Scanning apparatus responsive to the movement of image bearing media

Abstract

The frames of a continuously moving image bearing medium are scanned in a raster pattern to produce an image signal representative thereof, the raster pattern being generated in accordance with the detected rate of movement of the image bearing media. The rate of movement may be detected from the movement of sprocket holes or indicia associated with image bearing frames on the information bearing media or from the synchronized rotation of a disc bearing indicia and synchronized with the movement of the information bearing media. Signals are developed from the detected sprocket holes or indicia that establish the repetitive rate of production of the raster pattern and control the positioning of the raster pattern in synchronism with the movement of the image frames of the information bearing media. The signal representative of the repetitive rate of production of the raster pattern is developed when a single image frame is to be scanned.

I claim: 
     
       1. In apparatus for deriving an image signal from an information bearing medium having a plurality of successive image frames disposed thereon, the combination comprising: a. means for defining a scanning station;   b. means for moving the information bearing medium at a nominal image frame rate relative to said scanning station;   c. means for scanning repetitively at a first rate the image frames moving relative to said scanning station in a raster pattern comprising a plurality of spaced line scans and for providing an image signal of the scanned image frames;   d. first means for detecting the first rate from the movement of the information bearing medium relative to said scanning station and for producing a first signal indicative of the first rate;   e. second means for detecting the raster deflection rate of said scanning means from the movement of the information bearing medium relative to said scanning station and for producing a second signal indicative of the raster deflection rate;   f. third means responsive to said first and second signals for producing a third signal indicative of the raster deflection rate of said second signal and the first rate of said first signal; and   g. means responsive to said third signal for positioning the scanning raster pattern in synchronism with the moving image frames in accordance with said raster deflection rate and repeating the scanning raster pattern at said first rate.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said information bearing medium consists of motion picture film. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said information bearing medium consists of motion picture film having sprocket holes associated with each image bearing frame thereon and wherein said first and second detecting means comprise: a. means for directing radiation in a path intercepted by said sprocket holes; and   b. photoresponsive means positioned with respect to said sprocket holes to detect the radiation modulated by said sprocket holes.   
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said photoresponsive means comprises a plurality of photosensors equally spaced one from the other in a dimension equal to the dimension between adjacent sprocket holes of the motion picture film. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the number of said photosensors is the integral quotient of said first rate divided by the motion picture film frame rate of movement, and the raster deflection rate is equal to said rate of movement. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said information bearing medium consists of a motion picture film, said moving means comprises a rotating sprocket wheel adapted to engage the sprocket holes on the motion picture film, and said first and second detecting means comprise: a. a disc adapted to rotate with said sprocket wheel and having repetitive indicia disposed in concentric tracks on said disc;   b. means for directing radiation in a path intercepted by said indicia on said disc; and   c. photoresponsive means positioned with respect to said concentric tracks of said indicia to detect the radiation modulated by said indicia.   
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said sprocket wheel includes a number of projections adapted to engage the sprocket holes of the motion picture film, the frame rate of movement is equal to the number M, said first rate is required a constant number K, and said indicia are disposed in first and second concentric tracks on the surface of said disc, the indicia in said first track being equally spaced apart and of a number N equal to the .[.produce.]. .Iadd.product .Iaddend.of P × K/M, and the number of indicia disposed in said second track are equal to the number P and are disposed in phase with selected indicia of said first track. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said disc is opaque to said radiation and said indicia comprise slits in said disc through which said radiation is transmitted, and said photoresponsive means are disposed to intercept said radiation transmitted through said slits. 
     
     
       9. In apparatus for deriving an image signal from a motion picture film having a plurality of successive image frames disposed thereon, the combination comprising: a. means for defining a scanning station;   b. means for moving the motion picture film at a nominal image frame rate relative to said scanning station;   c. means for scanning repetitively at a television field rate frequency the image frames moving relative to said scanning station in a television raster pattern comprising a plurality of spaced line scans and for providing an image signal of the scanned image frames;   d. first means for detecting said television field rate from the movement of the motion picture film relative to said scanning station and for producing a first signal indicative of said television field rate;   e. second means for detecting the .[.waste.]. .Iadd.raster .Iaddend.deflection rate of said scanning means from the movement of said motion picture film relative to said scanning station and for producing a second signal indicative of said raster deflection rate;   f. third means responsive to the first and second signals for producing a third signal having a complex sawtooth wave form and a frequency equal to said television field rate; and   g. fourth means responsive to the third signal for generating said raster pattern at said television field rate and positioning said raster pattern in synchronism with the movement of each image frame relative to said scanning station.   
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said third means comprises: a. an integrating circuit having a summing input terminal and an output terminal;   b. a first pair of unidirectionally conducting elements connected between said summing input terminal and said first means for applying said first signal to said summing input terminal; and   c. a second pair of unidirectionally conductive, elements connected between said summing input terminal and said second means for applying said second signal to said summing input terminal.   
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said motion picture film has a sprocket hole associated with each image bearing frame thereon and wherein said first and second detecting means comprise: a. means for directing radiation in a path intercepted by said sprocket holes; and   b. photoresponsive means positioned with respect to said sprocket holes to detect the radiation modulated by said sprocket holes.   
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said photoresponsive means comprises a plurality of photosensors equally spaced one from the other in a dimension equal to the dimension between adjacent sprocket holes of said motion picture film. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the number of said photosensors is the integral quotient of the television field rate divided by the motion picture film frame rate of movement, and the raster deflection rate is equal to said rate of movement. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said motion picture film has a sprocket hole associated with each image bearing frame, said moving means comprises a rotating sprocket wheel adapted to engage the sprocket holes in the motion picture film, and said first and second detecting means comprise: a. a disc adapted to rotate with said sprocket wheel and bearing repetitive indicia disposed in concentric tracks on said disc;   b. means for directing radiation in a path intercepted by the indicia on said disc; and   c. photoresponsive means positioned with respect to said concentric tracks of indicia to detect the radiation modulated by said indicia.   
     
     
       15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said sprocket wheel includes a number P of projections adapted to engage the sprocket holes of the motion picture film, said frame rate of movement is equal to the number M, said given rate is a constant number K, and said indicia are disposed in first and second concentric tracks on the surface of said disc, the indicia in said first track being equally spaced apart and of a number N equal to the .[.produce.]. .Iadd.product .Iaddend.of P × K/M, and the number of indicia disposed in said second track are equal to the number P and are disposed in phase with selected indicia of said first track. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said disc is opaque to said radiation and said indicia comprise slits in said disc through which said radiation is transmitted, and said photoresponsive means are disposed to intercept said radiation transmitted by said slits. 
     
     
       17. In apparatus for selectively deriving an image signal from the image frames of a moving or stationary image bearing medium the combination comprising: a. means for defining a scanning station;   b. means operative in a first mode for moving the image bearing medium at a nominal image frame rate relative to said scanning station and operative in a second mode for locating a single image frame in a stationary relationship with respect to said scanning station;   c. means for scanning repetitively in a raster pattern at a field rate frequency and for providing an image signal of the image frames moving relative to said scanning station in said first mode of operation and the single image frame disposed in a stationary relationship with respect to said scanning station in said second mode of operation, the raster pattern comprising a plurality of spaced line scans;   d. first means responsive to the operation of said moving means in said first and second mode for detecting said field rate and for producing a first signal indicative of said field rate;   e. second means responsive to the operation of said moving means in said first mode for detecting the raster deflection rate of said scanning means and for producing a second signal indicative of said raster deflection rate;   f. said first means and said second means comprising   
     
     
       1. a disc adapted to rotate with the operation of said moving means in said first and second mode and bearing repetitive indicia disposed in concentric first and second tracks on said disc, 2. means for directing radiation in a path intercepted by the indicia on said disc, and   3. photoresponsive means positioned with respect to said first and second concentric tracks of indicia to detect the radiation modulated by said indicia and produce said first and second signals, respectively;   g. means responsive to said first and second signals for producing a third signal having a complex sawtooth wave form and a frequency N equal to said field rate when said moving means is operative in said first mode;   h. means responsive to said third signal for generating said raster pattern at said field rate and for positioning said raster pattern in synchronism with the movement of each image frame relative to said scanning station when said moving means is operative in said first mode; and   i. means responsive to said first signal for generating said raster pattern at said field rate and positioning said raster pattern upon said stationary image frame when said moving means is operative in said second mode.   
     
     
       18. In apparatus for selectively deriving an image signal from the image frames of a moving or stationary image bearing medium the combination comprising: a. means for defining a scanning station;   b. means operative in a first mode for moving the image frames of said image bearing medium at a nominal rate relative to said scanning station and operative in a second mode for locating a single image frame in stationary relationship with respect to said scanning station;   c. a disc coupled with said moving means to rotate at a rate related to the rate of movement of the motion picture film, said disc bearing repetitive indicia disposed in first and second concentric tracks on said disc;   d. first means responsive to the operation of said moving means in said first and second mode for detecting said field rate and for producing a first signal indicative of said field rate;   e. first means responsive to the operation of said moving means in said first mode ad said second mode for detecting said field rate from said first track of indicia on said disc and for producing a first signal indicative of said field rate;   f. second means responsive to the operation of said moving means in said first mode for detecting the raster deflection rate of said scanning means from said second track of indicia on said rotating disc and for producing a second signal indicative of said raster deflection rate;   g. means responsive to said first signal for generating said raster pattern at the television field rate and, in said second mode of operation of said moving means, for positioning said raster pattern upon said single stationary image frame disposed with respect to said scanning station;   h. means responsive to said first and second signal, when said moving means is operative in said first mode, for producing a third signal having a complex sawtooth wave form and a frequency equal to said television field rate; and   i. means responsive to said third signal for generating said raster pattern at said television field rate and positioning said raster pattern in synchronism with the movement of each image frame moving relative to said scanning station in said first mode of operation. .Iadd. 19. Apparatus for deriving from film electrical signals suitable to the provision of a visual display comprising in combination:   flying spot scanner means including a flying spot scanner tube with associated means for effecting horizontal and vertical electron beam scanning of the scanner tube, an adjacent film scanning zone, and an image detection and processing means;   transport means associated with said flying spot scanner means for moving a film of film frames through said scanning zone at a continuous and predetermined rate of film frame movement, said film and scanner means effecting development of image information signals;   vertical scan modification means coupled to said transport means for developing vertical scan signals and vertical scan modifying signals, said modifying signals having a magnitude continuously varying at a rate substantially equal to the rate of film frame movement through said film scanning zone and having a frequency at a submultiple of the frequency of vertical electron beam scanning of the scanner tube; and   signal combining network means coupling said means for effecting horizontal and vertical electron beam scanning and said vertical scan modification means to said scanner tube means, said means effecting development of a combined vertical deflection signal derived from said vertical scan and vertical scan modifying signals whereby a raster is vertically scanned at a given frequency and continuously moved vertically at a submultiple of said given frequency and at a rate substantially equal to said film frame movement rate. .Iaddend..Iadd. 20. The combination of claim 19 wherein said vertical electron beam scanning signals and said vertical scan modification signals are in a ratio of about 3:1. .Iaddend..Iadd. 21. The combination of claim 19 wherein said vertical electron beam scanning signals have a frequency of about 60 Hz. and said vertical scan modification signals have a frequency of about 20 Hz. .Iaddend..Iadd. 22. A color image display system comprising in combination:   a color television receiver having a color image display device;   a flying spot scanner means having a flying spot scanner tube, horizontal and vertical electron beam scanning voltage sources, an adjacent film scanning zone, and an image detection and processing means for providing color image signals and applying said signals to said receiver;   transport means associated with said flying spot scanner means for moving a film of film frames through said film scanning zone at a continuous and predetermined film frame rate;   vertical scan modification means coupled to said transport means for effecting development of vertical scan and vertical scan modifying signals at a submultiple frequency of said vertical scan signal frequency; and   signal combining means coupled to said flying spot scanner means and to said vertical scan modification means to effect vertical scanning of said flying spot scanner tube and continuous vertical alteration of said vertical scanning of said flying spot scanner tube at a rate substantially equal to said predetermined film frame rate.