SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY PRODUCING A COLOR DISPLAY OF A SCENE FROM A BLACK AND WHITE REPRESENTATION OF THE SCENE

• US 3,710,011 A
• Filed: 12/04/1970
• Issued: 01/09/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Duca, William C. Altemus
• Original Assignee: James Duca, William C. Altemus
• Inventors: Altemus, William C., Duca, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Richard
• Application Number:
  US05/095,096
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 178/5.2,5.4,6.8
• US Class Current: 348/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/43 Conversion of monochrome picture signals to colour picture signals for colour picture display

Abstract

This invention comprises a system for producing a color representation on either video tape or a color display device of a static or dynamic scene, each color being independently selective and variable. Signals are generated for representing the scene in discrete shades of gray, which signals are used to generate further signals representing the red, green and blue components of a color assigned to each gray shade. These red, green and blue component signals are used to produce the color representation. The system further includes means for selecting the colors assigned to the various gray shades, and exclusive logic means allowing independent selection and variation of each color. Means are also provided for animating the scene to produce a fully animated color representation.

Claims

1. A method of producing a color display of a scene from signals representing the scene in discrete shades of gray and with each color of the scene defined by red, green, and blue color components assigned to each discrete shade of gray comprising the steps of photographing the scene with a video camera to produce video signals representing the scene in various shades of gray, generating first signals responsive to the video signals for representing the scene in selected discrete shades of gray, generating second signals in response to the first signals, the second signals including signals to represent the red, green and blue components of a color selected for each discrete shade, and generating from the second signals a color representation of the scene.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the color rePresentation is a color display.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the color representation is a video tape recording.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein only one of the first signals is generated for each discrete shade of gray.

5. The method of claim 1 including the steps of generating threshold signals for defining the discrete shades of gray, comparing the video signals with the threshold signals to generate output signals for use in producing the first signals when the video signals and threshold signals compare in predetermined correspondence.

6. The method of claim 5 including the step of combining the output signals to generate exclusive first signals for each discrete shade of gray.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of generating second signals further includes the step of gating signals representing the red, green and blue components of a selected color in response to each first signal.

8. A system for producing a color display of a scene from signals representing the scene in discrete shades of gray and with each color of the scene defined by red, green, and blue color components assigned to each discrete shade of gray comprising means for producing video signals representing the scene in various shades of gray, means for generating first signals responsive to the video signals for representing the scene in selected discrete shades of gray, means for generating second signals in response to the first signals, the second signals including signals to represent the red, green and blue components of a color selected for each discrete shade, and means for generating from the second signals a color representation of the scene.

9. The system of claim 8 including a video camera for photographing the scene for producing the video signals.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the first signal generating means includes means for generating exclusive first signals for each discrete gray shade.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the first signal generating means includes a comparator means having video signal inputs and threshold signal inputs, the comparator means producing signals at its outputs when the signals at its video inputs compare in predetermined correspondence to the signals at its threshold inputs, means for generating a plurality of threshold signals, means for feeding the threshold signals to the threshold inputs of the comparator means, means for feeding the video signals to the video inputs of the comparator means, and means for generating the first signals from the output signals from the comparator means.

12. The system of claim 11 including exclusive logic means, the exclusive logic means generating a unique signal for each unique combination of signals at its inputs, means for feeding the output signals from the comparator means to the inputs of the exclusive logic means to produce at the output of the exclusive logic means the first signals, whereby each signal of the first signals is representative of each unique combination of signals at the inputs of the exclusive logic means.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the threshold signals are selectively variable.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the comparator means includes a plurality of comparators, each comparator having a video input, a threshold input, and an output, the output being activated when the video signal is greater than the threshold signal, and wherein the threshold signals are selected at various levels to produce the desired number of discrete gray shades, whereby as the level of the video signal varies a corresponding variation occurs in the number of activated comparator outputs.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the exclusive logic means has a plurality of input corresponding to the number of outputs from the comparator means, and a plurality of outputs corresponding to the number of discrete gray shades defined, the exclusive logic means further including means for producing a signal at only one of its outputs for each combination of activaTed inputs.

16. The system of claim 8 wherein the second signal generating means includes means for gating signals representing the red, green and blue components of a selected color in response to each first signal.

17. The system of claim 16 including a commutator means having a plurality of gate inputs, the number of gate inputs corresponding to the number of discrete gray shades defined, for each gate input a selectively variable color signal input in each of three sets of color signal inputs, each set representing one of the red, green or blue components of the color representation, and an output corresponding to each set of color signal inputs, the commutator means being such as to simultaneously gate a color signal input in each set of inputs to the corresponding output in response to a signal at the corresponding gate input, means for feeding the first signals at gate inputs to the commutator means, and means for selecting the color signal inputs for representing the red, green and blue components of the color selected for each discrete gray shade, whereby the first signals gate corresponding color signal inputs to the outputs of the commutator means to produce the second signals.

18. A method of producing an animated color representation of a scene comprising the steps of establishing a scan pattern of a scan conversion means for producing a representation of the scene in various shades of gray, generating signals for modulating the scan pattern in accordance with a desired animation sequence, modulating the scan pattern with the modulation signals to produce an animated representation of the scene, converting the animated scan to a standard raster scan for generating first signals representing the animated scene in standard raster sequence, generating second signals responsive to the first signals for representing the scene in selected discrete shades of gray, generating third signals in response to the second signals, the third signals including signals to represent the red, green and blue components of a color selected for each discrete shade of gray, and generating from the third signals a color representation of the animated scene.

19. The method of claim 18 including the steps of photographing the scene with a first video camera to produce video signals representing the scene in various shades of gray, generating output signals responsive to the video signals for representing the scene in selected first discrete shades of gray, and producing the animated scan pattern from the output signals and the modulation signals.

20. The method of claim 19 including the steps of generating first threshold signals for defining the first discrete shades of gray, comparing the video signals with the first threshold signals to generate the output signals when the video signals and first threshold signals compare in predetermined correspondence.

21. The method of claim 18 including the steps of generating threshold signals for defining the discrete shades of gray, comparing the first signals with the threshold signals to generate output signals for use in producing the second signals when the first signals and threshold signals compare in predetermined correspondence.

22. The method of claim 21 including the step of combining the output signals to generate exclusive second signals for each discrete gray shade.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of generating third signals further includes the step of gating signals representing the red, green and blue components of a selected color in response to each second signal.

24. A system for producing an animated color representation of a scene comprising a scan conversion means, means for establishing a scan pattern of the scan conversion means for producing a representation of the scene in discrete shades of gray, means for generating animation modulation signals in accordance with the desired animation sequence, means for modulating the scan pattern with the animation modulation signals to produce an animated representation of the scene, means associated with the scan conversion means for converting the animated scan to a standard raster scan for generating first signals representing the animated scene in standard raster sequence, means for generating second signals responsive to the first signals for representing the scene in selected discrete shades of gray, only one of the second signals being generated for each discrete gray shade, means for generating third signals in response to the second signals, the third signals including signals to represent the red, green and blue components of a color selected for each discrete shade of gray, and means for generating from the third signals a color representation of the animated scene.

25. A system for producing an animated color representation of a scene comprising a plurality of scan converters, means for establishing a scan pattern of each scan converter for producing a representation of the scene in selected discrete shades of gray, means for generating animation modulation signals in accordance with the desired animation sequence, means for modulating the scan pattern of each scan converter with the animation modulation signals to produce an animated representation of the scene in selected ones of the discrete gray shades, means associated with each scan converter for converting the animated scan to a standard raster scan for generating a plurality of first signals representing the animated scene in standard raster sequence and in selected ones of the discrete gray shades, means for combining the first signals to produce second signals, only one of the second signals being generated for each discrete gray shade, means for generating third signals in response to the second signals, the third signals including signals to represent the red, green and blue components of a color selected for each discrete shade of gray, and means for generating from the third signals a color representation of the animated scene.

26. A method of producing an animated color display of a scene comprising the steps of generating video signals and vertical and horizontal deflection signals for representing the scene in various shades of gray, generating first signals responsive to the video signals for representing the scene in selected discrete shades of gray, generating second signals in response to the first signals, the second signals including signals to represent the red, green and blue components of a color selected for each discrete shade, generating animation modulation signals, combining the animation modulation signals, horizontal and vertical deflection signals, and second signals to generate an animated reproduction of the scene in each of its red, green and blue color components, scanning the animated reproduction of each color component representation of the scene to generate third signals in standard raster sequence, the third signals including signals representing the animated scene in each of its red, green and blue color components, and producing an animated color display of the scene from the third signals.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein exclusive first signals are generated for each discrete shade of gray.

28. The method of claim 26 including the step of generating threshold signals for defining the discrete shades of gray, comparing the video signals with the threshold signals to generate output signals for use in producing the first signals when the video signals and threshold signals compare in predetermined correspondence.

29. The method of claim 28 including the step of combining the output signals to generate exclusive first signals for each discrete shade of gray.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the step of generating the second signals further includes the step of gating the signals representing the red, green and blue components of a selected color in response to each first signal.

31. A system for producing an animated display of a scene comprising means for generating video signals anD horizontal and vertical sweep signals to represent the scene in various shades of gray, means for generating first signals responsive to the video signals to represent the scene in discrete shades of gray, means for generating second signals responsive to the first signals, the second signals including signals representing the red, green and blue components of a color selected for each discrete gray shade, means for generating animation modulation signals in accordance with a desired animation sequence, three scan converter means, each scan converter means having a write mode and a read mode and a screen scanned by an electron beam in a scanning pattern determined by deflection inputs and in an intensity pattern determined by a video input, each scan converter means producing output signals during its read mode in relation to the scanning and intensity patterns established during its write mode, means for combining the animation modulation signals and the horizontal and vertical deflection signals, means for applying the combined signals to the deflection inputs of each of the scan converter means during the write mode, means for applying simultaneously with the application of the combined signals the video signals representing the red, green and blue color components to the video inputs of the first, second and third scan converter means, respectively, to produce scanning and intensity patterns on the screen of the scan converter means representing the animated scene in each of its red, green and blue color components, means for generating beam deflection signals for production of a standard raster scanning pattern, means for applying the beam deflection signals to the deflection inputs of the scan converter means during the read mode to generate third video signals at the outputs of the first, second and third scan converter means representing the scene in each of its red, green and blue color components, respectively, the third signals being generated in standard raster sequence, and means for producing an animated color display of the scene from the third video signals.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the first signal generating means includes means for generating exclusive signals for each discrete gray shade.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the first signal generating means includes a comparator means having video signal inputs and threshold signal inputs, the comparator means producing signals at its outputs when the signals at its video inputs compare in predetermined correspondence to the signals at its threshold inputs, means for generating a plurality of threshold signals, means for feeding the threshold signals to the threshold inputs of the comparator means, means for feeding the first video signals to the video inputs of the comparator means, and means for generating the first signals from the output signals from the comparator means.

34. The system of claim 33 including exclusive logic means, the exclusive logic means generating an exclusive output signal for each unique combination of signals at its inputs, means for feeding the output signals from the comparator means to the inputs of the exclusive logic means to produce at the output of the exclusive logic means the first signals, whereby each signal of the first signals is representative of each unique combination of signals at the inputs of the exclusive logic means.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the threshold signals are selectively variable.

36. The system of claim 31 wherein the second signal generating means includes means for gating the signals representing the red, green and blue color components of a selected color in response to each first signal.

37. The system of claim 31 wherein the second signal generating means includes encoding means for generating the second signals in response to the first signals, the encoding means having variable color selection means for selecting a color to represent each discrete shade of gray.