Abstract: A digital color image processing method includes generating color reproduction functions by normalizing samples of color values from the image, and processing the color components of the color digital image by applying the color reproduction functions to the respective color components of the digital image. The samples of color values are selected from the digital image by operating on a luminance component of the digital color image with an image detail detection operator to detect regions of the image representing luminance detail, and operating on the color components of the digital image in the luminance detail regions with a contrast detection filter to detect the contrast of the color components of the image in the luminance detail regions. The color values in the luminance detail regions are separated into contrast intervals and histograms in the contrast intervals are formed.

Abstract: An image read apparatus for reading an image on a document which includes a reciprocatively movable document placing plate for placing thereon the document, a document placing plate driving mechanism for driving the document placing plate and an image reader for reading the image information on the document. The document placing plate is movable reciprocatively between a first position where the document placing plate is housed completely in the image read apparatus and a second position where the document placing plate projects outwardly from the image read apparatus to thereby enable the document to be placed thereon. The image read apparatus sequentially reads the image information on the document between each sequential movement of the document placing plate from the second position to the first position. Preferably, a document holding member such as a flexible sheet or an endless belt is provided for pressing the document onto the document placing plate within the image read apparatus.

Abstract: In a color picture image forming apparatus wherein manuscript picture image data read optically is decomposed into color signals of a plurality of types, the color decomposed picture image data is temporarily stored in a memory device, and a picture image recording device is driven by the stored picture image data for reproducing on a copying paper a color picture image corresponding to a manuscript picture image, at the time of enlarging or reducing the size of the picture image, a read address signal of the memory device corresponding to a set magnification or reduction degree is formed, and the read address signal thus formed is supplied to the memory device thereby enlarging or reducing the size of the reproduced color picture image. The color data, which may be RGB data, is stored sequentially in the memory means and is selectively read out in accordance with previously-determined read control data determined on the basis of the set magnification or reduction degree.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a hard copy of a picture picked up by a color image pickup device processes a video signal representing the picture according to data representing picture processing conditions entered by a data input unit. The data relates to the kind of a color separating filter associated with the image pickup device. A storage has groups of color conversion coefficients stored therein, each of which group specifies color conversion associated with the kind of a color separating filter, in accordance with the data relating to the kinds of color separating filters which are usable with image pickup devices. The picture represented by the processed video signal is recorded on a recording medium and displayed on a picture display.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus is provided with an image sensor having picture elements; an electronic monitor having a number of scanning lines fewer than the vertical picture elements of the image sensor; and a driving circuit for reading from the image sensor a fewer scanning lines when the apparatus is in a monitor mode than when the apparatus is in an image sensing mode. The driving circuit reads the image sensor in a non-interlacing manner in the monitor mode. A switching circuit shuts off power to unused circuits when the apparatus is in various operating modes.

Abstract: An image processing system is specifically designed to process digital image data of different types, for example, by processing digital image data to print a monochromatic image with a color image printer, and includes color and monochromatic image data transmitters for transmitting digital image data such as color image data and monochromatic image data along with command data relating to an image reproduction mode. An electronic circuit is used to discriminate command data transmitted. The digital image data is processed in accordance with the discriminated command data. The command data is transmitted through a single channel to a processing apparatus sequentially before the transmission of the digital image data. In another aspect, transmitted digital color image data may be converted into digital monochromatic image data on the basis of a relative luminosity correction coefficient.

Abstract: A video optimized, low cost modulator-demodulator is provided. Each modulating symbol has a one-to-one correspondence with a particular pixel value of brightness. A multiple amplitude two-phase modulation method is used. The black and white values are assigned to the highest amplitude level at opposite phases. As the pixel value becomes less black or white and more gray, it is assigned lower and lower amplitude levels with its phase being determined by whether it is closer to black or to white. Errors in amplitude thus result in a pixel having an adjacent shade of gray, thus minimizing the effect of the error. Errors in phase are less likely at the higher amplitude levels, which would result in an error from black to white or vice versa. The errors in phase are more likely at lower amplitude levels, which would result in changing a mid-gray pixel to another mid-gray value. In one embodiment, each pixel value is digitized and supplied to a ROM along with the digital representation of the carrier signal.

Abstract: A color image sensor has an image section, a buffer section, a storage section, and an overflow drain section which are aligned horizontally. Both the image section and the storage section are formed of a plurality of horizontal shift registers juxtaposed in the vertical direction, with the storage section having half as many horizontal shift registers as the image section. The buffer section can be operated in a first mode in which image signals from two horizontal shift registers in the image section are added together and transferred to a corresopnding horizontal shift register in the storage section, and in a second mode in which image signals from either even or odd horizontal shift registers in the image section are transferred to corresponding horizontal shift registers in the storage section. Pixels of each of the horizontal shift registers in the image section are provided with color filters having one of three different colors C1, C2, C3, such as red, green, and blue.

Abstract: An image display system comprising a cathode ray type of tube having an electron gun disposed for directing an electron beam onto an output phosphor screen provided with quadrant portions extending from a common point and made of respective different phosphor materials; a beam directing assembly coupled to the electron beam for deflecting the beam over each of the quadrant portions sequentially in a manner inverted in at least one aspect relative to the deflection of the beam over the other quadrant portions and producing thereon a respective component image of a subject inverted in at least one aspect relative to the other component images; and an optical combiner assembly coupled to the output screen for combining the component images and producing a single composite image of the subject.

Abstract: In a color imaging apparatus, an optical image is focused on a photoelectrical conversion target of a color image pickup tube through a color stripe filter and converted to an electrostatic image, the latter being scanned line-by-line in rectangular raster form by an electron beam to generate a color multiplexed video signal. First and second index stripe electrodes are located adjacent to edges of the raster area to be scanned at the beginning of each field and at the beginning of each line. A memory is provided to store field and line index signals generated by the index electrodes as well as a reference video signal generated by the target illuminated with light of a predetermined color.

Abstract: A color image pickup apparatus has one line sensor which sequentially reads a document through different color filters to generate different color signals. Either the line sensor or the document is mechanically moved in a sub-scanning direction by a mechanical device. A rotary encoder coupled to the mechanical device generates pickup pulses which drive the line sensor each time the line sensor or document is moved a predetermined distance. In an alternate embodiment, two or more line sensors having different color filters each read a different line on the document to generate different color signals having shifted timings. Frame memories, shift registers, memories with a capacity of a plurality of lines, or buffer registers may be used to correct for the shifted timings of the color signals.

Abstract: A halftone signal having one of two discrete levels is generated for each print position along each print line by comparison between a gray scale value of an original with a threshold value stored in a memory. The memory has an .alpha.M.times..beta.N matrix array of cells each storing a particular threshold value, where M, N, .alpha. and .beta. are integers. The memory is divided into .alpha..times..beta. identical imaginary matrices of M.times.N elemental areas each containing a cell in a particular one of .alpha..times..beta. positions. The threshold values stored in each imaginary matrix have a prescribed ordered-dither distribution and those stored in positionally corresponding elemental areas have a dot-dispersive or a dot-concentrative distribution. The memory is addressed in a given direction in response to each print position and in a direction normal to the given direction in response to each print line to read a stored threshold value for each print position for comparison with the gray scale value.

Abstract: A predetermined number of sections of an original corresponding to a predetermined number of halftone dot sub-cells are scanned to generate an image signal for each section. If the image signal for a given section is greater than a highlight level reference value (Hi), the corresponding halftone dot sub-cell is made one of two colors, black or white. If the image signal for the given section is less than a shadow level reference value (S), the corresponding halftone dot sub-cell is made the other of the two colors, white or black. If the image signal for the given section falls between the highlight and shadow level reference values, it is compared witha value (Y) representing the average density of the predetermined number of sections of the original to determine whether the corresponding halftone dot sub-cell should be made black or white.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises positive and negative original input signal processing sections respectively converting positive and negative signals obtained by photoelectric scanning of positive and negative originals into positive density signals, and a color processing section for color-processing the positive density signals. The circuits used in the positive original input signal processing section are preferably all included as well in the negative original input signal processing section, so that common circuits may be employed for the two processing sections. This is similarly the case with the positive and negative image output sections.

Abstract: A color image recording apparatus for recording a color image uses a cathode-ray tube having a screen with an inner surface to be bombarded with an electron beam, which is coated in a striped manner with a first fluorescent material for emitting blue and green light and with a second fluorescent material for emitting red light, and its outer surface is provided with a blue filter and a green filter each opposed to a respective portion of the first fluorescent material, and with a red filter opposed to the second fluorescent material. Successive scanning lines are formed on a surface by relatively moving the position of the scanning line on the surface in a direction perpendicular to said scanning direction so that each scanning line is scanned by light from each of the colors.

Abstract: A color image reading apparatus with a plurality of line sensors and an associated plurality of rotary color filter disks produces a plurality of sequential color component signals from each line sensor. An amplifier with an adjustable gain is provided for each of the line sensors. A white balance operation is performed prior to reading a color document by determining gains for each of the amplifiers to use in amplifying corresponding ones of the sequential color component signals on the basis of a plurality of reference color component signals generated by reading a white reference plate with the line sensors. The determined gains are stored in a memory as digital data. The data is read out and used to control the gains of the amplifiers while a color document is being read. Color balance correction switch units enable an operator to selectively modify the determined gains in order to adjust the color balance of the color component signals.

Abstract: The chromatic aberration of the lens of a multi-tube color TV camera is separated into a linear component and a non-linear component. Horizontal and vertical deflection correction waveforms are generated in accordance with these two components. These two correction waveforms are superimposed onto horizontal and vertical deflection waveforms employed to deflect electron beams in said camera tubes. A registration error caused by the chromatic aberration of the lens is corrected with high accuracy by employing these correction waveforms.

Abstract: An apparatus for mounting an unexposed film on and demounting an exposed film from a color scanner is described. The color scanner includes a recording chamber, a rotary drum therein and cassettes for containing unexposed film and exposed films which are normally mounted in communication with the recording chamber but which are detachable therefrom. There is described a light-blind window in the recording chamber which will permit an operator to extract an unexposed film from an unexposed film cassette, mount it on the rotary drum, and after it has been exposed, remove it from the rotary drum and place it in an exposed film cassette which then may be taken to a developing unit.

Abstract: A problem in digital image processing employing a tone reproduction function that maximizes the quality of the processed image is to automatically determine the overall contrast of the processed image. In an improved method for determining the contrast of the processed image, the contrast is automatically determined as a function of the standard deviation of a sample of tone values used to generate the tone reproduction function by normalizing a histogram of the sample of tone values. The sample of tone values is selected from one of a plurality of samples of tone values corresponding to a plurality of contrast intervals based upon the shape of the histogram of the selected sample of tone values. To facilitate the adjustment of contrast, the tone reproduction function is constructed to produce values in units of a standard normal variate Z.

Abstract: A color document reader comprises a plurality of different-colored light sources which sequentially illuminate a color document, and a light sensor which receives light reflected from the document. Prior to reading the document, a white balance operation is performed by sequentially illuminating a white reference area with the different-colored light sources and directing light reflected from the document to the light sensor. The peak value of an output signal produced by the light sensor is monitored, and light emission periods for each of the different-colored light sources and corresponding integration periods for the light sensor are determined so that the peak value of the output signal is substantially equal to a predetermined reference value when the white reference area is illuminated by each of the different-colored light sources. The light emission periods are longer than the integration periods to allow the light output of the light sources to stabilize before the integration periods begin.