Abstract: An image sensing device having an on-chip output signal extracting circuit employing low gain-bandwidth product amplifiers and a simple circuit design. The output signal from scanning a photosensor element array is applied to the inverting input of an operational amplifier, the noninverting input of which receives a reference potential. A feedback capacitor is connected between the output and inverting input of the operational amplifier, and a resetting FET is connected in parallel with the feedback capacitor. An inverted replica of switching transients which occur on the inverting input terminal of the amplifier is fed to that terminal via a second capacitor. The output of the operational amplifier is buffered and applied to the output terminal of the sensor chip.

Abstract: Sensor correction circuit for maintaining offset voltages in the shift registers of a multiple channel image sensor substantially equal having a pair of control gates to permit sampling the current offset voltages in the shift registers of each channel, a pair of capacitors for storing the offset voltage samples in each channel; a clock for actuating the control gates in preset timed relation between scan lines to sample and store the current shift register offset voltages on the capacitors; and an amplifier for amplifying any difference between the offset voltage samples held by the capacitors to provide an adjusted potential for balancing any differences between the shift registers.

Abstract: Imaging apparatus for an electronic imaging camera responds to a scene image by converting photons into electrons representative of the scene image. A microchannel electron multiplier, including a microchannel plate, having an output surface at its output side is coupled to receive the electrons representative of the scene image and operates to intensify the electron representation of the scene image. A charge transfer device in the form of a charge coupled device (CCD), directly coupled to the output surface responds to the electron output to produce an electric signal representation of the scene image received by the camera. The electric signal representation is read out of the CCD by clock voltages and may have the form of a serial picture sample output. A signal processor may be provided to develop a video output from the sample output.

Abstract: A method for driving a solid-state image sensor in which the bias charges in a horizontal readout CCD (charge-coupled device) shift register are transferred onto vertical signal lines with the signal charges and then the signal and bias charges are transferred back into the horizontal readout CCD shift register from which are read out the signal charges (generated at the photosensor or photodiodes).

Abstract: An identification card having an IC module for the processing of electrical signals. The IC module (9) and the leads (6) and contact surfaces (5,20) necessary for the operation of the module are attached to a separate carrier (7,17) and embedded in the identification card in such a way that the IC module is located in an area (4) of the card having the maximally permitted thickness, whereas the contact surfaces are arranged outside this area. The placement of the IC module in the elevated card area (e.g. the impressing area) allows for a thicker encapsulation of the module and correspondingly better protection against mechanical stress. On the other hand, the area of the carrier element with the contact surfaces is arranged outside the elevated area of the card, for example in the magnetic stripe area (2).

Abstract: A thin film screen of disc form which is semi-transparent is rotated at high speed about its axis at right angles to the projection path of a projected movie or slide picture through an aperture within a main housing for 90.degree. projection through a side aperture by way of an inclined mirror and a close up lens directly into a video camera through its lens system. A second close-up lens is located in front of the transparent screen for focussing the projected picture onto the screen at the focal plane of the close-up lens. A micromotor which is battery operated drives the mylar screen disc at a comparatively higher speed than that of the projected movie picture.

Abstract: A solid state television camera having a solid state image sensing device, such as CCD image sensing device and an iris for controlling the amount of light from an image irradiated on the image sensing device. The iris is controlled by the peak level of a smear signal of a horizontal scanning line during a vertical blanking interval so that the smear signal contained in a video signal from the image sensing device is reduced. Further, the iris can be controlled by the average level of the smear signal instead of the average level of the video signal of one field as the smear signal has the whole information of the image of one field, that causes the construction of detecting circuit to be very simple and the fidelity of the iris control to be high.

Abstract: An automatic money receiving and disbursing machine having the functions of receiving money from customers and disbursing money to customers from a box disposed within the machine. The machine is provided with a circulation path in communication with a transacting section to receive or disburse the notes therethrough. A portion of the circulation path is in communication with the disbursing box for receiving the notes disbursed from the disbursing box. Another portion of the circulation path is in communication with a note receiving box. A discrimination section is provided in the circulation path to discriminate the notes received or the notes disbursed. In the disbursing mode, when an abnormal note is found by discrimination, all the notes are discriminated again by passing the notes through the discrimination section via the circulation path.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor has a semiconductor substrate and a photoconductive film formed on the semiconductor substrate. The photoconductive film has a charge transfer function and subjects each field or group of picture elements to interlaced scanning. Flicker which otherwise results from inevitable differences between the magnitudes of setting voltages or areas of the photoconductive film portions with respect to the respective fields or groups of picture elements is significantly suppressed by changing the voltages applied to the photoconductive film portions with respect to each field or group of the interlaced picture element.

Abstract: Wide screen film frames are scanned in full width and in a first intermediate store a horizontal section of the frame is defined by a read-out start address and expanded by reading out at a lower speed. Only a part of the desired expansion is produced before the picture is stored for interlaced read-out in pairs of television fields. Thereafter the rest of the desired expansion is produced, with a further selection of the portion of each line to be viewed. Varying the read-out start address to shift the section of the picture to be reproduced in television form is done frame by frame in the first store and field by field in the second store and the two shift adjustments can be programmed in combination for smooth transitions.

Abstract: A television pickup arrangement comprises a solid state pickup device which is read by field transfer. The pickup produces a picture signal which on display shows information smear. It is known to perform a correction by obtaining signal smear information from under an opaque, masking strip on the picture pickup portion of the pickup device. The smear picture signal is stored once in every field period in a memory device which is repeatedly readable at line frequency. The smear picture signal is subtracted from the picture signal to be corrected.If there is movement in the scene in the horizontal direction, an unacceptable smear is, however, still observable. According to the invention, a correction may be effected, using a second memory device. The second memory device may be used for performing a signal averaging operation over several field periods or for storing a smear picture signal so that different smear corrections can be effected in the upper and lower picture halves.

Abstract: An electro-optical imaging system is disclosed which automatically self-diagnoses the operations of its photosensor and its video processing circuitry during each of first and second modes of operation of a processor, when no object is being imaged. In a preferred embodiment, a power supply is controlled by the processor to prevent a light source from illuminating a reference background during the first mode of operation and to enable the light source to illuminate the reference background during the second mode of operation. The photosensor sequentially develops first and second signals respectively proportional to the intensity of reflected light received from the reference background during the first and second modes of operation. The video processing circuitry is responsive to the first and second signals for sequentially developing respective first and second data signals.

Abstract: A system for verifying an operation in particular one that includes payment, the system comprising at least one terminal (11) and a plurality of portable objects (10) which may be coupled, preferably without contact, to the terminal. The terminal emits repeated interrogation messages suitable for triggering reading of the contents of a shift register (60, 190) in a portable object when said object is coupled thereto, only after a comparator has verified concordance between first validity data from the portable object and check data from the terminal. After processing, the terminal re-writes updated useful data in the register. Re-writing is only authorized after a comparator (240) has verified concordance between second validity data stored in the shift register with check data transmitted by the terminal into a register (220) of the portable object. The check data is produced by the terminal after decoding the validity data contained in the message derived from reading the portable object (10).

Abstract: A remote bar code reading camera for detecting dark and light areas of a bar code carried on an object disposed at a distance from the camera has a substantially continuously operating non-coherent light source for illuminating the bar code, an optical arrangement with a rectangular aperture for directing the reflected light from the bar code onto an image sensor, the optical arrangement having a depth of field such that reflections from remote objects are accurately transmitted to the image sensor, and a processing circuit for shaping and analyzing the signals from the image sensor. The processing circuit includes an external random access memory which, during a first portion of a signal processing cycle is used with loading circuitry to store digital information corresponding to the scanned bar code, and during a second portion of a processing cycle is utilized as the working memory for a microcomputer for decoding the information.

Abstract: A compact video slide projector provides video image signals representing a recorded image on a 35 mm slide for display on a TV set or video monitor. Compactness is achieved by arranging an elongated video camera at right angles to the slide projection path of a slide projector/changer mechanism and directing image light from the projection path along a perpendicularly disposed camera input axis.

Abstract: A device for the heterodyne detection of the image of targets illuminated by a laser, wherein the target reflects a wave .SIGMA..sub.1, which is amplified in an included refractive index variation medium also illuminated by a reference wave .SIGMA..sub.R derived from the laser to produce an amplified wave .SIGMA..sub.2. A portion of the wave .SIGMA..sub.1 prior to amplification is directed incident on a frequency shifter to produce frequency shifted wavefront .SIGMA..sub.10. Wavefront .SIGMA..sub.2 and the frequency-shifted wavefront .SIGMA..sub.10 are directed incident on the same partially reflection mirror to interfere with one another and the resultant beat interference wave is focused on a matrix of photodetectors and then filtered. This device has application to infrared image detection.

Abstract: A medical claim verification and processing system reads a medical information card (MEDICARD) to determine a patient's background medical and insurance information. The validity of the card is rapidly determined by accessing a central brokerage computer. A local service provider enters into a local terminal the medical and MEDICARD information services provided or to be provided to the patient by using a patient service code and transmits this information to a central brokerage computer. The central brokerage computer converts the patient service code input by the service provider or MEDICARD into a particular service code for the patient's insurance carrier. This service code is then utilized to determine the insurance claim payment for that particular patient service. The claim payment amount for the medical service is then transmitted back to the local entry terminal for use by the service provider and patient.

Abstract: A programmable data storage element includes a self-nucleating bi-stable magnetizable wire and a body of permanently magnetizable material such as barium ferrite. The bi-stable magnetic wire is normally readable in a magnetic reader constructed to cause state reversal of the magnetic wire to induce an output pulse in a sensing coil. The body of permanently magnetizable material can be selectively magnetized in the vicinity of the bi-stable magnetic wire to inhibit reading of the wire in the reader. A given wire can thus be programmed to store a binary bit of data by being selectively enabled or disabled for reading in a suitable magnetic reader. An improved passcard may be constructed by including an insert of barium ferrite in a passcard on which are disposed a plurality of bi-stable magnetic wires in a predetermined pattern. The passcard may be encoded with an identification number or other information at any time subsequent to manufacture by magnetizing selected portions of the barium ferrite insert.