COLOR TELEVISION CAMERA

• US 3,725,572 A
• Filed: 12/21/1971
• Issued: 04/03/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hiromichi Kurokawa, Yasuharu Kubota
• Original Assignee: Hiromichi Kurokawa, Yasuharu Kubota
• Inventors: Kubota, Yasuharu, Kurokawa, Hiromichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Richardson, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US05/210,342
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 178/5.4R,5.4ST
• US Class Current: 348/287
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 29/451 with photosensitive junctions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/00 Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate details thereof H01L23/00, H01L29/00 - H10K10/00; assemblies consisting of a plurality of individual solid state devices H01L25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/01 Circuitry for demodulating colour component signals modulated spatially by colour striped filters by phase separation

Abstract

In a color television camera having a target structure which is scanned by an electron beam and on which is projected an image of an object in the field of view of the camera; the target structure comprises first and second groups of photoconductive elements, such as diodes, preferably formed in a semiconductor substrate and being arrayed in lines extending in the line scanning direction and rows extending at substantial angles to the lines, with the lines of the first group of diodes being alternated with the lines of the second group of diodes, color filter elements corresponding to the diodes, respectively, and being disposed between the latter and the object for forming color components of the projected image on the respective diodes, first electrodes connected to the first and second groups, respectively, of the diodes for applying to the latter an alternating signal having phase alternation by line and for picking-up a color video signal corresponding to the projected image in response to the conversion by said diodes of light projected thereon into an electrical output when scanned by the electron beam, and second electrodes arranged generally in the direction of the rows of diodes for receiving an alternating signal having phase alternation by field and for picking-up an index signal corresponding with the arrangement of the second electrodes along the line being scanned and having phase alternation by field. The color video signal and index signal thus formed are combined in a composite signal which is supplied to circuits by which the index signal is employed for deriving the individual color signals from the color video signal.

Claims

1. In a color television camera having a target structure, means for producing an electron beam which scans the target structure in a line scanning direction, and means for projecting onto the target structure an image of an object in the field of view of the camera;

said target structure comprising a first group of photoconductive elements for converting light projected thereon into an electrical output when scanned by said electron beam and being arrayed in lines extending in said line scanning direction and in rows at substantial angles to said direction, a second group of photoconductive elements for converting light projected thereon into an electrical output when scanned by said electron beam and also being arrayed in lines extending in said line scanning direction and in rows at substantial angles to said direction with said lines of the photoconductive elements of said second group being alternated with said lines of the photoconductive elements of said first group, color filter elements each corresponding to a respective one of said photoconductive elements and being disposed between the latter and the object for forming on the respective photoconductive elements corresponding color components of said image projected on the target structure, first electrodes extending generally along said lines of photoconductive elements and being connected with said first group and said second group, respectively, of said photoconductive elements for picking up a color video signal from said photoconductive elements in response to the successive scanning thereof by said electron beam, and second electrodes arranged generally in the direction of said rows of photoconductive elements for producing an index signal.

2. A color television camera according to claim 1, in which said rows of the photoconductive elements are substantially at right angles to said lines thereof.

3. A color television camera according to claim 1, in which the photoconductive elements in each of said lines thereof in said first group are staggered with respect to the photoconductive elements in each of the adjacent lines of said second group.

4. A color television camera according to claim 1, further comprising means for supplying an alternating voltage to said first electrodes with the phase of said alternating voltage being reversed in successive horizontal scanning periods of said electron beam so as to alternately activate the photoconductive elements of said first and second groups only when a line of photoconductive elements in the respective group is being scanned by said beam.

5. A color television camera according to claim 4, further comprising means for supplying an alternating voltage to said second electrodes with the phase of the last mentioned alternating voltage being reversed in successive field scanning periods of said electron beam.

6. A color television camera according to claim 5, in which said color filter elements are constituted by triads of filter elements transmitting light of respective primary colors and arranged in a repeating cyclic order along said lines of the respective photoconductive elements, and there are a pair of said second electrodes extending between the photoconductive elements which are associated with each of said triads of filter elements.

7. A color television camera according to claim 6, in which the triads of color filter elements associated with the photoconductive elements in each of said lines are offset in the direction of said lines relative to said triads of filter elements associated with photoconductive elements in adjacent lines by approximately one-half the pitch of said repeating cyclic order.

8. A color television camera according to claim 1, in which said photoconduCtive elements are constituted by respective silicon diodes.

9. A color television camera according to claim 8, in which said diodes are formed in a semiconductor substrate.

10. A color television camera according to claim 9, in which said first electrodes and said second electrodes are respectively disposed at opposite surfaces of said semiconductor substrate.

11. In a color television camera having a target structure, means for scanning said target structure with an electron beam in a line scanning direction, and means for projecting onto said target structure an image of an object in the field of view of the camera;

said target structure comprising first and second groups of photoconductive elements for converting light projected thereon into an electrical output when scanned by said electron beam and being arrayed in lines extending in said line scanning direction and in rows at substantial angles to said direction with said lines of the photoconductive elements of said first group being alternated with said lines of the photoconductive elements of said second group, color filter elements each corresponding to a respective one of said photoconductive elements and being disposed between the latter and the object for forming on the respective photoconductive elements corresponding color components of said image projected onto the target structure, first electrodes respectively connected with said photoconductive elements of said first and second groups, means for applying an alternating voltage to said first electrodes so as to alternately activate said first and second groups of photoconductive elements in synchronism with the scanning of said lines thereof and for picking up a color video signal corresponding to said projected image, second electrodes arranged generally in the direction of said rows of photoconductive elements, and means for applying an alternating voltage to said second electrodes and for picking up an index signal in accordance with the arrangement of said second electrodes along the line of said photoconductive elements being scanned.

12. A color television camera according to claim 11, in which said photoconductive elements are constituted by respective diodes.

13. A color television camera according to claim 12, in which said diodes are formed in a semiconductor substrate, and said diodes of said first group are offset, in the directions of said lines, with respect to the diodes of said second group.

14. A color television camera according to claim 11, in which said alternating voltage applied to the first electrodes has its phase reversed in successive horizontal scanning periods of said electron beam, and said alternating voltage applied to said second electrodes has its phase reversed in successive field scanning periods of said beam so that said index signal has phase alternation by field.

15. A color television camera according to claim 14, further comprising circuit means for combining said index signal having phase alternation by field with said color video signal to constitute a composite signal.

16. A color television camera according to claim 15, further comprising a delay circuit for receiving said composite signal and providing a delayed composite signal, an adder circuit for adding said composite signal and said delayed composite signal and providing said index signal having phase alternation by field, and a subtraction circuit for subtracting said delayed composite signal from said composite signal and providing said color video signal therefrom.

17. A color television camera according to claim 16, further comprising first inverting means for reversing the polarity of said index signal having phase alternation by field derived from said adder circuit, first switching means alternately passing the output of said first inverting means and said index signal as derived from said adder circuit and being switched-over in each field scanning period, second inverting means for reversing the polarity of the output of Said first switching means, second switching means alternately passing said output of the first switching means and the output of said second inverting means and being switched-over in each line scanning period to provide an index signal having phase alternation by line, and demodulator means receiving said index signal having phase alternation by line and said color video signal from said subtraction circuit for providing therefrom output signals corresponding to the color components of said object in the field of view of the camera.