Multilinear array sensor with an infrared line

• US 6,590,679 B1
• Filed: 01/26/1999
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Applied Science Fiction, Inc.
• Inventors: Edgar, Albert D., Penn, Steven C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worku, Negussie
• Application Number:
  US09/237,706
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 358/513, 358/512, 358/514, 358/530, 358/474, 250/330, 250/208.1, 250/341.8, 382/191, 382/318, 382/275, 356/237.1, 356/237.2
• US Class Current: 358/514
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/486 with separate detectors, each detector being used for one specific colour component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/11 Scanning of colour motion picture films, e.g. for telecine

Abstract

Surface defect correction technology for photographic images requires an infrared scan along with a conventional color scan. In the present invention, the additional infrared scan needed for surface defect correction is obtained by adding a line of sensors specific to infrared light to a conventional multilinear color sensor array. The invention teaches a practical mode of distinguishing infrared light using a dichroic prism placed over the sensor. This mode has the additional advantage of placing the infrared-specific sensor line in a displaced focus plane to match conventional lenses. Adding a sensor line to a conventional trilinear sensor array requires a quadrilinear array topology. In addition to the direct quadrilinear topology, the invention teaches a method of obtaining full color image information with only two linear sensor lines by interstitially mixing red and blue sensors on a single sensor line, which, in conjunction with the additional infrared line, results in a conventional trilinear sensor topology with a different filter arrangement.

Claims

1. A system for scanning a substrate in visible and infrared light, the substrate including a plurality of parallel sensor lines, the system including:

means for substantially blocking noninfrared light to a first sensor of the plurality of sensor lines; and

means for simultaneously substantially blocking infrared light to a second sensor of the plurality of sensor lines.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said infrared light blocking and noninfrared light blocking means comprise a prism.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the prism includes a first surface having an interference filter to transmit noninfrared light and reflect infrared light.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the prism further includes a second surface substantially parallel to the first surface which redirects the reflected infrared light to the first sensor line.

5. The system of claim 1 and further including means for substantially blocking infrared light to a third sensor line of the plurality of sensor lines, wherein the second sensor line is made primarily responsive to visible light of a first color, and the third sensor line is primarily responsive to visible light of a second color.

6. The system of claim 5 and further including:

a first filter for passing light of the visible light of the first color, free of infrared light to the second sensor line, and a second filter for passing light of the visible light of the second color, free of infrared light to the third sensor line.

7. The system of claim 5 and further including:

means for substantially blocking infrared light to a fourth sensor line of the plurality of sensor lines, wherein the fourth sensor line is primarily responsive to a visible light of a third color.

8. The system of claim 5 and further including:

an infrared blocking filter for blocking infrared light to the second and third sensor lines, and a first filter for passing light of the visible light of the first color plus infrared light to the second sensor line, and a second filter for passing light of the visible light of the second color to the third sensor line.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the infrared blocking filter reflects infrared light toward the first sensor line.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the infrared blocking filter absorbs infrared light.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the infrared blocking filter reflects infrared light.

12. The system of claim 5 wherein the third sensor line further comprises a plurality of individual sensors wherein a first individual sensor of the third sensor line is primarily responsive to a high color within the visible light of the second color, and a second individual sensor of the third sensor line is primarily responsive to a low color with the visible light of the second color.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the color of the visible light of the second color is magenta, the high color is blue, and the low color is red.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the color of the visible light of the first color is green.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the color of the visible light of the first color is white.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the high color is cyan.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the low color corresponding to the position of the first individual sensor is estimated as a function of the low color measured by the second individual sensor, and the difference in the first color measured by respective individual sensors of the second sensor lines at positions corresponding to the first individual sensor and the second individual sensor.

18. A sensor responsive to visible light and infrared light, comprising:

a substrate,

a first linear sensor disposed on said substrate and being pninarily responsive to visible light of a first color;

a second linear sensor disposed on said substrate and being primarily responsive to visible light of a second color;

a third linear sensor disposed on said substrate and being primarily responsive to visible light of a third color;

a fourth linear sensor disposed on said substrate and being primarily responsive to infrared light;

means for substantially blocking infrared light from said first, second, and third linear sensors; and

means for simultaneously substantially blocking visible light from said forth linear sensor.

19. The sensor of claim 18 wherein said linear sensors are spaced apart by a distance, such that the distance between said first and second sensors and the distance between said second and third sensors is less than the distance between said third and fourth sensors.

20. The sensor of claim 18 wherein said blocking means includes a prism.