Abstract: Material such as a document or picture of which an image is to be reproduced or transmitted, as in a facsimile device, is driven by pinch rollers past a light source in a controlled synchronized manner by means of a stepping motor. As the pinch rollers are driven, successive scan line images of the document are channelled through an elongated slit in a light directing channel and through a lens and a rotatably driven color wheel onto a light sensitive device such a linear array formed by a charge-coupled device (CCD). The color wheel has light filters for the primary colors and is synchronized with the scanning. The images received by the CCD are converted thereby to electrical form and appropriately processed for transmission or local utilization. A mechanism is provided to enable the disengagement of the pinch rollers from the material being scanned to avoid damage to such material should it become jammed in the rollers.

Abstract: Binary image data is converted to CCITT standardized coded data by utilizing two barrel shift registers for selecting a window of image data from a reference line and from a coding line, two color changing detectors for converting the image data in a window to color changing codes, and one specially designed state machine for generating facsimile coded data from those color changing codes. The state machine operates on color change location data for the selected window to generate intermediate codes. The intermediate codes are then translated to an output format such as the CCITT standard.

Abstract: Image reproduction condition data requisite for reproducing the images of plural originals are stored in a memory. In the system, certain of the data are automatically rad and set up to implement circuits which process image data successively for all the originals. A master processor communicates with intermediate processors. The implement circuits are controlled by subrodinate processors, which in turn are responsive to the intermediate processors or to the master processor. The system is further operable for accepting input of scanning condition data for one original while the system is reproducing an image of another original.

Abstract: Imaging apparatus is disclosed for exposing a recording medium to produce an image in accordance with information contained in an electrical signal. The apparatus comprises a light source, optical means for imaging light onto the recording medium, and a light-valve array to control the light reaching selected areas of the recording medium. In order to provide an improved means for controlling the light, the light-valve array is comprised of a plurality of electrostatically deflectable elements each of which contains a transmitter waveguide for transmitting light from the source to a receptor waveguide. The elements can be deflected from a first position in which the transmitter and receptor waveguides are axially aligned for transmitting light therethrough to a second position in which no light can be transmitted from the transmitter waveguides to the receptor waveguides; each of the elements is selectively deflectable in response to an information signal.

Abstract: A luminance signal is formed from a first luminance signal produced by mixing a plurality of complementary color signals obtained from a television camera having complementary color filters and from a second luminance signal produced by mixing at a predetermined ratio a plurality of primary color signals that are derived from the plurality of complementary color signals, the first and second luminance signals are then mixed so that the composite output signal forms the desired luminance signal. The first luminance signal is level adjusted based upon the color temperature detection signal derived from a color temperature detector and a second luminance signal is balanced in level based upon this color temperature detection signal. The second luminance signal is derived by mixing the three primary color signals at a predetermined ratio.

Abstract: A digital signal coding/decoding circuit for coding/decoding digital scanning line signals by means of an MR coding/decoding algorithm has an MR coding/decoding circuit, a line buffer for temporarily storing information about a reference line which has been already coded or decoded, and a preparation circuit for producing compression codes from the reference line and for later expanding the compression codes into the reference line. The line buffer can be compact because it temporarily stores the compression codes rather than the reference line itself.

Abstract: A color solid-state imaging apparatus includes a color solid-state image sensor that produces a color image output signal. This output signal includes horizontal scanning line signals. Different signals are produced by amplifying the levels of these horizontal scanning line signals by different amounts. By substracting the amplified signals, a difference signal can be produced. The amount of amplification is adjusted such that this difference signal is zero when the solid-state image sensor is detecting an image of a predetermined color.

Abstract: At least one original is patched on an input drum of a scanner or an original patching sheet to be mounted on the input drum at a desired angular orientation as a function of location data describing the location of a trimming frame on a layout sheet and the portion of the original to be patched on the trimming frame. The trimming frame corresponds to a desired scanning region of the original.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving the performance of data compression processes, such as relative address coding, CCITT standard facsimile processes, and similar two-dimensional image coding processes, by block coding one or more of the vertical mode codes produced by these processes. The performance of data compression processes is improved by representing one or more sequences of vertical mode code words with a single block code word. A reference scan line is preferably selected from among a plurality of previous scan lines, for example, the immediately preceding ten scan lines, for two-dimensional image coding. The previous scan line which is most similar to the current scan line to be coded is selected as the reference scan line. The selected reference scan line is then fed with the current scan line to be coded to a two-dimensional data compression coding process so as to yield a first tier of data compression.

Abstract: An optical scanning system for (i) scanning images from film transparencies or reflective copy, and for (ii) reproducing images onto film or photosensitive paper to prepare films, printing plates and the like. A paten assembly having two platens, each platen having an image area, is rotatable between positions to selectively locate one of the platens in an orientation for scanning an image area of such platen. A scanner traces scan lines across the image area in a first direction as a gantry assembly transports the scanner over the image area in a second direction. When scanning an image (as opposed to scanning to reproduce an image), photodetectors detect light either transmitted through a film containing an image or reflected from a reflective copy containing an image. The photodetector is sampled by a system computer. When scanning to reproduce an image, a film is loaded onto a platen and the scanner scans in raster fashion over the film.

Abstract: An image communication apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus having a recording unit to print the reception image data. This apparatus has a receiving unit to receive an image signal from an original document, a recording unit to record the received images, an image memory to store the received image when the recording unit does not record the image, and a declaring unit to declare the size of recording sheet set in the recording unit upon storage in the image memory. The declaring unit has a memory to record information on the size (e.g., the width) of the recording sheet set in the recording unit. When no recording sheet is set in the recording unit, or when the recording sheet width is improper, the reception information is stored in the image memory.

Abstract: Apparatus for improving the quality of an electronic image generated by a charge coupled device (CCD) array that senses scene images through a colored optical filter. The apparatus includes a prism or prismatic filter movable into and out of the path of image-containing light rays impinging on the color filter overlying the CCD array that alternately shifts the scene image between color filters of the CCD array that absorb particular scene image colors and those that transmit these colors to their associated CCDs while in the case of the prismatic filter absorbing the dominant scene color generated by the colored optical filter. Scene image signals generated by a CCD array in this manner are processed such that their spatial relationship with respect to the sensed scene image is precisely monitored and electronically counter-shifted for subsequent scene image reconstruction.

Abstract: A method for enhancing the sharpness of a color image includes the steps of generating three color separation signals and selecting one of the color separation signals to be a sharp signal; generating an unsharp signal from a color image and then multiplying the difference between the sharp signal and the unsharp signal by three multiplier coefficients to form three sharpness-enhancement signals. The resultant signals are added to the corresponding color separation signals to form sharpness enhanced color separation signals representing a sharpness enhanced color image.

Abstract: A color input image apparatus characterized by a support assembly, a sensor assembly, a beam forming assembly located between the support assembly and the sensor assembly, and a projector assembly located between the beam forming assembly and the sensor assembly. Apertures of the beam forming assembly and the projection assembly subtend substantially the same beam angle to minimize the deleterious effects of stray light. The beam forming assembly produces red, green, and blue component beams by transmissive filtering of light emanating from a portion of the color image. The beam forming assembly is positioned in the more position-tolerant object space of the apparatus, and matched apertures are used throughout to minimize the effects of stray light. Embodiments of the assembly can input an image from either color transparencies or from opaque color originals.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus has image input systems for inputting image data at high and low resolutions, a high pass filter for filtering the low-resolution image data, an image property discrimination processor for discriminating an edge in the high-pass filtered low-resolution image data, and a signal selection circuit for selecting the image of high or low resolution in accordance with the discrimination result of the discrimination processor. The apparatus processes image signals so as to reproduce optimum quality images for all types of original images including character and halftone images.

Abstract: A color negative inspection apparatus which reads color image data from a frame of a color negative film and stores in a memory color image data sequentially read from N frames of the color negative film, N being an integer at least as large as 2. The N color positive images are displayed based on the color image data stored in the memory. The N color positive images correspond to the N frames of the color negative film. The N color positive images are shifted by one frame each time color image data is read from a frame of the color negative film.

Abstract: A hard copy of a picture is produced from a single field of video signals representing the picture. A single field of luminance and line-sequential color difference video signals representing a picture is entered to a signal converter to be converted into a frame of video signals, which is in turn stored in a storage. The signal converter produces interpolated luminance signals and interpolated color difference signals. The video signals are then read out of the storage in an interlace raster scanning fashion. A picture display visibly displays the picture represented by the read out video signals. The video signals are also read out of the storage in a sequential scanning fashion. A picture printer receives the sequentially read out video signals and records on a recording medium the picture represented by the video signals.

Abstract: An apparatus for editing picture images and reproducing edited images is disclosed. Positional information, which indicates areas of a film and color plate for which editing operations (including cropping, processing, bordering, flat tone processing, and cutting mask processing) are to be performed, is gathered in process for each color which is included in the color plate. Picture signals are obtained by photoelectrically scanning color original pictures, and the signals are stored and processed; a halftone dot area is created and the ratio data necessary for carrying out the above-described processing is selected and the color plate signals are organized so that the halftone dot area ratio is produced with pre-determined priority order according to the positional information. The editing apparatus thus performs sequentially the process of reproducing original images by recording and arranging the images according to a programmed operator selectable format.

Abstract: Three color densities of a color original are measured for a number of picture elements into which the color original is divided. A part of the color original that includes at least one picture element is selected, with whose color based on the measured densities thereof the color of each picture element based on the measured densities is compared to detect picture elements having colors identical or similar to the color of the selected part of the color original. The picture elements of the identical or similar colors can define an extent of image which determines a principal subject image and the remainder of which is background.

Abstract: An improved method is described for transmitting facsimiles of scanned symbols. Prototype facsimiles of each symbol in a library are enhanced by averaging the representations of each scanned symbol with a respective previously created prototype facsimile for that symbol. The amount of white space at opposite sides of each symbol prototype is determined. The enhanced prototype facsimile for each scanned symbol is associated with positional parameters denoting the average white space at said opposite sides of each symbol.