidth filter (8) is controlled so that said center frequency follows to the instantaneous frequency of the color sub-carrier component (3.58 MHz). Said color sub-carrier component is derived by a narrow-band bandpass filter (10) coupled with the output of said discriminator (9) for controlling the center frequency of the variable bandpass filter (8).