Scan convertor
AssigneeHughes Aircraft Company
InventorWalter H. Bockwoldt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosed invention provides the method and apparatus for transforming data, such as low time base parallel channel data produced by thermal imaging type systems, for example, into a second format such as high time base single channel data of the type required by standard television monitors. In accordance with the invention means are provided for storing the applied parallel channel data a set at a time in preselected ones of a plurality of memory devices and for reading out each of the lines of data of the set stored during the last preceding period a preselected number of times at a predetermined time base. Hence, the number of data lines per field and/or the time base of the output data, may be in accordance with selected parameters.
Claims12
The method of transforming first data groups each comprising sequentially applied set of lines of parallel channel data having a first time base, into second data groups each of which contains the same information content as the corresponding first data group and is comprised of lines of single channel data having a second time base which is different from said first time base, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing alternate sets of lines of parallel channel data of the first data group in alternate ones of a pair of memory sections such that different ones of said pair of memory sections are loaded with data during alternate processing periods;
- and
- sequentially reading out a preselected plurality of times and at said second time base each of the lines of data of the set stored during the last preceding processing period;
- whereby the data read from said memory sections forms said second data group.
The method of transforming first data groups each comprising sequentially produced sets of lines of parallel channel data having a first time base, into second data groups each comprising lines of single channel data having a second time base, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing the first set of lines of parallel channel data of a first data group in a first memory section;
- storing the second set of lines of parallel channel data of said first data group in a second memory section, while reading out a preselected number of times and at said second time base each of the lines of data of said first set from said first memory section;
- storing the third set of lines of parallel channel data of said first data group in said first memory section in place of said first set, while reading out said preselected number of times and at said second time base each of the lines of data of said second set from said second memory section;
- storing the fourth applied set of lines of parallel channel data of said first data group in said second memory section in place of said second set, while reading out said preselected number of times and at said second time base each of the lines of data of said third set from said first memory section;
- repeating the storage and readout procedure of the last two above listed steps for the remaining data of the first data groups such that every other set of lines of parallel channel data is processed by opposite ones of said memory sections;
- whereby the data readout of said first and second memory sections forms said second data groups.
The method of transforming first data groups each comprising sequentially produced sets of lines of parallel channel data having a first time base, into second data groups each comprising lines of single channel data having a second time base, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing a first portion of each line of one set of said first data group in preselected ones of a group of data storage devices;
- storing the remaining portion of each line of said set of parallel channel data of the first data group into other preselected ones of said group of data storage devices;
- reading out the data from said storage devices such that the first portion and the remaining portion of each stored data line are contiguously read out a preselected number of times at said second data rate;
- and
- repeating the above storing and readout steps for subsequent sets of parallel channel data such that new data is stored in said data storage devices following the readout of data therefrom and subsequent sets of parallel channel data are stored in some of said data storage devices while previously stored data is readout of other storage devices;
- whereby the data read from said data storage devices forms said second data group.
A system of transforming first data groups each comprising sequentially applied set of lines of parallel channel imaging type data into second data groups each of which contain the same information content as the corresponding first data group and is comprised of lines of single channel display type data, said system comprising:
- a plurality of data storage devices;
- means for storing the applied parallel channel data a set at a time in preselected ones of said plurality of data storage devices;
- and
- means for sequentially reading out each of the lines of data of the set stored during the last preceding period a preselected number of times;
- whereby the data read from said data storage devices forms said second data groups.
A system of transforming first data groups each comprising sequentially applied sets of lines of parallel channel data having a first time base into second data groups each comprising lines of single channel data having a second time base, said system comprising:
- a pair of memory sections;
- means for storing alternate sets of lines of parallel channel data of the first data group in alternate ones of said memory sections such that alternate ones of said memory sections are loaded with data during alternate processing time periods;
- and
- means for sequentially reading out a preselected number of times at the second time base rate each of the lines of data of the set stored in the memory section not loaded with data during the current processing time period;
- whereby the data read out from said first and second memory section forms said second data group.
The method of transforming first data groups each comprising sequentially applied sets of lines of parallel channel data into second data groups having a different data format, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing the applied parallel channel data a set at a time in preselected ones of a plurality of memory devices such that some of the lines from alternate sets are stored in alternate ones of first and second memory sections and the remaining lines of each set are stored in a third memory section;
- and
- reading out each of the lines of the stored data in accordance with said different data format such that said third memory section is read out during the time between the application of sets of data of said first data group, and said first and second memory sections are read out such that the data of the set stored during the preceding processing period is read out during the current processing period;
- whereby the data read from said memory devices forms said second data groups.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.