Method and apparatus for using monochrome images to form a color image

• US 5,335,082 A
• Filed: 01/10/1994
• Issued: 08/02/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SABLE, ARTHUR J. & SABLE, BARBARA KINSEY AS JOINT TENNANTS WITH RIGHT OF SURVIVORSHIP NOT AS TENNANTS IN COMMON
• Original Assignee: Opton Corporation
• Inventors: Sable, Arthur J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRINICH, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US08/179,971
• Time in Patent Office: 204 Days
• Field of Search: 358/540, 358/527, 358/350, 358/351, 358/500
• US Class Current: 347/232
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/003 Apparatus for photographing CRT-screens
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/08 Sequential recording or projection G03B33/02, G03B33/04, G03B33/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/10 Simultaneous recording or projection G03B33/02, G03B33/04 G03B33/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/50 Picture reproducers for halftone screening H04N1/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/508 using the same reproducing head for two or more colour components

Abstract

A permanent color record (18,20,22) of an image provided by a scanner (10) employed in medical diagnostic procedures is formed on a standard sheet (58) of 8×10 inch black-and-white film by three separate monochromatic record images (18,20,22) of respectively different ones of three color components of the scanner developed image. The film sheet (58) with its three black-and-white images is viewed on the screen of a viewer (116) having three lenses (120,122,124) positioned to project light of three different colors in converging paths through respective ones (222a,222b,222c) of the monochromatic record images and to project three image components in mutual superposition on the viewer screen. The three different color image components on the viewer screen are precisely positioned so that there is no visibly discernible misregistration. Either the three image components on the color record are formed on the sheet film (58) with a predetermined maximum misregistration or the viewing system is adjusted to accomplish such maximum misregistration on the viewer screen. A hard disc memory (430) is used to acquire and electrically store a plurality of color or black-and-white images made in any sequence before selectively extracting all black-and-white or all color images for optical recording.

Claims

1. A medical diagnostic color imaging system for use with a medical diagnostic scanning device that provides an output having a plurality of electrical color image component output signals respectively representing different optical color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said device, said system comprising:

input means for providing sets of electrical color image component input signals wherein the signals of each set represent different optical color image components of an image of a subject scanned by said device,

memory means having a plurality of image storage locations, each said location being configured and arranged to store a set of electrical color image component input signals respectively representing the different optical color image components of an image of the subject scanned by said scanning device,

means for storing a plurality of sets of said electrical color image component input signals at different ones of said storage locations,

film holder means configured and arranged to hold monochromatic film, and

means responsive to said memory means for exposing a plurality of optical record color image components on different areas of film in said film holder means, each of said optical record color image components comprising an optical record of a different one of said optical color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for exposing includes means alternatively responsive to said input means or to said memory means.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said medical diagnostic scanning device provides an alternative output comprising a monochromatic image signal representing a monochromatic image of a subject scanned by said device, means for controlling said input means to selectively provide either said sets of electrical color image component input signals or said monochromatic image signal, said means for storing including means for storing a plurality of said monochromatic image signals at different ones of said image storage locations, said means for exposing comprising means for selectively reading from said memory means either a set of said color image component input signals or a monochromatic image signal.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said means for exposing includes means for alternatively exposing said areas of said film in a color image component sequence or in a monochromatic image sequence.

5. A method of forming medical diagnostic optical record color images for use with a medical diagnostic color scanning device that provides an electrical output having sets of electrical signals wherein signals of each set respectively represent different color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said scanning device and wherein each set represents a different image of a subject, said method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of said sets in a storage medium,

reading a selected one of said sets from said storage medium after a plurality of said sets have been stored, and

employing each set read from said storage medium to form on a monochromatic film a plurality of mutually spaced optical record color image components that respectively represent different color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said scanning device.

6. The method of claim 5 including the steps of processing said monochromatic film to fix said optical record color image components thereon, and forming on a viewing medium a plurality of mutually superposed projected images of said optical record color image components of said processed film, said step of forming on a viewing medium comprising projecting each of said superposed projected images with a different spectral content so as to combine the projected images of different spectral content on the viewing medium to form a single multi-color image.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said scanning device provides an alternative electrical output having a monochromatic electric signal representing a monochromatic image of a subject, and including the steps of storing a plurality of said monochromatic electrical signals in said storage medium, reading selected ones of said monochromatic electrical signals from said storage medium after a plurality of monochromatic electrical signals have been stored, and employing the monochromatic electrical signals read from said storage medium to form on a second monochromatic film a plurality of monochromatic images.

8. A medical diagnostic color imaging system for use with a medical diagnostic scanning device that generates a first color output having a plurality of color image component electrical signals respectively representing different color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said device, or an alternative second monochromatic output having a monochromatic electrical signal representing a monochromatic image of a subject scanned by said device, said system comprising:

input means for providing sets of electrical color image component input signals wherein the signals of each set represent different optical color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said device, and for providing electrical monochromatic input signals each representing a different monochromatic image of a subject scanned by said device, said sets of electrical color image component input signals and said electrical monochromatic input signals being provided sequentially in the order in which they are generated by said scanning device,

memory means having a plurality of image storage locations, each said location being configured and arranged to store a set of electrical color image component input signals respectively representing the different optical color image components of a single color image of a subject scanned by said scanning device, or an electrical monochromatic input signal representing a monochromatic image of a subject scanned by said scanning device,

means for storing a plurality of sets of said color electrical color image component input signals and a plurality of said electrical monochromatic input signals at different ones of said storage locations,

film holder means configured and arranged to hold monochromatic film, and

means for selectively reading from said memory means a first group of said sets of electrical color image component input signals and consecutively forming on a first film in said film holder means an exposed optical record of a sequence of the sets of said first group, or selectively reading a second group of said monochromatic signals and consecutively forming on a second film in said film holder means an exposed optical record of a sequence Of the monochromatic input signals of said second group, whereby said scanning device may be operated to generate color and monochromatic outputs in any sequence, and a group of the color outputs of the scanning device may be employed consecutively to make a group of consecutive optical records of color images and a group of monochromatic outputs of the scanning device may be employed consecutively to make a group of consecutive optical records of monochromatic images, regardless of the order in which said first color and second monochromatic outputs are generated by said scanning device.

9. A medical diagnostic imaging system for use with a medical diagnostic scanning device that generates electrical outputs of first and second types in a varying sequence, and that intermixes outputs of different types, all of which outputs must be grouped according to type, each output representing a first or second type of image of a subject scanned by said device, said system comprising:

memory means for storing said outputs as electrical signals of first and second types respectively corresponding to said electrical outputs of said first and second types,

means for selectively extracting from said memory means first or second groups of signals, wherein all signals of said first group comprise signals of said first type of electrical signals, and all signals of said second group comprise signals of said second type of electrical signals, and

means responsive to said extracting means for making first and second sets of optical records of said groups of signals, whereby said first set of optical records comprises a plurality of records each representing an image of said first type, and said second set of optical records comprises a plurality of records each representing an image of said second type.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said means for making sets of optical records comprise film holder means having film held therein, and means for consecutively exposing on film in said film holder means a plurality of optical records of the same type.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said records of said first set of optical records each comprises a plurality of monochromatic color image components of a color image, and wherein records of said second set of said optical records comprise a plurality of monochromatic images, whereby a plurality of color image optical records are formed in consecutive sequence and a plurality of monochromatic image optical records are formed in consecutive sequence.

12. The system of claim 10 including an ultrasound diagnostic imaging cart, said cart carrying all of said medical diagnostic scanning device, said memory means, said means for reading from said memory, and said means for making sets of optical records.